Underscoring the importance of women in semiconductor industry leadership positions, SEMI will celebrate Spotlight on SEMI Women honorees at a welcome reception today at 6:00 p.m. at SEMICON West. Introduced last year as part of SEMI’s diversity and inclusion initiative, Spotlight on SEMI Women is the SEMI Foundation program honoring women who are beacons of knowledge, leaders of organizations and initiatives, hidden heroes and industry innovators.
Spotlight on SEMI Women recognizes one female leader each quarter. Of the four honorees since the program’s inception, Jessica Gomez of Rogue Valley Microdevices, Katie Maloney of Edwards Vacuum and Elizabeth Lee of X-FAB will attend the welcome reception.
Spotlight on SEMI Women Panel Discussion at SEMICON West
SEMICON West will feature the Spotlight on SEMI Women panel discussion Leadership: A Call to Action on Wednesday, July 10, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Three Spotlight on SEMI Women honorees – Jessica Gomez, Katie Maloney and Elizabeth Lee – will share their unique perspectives on leadership and their responsibility to inspire a new generation of female leaders in the industry. The panel will be moderated by Christine Pelissier, general manager at Edwards Vacuum and vice chair of the SEMI Diversity and Inclusion Council. Comprising nearly 20 member companies, the council solicits guidance from members to help shape diversity and inclusion initiatives focused on workforce development.
According to the Women in the Workplace 2018 report by LeanIn.Org and McKinsey, the historical underrepresentation of women not only in senior management positions but at every level in corporate America remains a persistent issue. The global semiconductor industry is also plagued by low levels of gender diversity. Yet, study after study shows that companies with a higher representation of women in leadership positions outperform their less diverse peers.
A 2016 report from Credit Suisse found “clear evidence that companies with a higher proportion of women in decision-making roles continue to generate higher returns on equity while running more conservative balance sheets. In fact, where women account for the majority in the top management, the businesses show superior sales growth, high cash flow returns on investments and lower leverage.”
“Beyond the fundamental issue of fairness and equality, diversity unquestionably makes good business sense,” said Ajit Manocha, SEMI president and CEO. “With the need for skilled talent in the global electronics manufacturing supply chain intensifying, the semiconductor industry must make gender diversity a strategic priority. As SEMI and our members do our part to boost the number of women in leadership roles, we applaud all the female leaders in the industry who have brought new ideas and innovation to their companies and inspired others to follow their lead.”