Women in Semiconductors: Leading Figures and Their Contributions to the Industry

The tech industry is not widely known for gender diversity. As of July 2024, 27.6% of the tech workforce identified as female, which falls significantly short of equal representation. During the last 5 years, the percentage of women represented in tech increased by less than 3%. But in the semiconductor sector, things are beginning to change, with women making up to 29% of the workforce. There’s still a long way to go before true equality is achieved. But we’re seeing an increasing number of female leaders, and they’re having a significant impact.

Five Women Making a Difference in the Semiconductor Industry

Christine King

Christine King is arguably THE woman of the semiconductor industry. The sector’s first female CEO (initially with AMI Semiconductor, which was later acquired by ON Semiconductor for nearly $1 billion), she has held roles on multiple boards, forging her own path. Her advice to anyone wanting to make a success within the industry is to focus on the needs of the customer. Because that’s how you gain traction.

Lisa Su

With a real time net worth exceeding $1 billion, Dr Lisa Su is an industry success. Hers is the name behind AMD’s transformation – she took a failing brand that was close to bankruptcy and turned it into a market leader. Under her leadership, the company’s stock increased from a value of less than $2 to more than $200. Although she moved on to become the CEO of Advanced Micro Devices in May 2024, she continues to play a pivotal role within the semiconductor sector in the race towards advanced artificial intelligence.

Lalitha Suryanarayana

With 50 issued patents, numerous technical papers, and a technical book to her name, no one can doubt Lalitha Suryanarayana’s semiconductor credentials. Currently Vice President of Seagate Technology, she has been instrumental in the energy, automotive, and Internet of Things sectors. And has been recognised as one of the 'Women to Watch' by the IEEE Women in Engineering.

Rani Borkar

Being Corporate Vice President, Azure Hardware Systems & Infrastructure at Microsoft would be an achievement enough for most people. But Rani Borkar has been one of the leaders in the development of cloud computing. Recognised as a groundbreaking hardware engineer and product operator, she has been celebrated as a problem solver on a global scale. With a career that has taken in IBM and Intel, Rani Borkar is truly one of the semiconductor industry greats – male or female.

Ritu Favre

Currently the President of Emerson, Ritu Favre has played a significant role within the semiconductor industry for more than 30 years. Specialising in the development, launch, and management of cutting-edge RF and semiconductor solutions, she has held positions within some of the world’s leading semiconductor companies. Including National Instruments, Motorola, Synaptics, NEXT Biometrics, and Freescale Semiconductor.

The semiconductor industry is making strides in both gender and ethnic diversity. There’s no arguing about the fact that it still has some way to go. But for anyone looking for inspiration within the sector, these are just a few of the many leaders you can look to for inspiration, for proof that it can be done, regardless of gender or ethnicity.

If you’re interested in talking about diversity in the semiconductor industry, reach out to Lauren Hart - she’s the host of our Women in Semiconductors Podcast and an advocate for women in the tech industry.