AMD executive flags early exit of women from semiconductor workforce

AMD India's Jaya Jagadish urges industry leaders to measure progress not only by hiring women but also by developing, promoting and empowering them to lead

Raising concerns over women leaving the workforce from entry-level roles, Jaya Jagadish, a senior executive at AMD India, urged industry leaders to empower women to reach leadership and senior technical roles at Semicon India on Friday.

 

“If women enter our industry, but disappear from the leadership pipeline, we really have not solved the problem,” said Jaya Jagadish, senior vice-president of design engineering and country head at AMD India, adding that women remain a minority in the industry.

 

Jagadish, speaking at the session titled ‘Women Shaping the Electronics and Semiconductor Industry’, said the semiconductor industry needs more women to access the best talent, broadest perspectives and the most diverse ways of solving problems.

 

“When you are solving problems of this scale and complexity, you want the widest possible pool of talent and ideas. So, diversity is not just a social responsibility, it is an innovation strategy,” she said.

 

Jagadish asked industry leaders to measure progress not just by the number of women they hire, but by how many women they develop, promote and empower to lead.

 

Usha Gogineni, director of technology development at Micron Technology, said that leaders are stereotyped as being strict and strong, while women are expected to be gentle and empathetic, putting them in a dilemma.

 

Talking about the challenges, Radhika Viswanathan, chief operating officer at Applied Materials India, said that women do not get enough feedback compared with their male counterparts, even as they continue to grow in their careers.

 

Meanwhile, Lavanya S, senior department manager at Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd, said that women are capable of building stronger teams, as they add empathy and compassion when doing the task.

 

Jagadish suggested that industry leaders should not deprive women of opportunities, provide them with visibility and create pathways to leadership.

 

“We need women to be out there bringing the best versions of themselves to be the leaders of tomorrow,” Jagadish added.