Women at electronica 2024 leading change through inclusion and data

The event offered a close look at leadership and inclusion within the electronics industry, kicking off with a rousing keynote speech from Jackie Mattox, Founder and CEO of Women in Electronics. This was then followed by a candid panel discussion moderated by Electronic Specifier’s Managing Editor, Paige West.

The forum, which was sponsored by Rand Technologies, Component Sense, and Littelfuse, all of whom are advocates for inclusivity in the industry, considered how more opportunities can be created for women as well as some of the challenges holding them back. Speakers discussed everything from using data to measure true progress through to acknowledging the ‘elephants in the room,’ emphasising that real change starts with honest conversations.

Creating systemic change

Focusing on what’s needed for systemic change, Jackie reflected on her own career in the electronics industry. During her speech, she spoke about how she initially didn’t see being a woman in the industry as a challenge on account of having many “amazing male mentors”, however, once she returned to the industry after a career break to raise her family, she shared how she was surprised by the little progress that had been made on gender diversity. She recalled how she walked into executive events thinking: “Where's the next generation? Where's what are we going to do? Who's taking over?”

This train of thought spareked the idea for what would become Women in Electronics, which was founded by Jackie, Monica Highfill, and Amy Keller to address this gap. She shared how Women in Electronics is built on the principles of honour, authenticity, courage, and commitment, and that these values guide its mission to create opportunities for women in tech and to encourage a culture where everyone can participate in leadership roles.

Jackie also emphasised the need for a data-driven approach to challenge assumptions and drive better decisions, saying: “We have to pay attention to the data because our perceptions, a lot of times, do not align with the data.

“[Women in Electronics] are trying to elevate women into leadership roles. We're trying to open opportunities for women in this industry.”

Confronting misconceptions

Jackie also talked about ‘the elephant in the room’, highlighting “the difficult conversations that need to be had”, including things like the assumption that initiatives for gender equity are unnecessary because women now have equal opportunities.

Quipping about how it is assumed that everything is handed to women, she then debunked this common perception with data.

“We must look at the data, not perceptions, to understand what progress really looks like.

“We hear this a lot of times. ‘What is wrong? Why would there be a need for women in electronics? Women have it made. Women can advance. They can do anything they want. There's no problem. There's no glass ceiling, there's no issues’. We hear that a lot. Let's look what the data says.” Jackie then showed what the data revealed, which is that 60% of college graduates in the US are women, and 55% globally, yet they represent only 10% and 6% respectively of Fortune 500 CEOs. Jackie emphasised: “The reason that number is so important is because those companies have a very big impact on the globe. Those companies are the ones driving a lot of things in our society. So the fortune 500 companies is something really to pay attention to. Once we start being taken seriously in leadership, that number will really go up.”

Another point raised during her keynote was the need for women to support each other in leadership, citing Women in Electronics’ own research showing that women are sometimes held back by a lack of peer support.

“If you are the only woman at the table, consider whether you’re opening doors for others to join you,” she said, adding that this shift in mindset is critical for long-term growth.

Career challenges, self-advocacy, and breaking misconceptions

Following on from the keynote was a insightful and relatable panel discussion where Paige spoke to Beatriz Soriano, Sales Director, Texas Instruments, Dorothea Werber, Vice President, High Voltage Development Department at the Automotive Division, Infineon Technologies, Marie-Pierre Ducharme, Vice President of Supplier Marketing and Business Development, EMEA, Mouser Electronics, and Susanne Ertl, Vice President Sales Distribution Europe, TDK, about real experiences in the industry and offered advice. The panel covered career progression, self-advocacy, and breaking misconceptions about women in leadership.

A common theme was the challenge of self-promotion – a skill many found necessary yet uncomfortable.

“Self-promotion is about making sure that you communicate to the right people. What are your plans? Where do you want to go? What are your aspirations? You need to develop a network within your own organisation in order to have people support your own self-promotion,” shared Marie-Pierre.

Misconceptions about family responsibilities were also discussed. Beatriz spoke about her company’s programme, Men Advocating for Real Change (MARC), which encourages gender equality and support for women in leadership roles. Whilst Dorothea shared how Infineon’s flexible hours and childcare support had been invaluable in enabling her to stay focused on her career whilst raising a young child, stating that offering authentic support means that you get a loyal and focused employee.

The panel also discussed self-doubt, especially in male-dominated industries. “When I am having those moments of self-doubt where I feel the bar is too hard for me, I try to do three things. The first one is, I make it a point to pick a list of my accomplishments and all the challenges that I have already overcome, and I go back to that list … and I remind myself I am able. The second one is, I like to reframe the gaps. I try to focus on what is it that I can bring to this position, and I reframe the gaps as learning opportunities. Because one key criteria for me to take management roles to be able to learn something ... And then finally, I think it's very important to discuss [challenges] with people that you trust that will help you reframe what you're thinking – also to ask for support,” Beatriz shared.

Practical steps for change

As the panel concluded, each speaker offered advice and tips for inspiring inclusivity in leadership roles within the workplace:

Susanne shared the importance of believing in women: “Having women on your team shouldn't be a risk … When you do it right and not just fulfilling quotas, it really can add a lot of value, and it's a huge advantage. So to the men, take the risk ...  [to the women] believe in yourself. Revolt. Do it your way. Success does not come from fitting in. It's comes from standing out – so step out.”

Marie-Pierre spoke about making an impact of networking: “For the people that are starting their career in the room, networking is crucial. You need to network, not just within your company, but in the industry. This is an amazing industry to have a career in.”

Dorothea emphasised the importance of taking notice, especially to someone who is naturally quiet: “Watch out for women with leadership skills. I think they are sometimes hidden ... There is a lot of female talent … help develop these females [to enable them] to taking over leadership roles.”

Beatriz left us with a trio of actionable steps to take for both leaders and females: “If you're a leader, number one, pay attention to who gets heard. And if somebody is not being heard, make it a point to make those voices heard. Number two, educate yourself about biases and how those impact your decision making. And number three, make it a priority to create more diverse teams, because diverse teams deliver better results.

“And if you are a female in the in the audience … don't put barriers on yourself that others are not putting on you. Number two, I really encourage you to join employee resource groups or women networks. There is a lot of power when women help each other. And number three, focus on delivering great results and make those visible. Those are the unwritten rules, and we all need to understand how to play.”

Ultimately, the forum highlighted that inclusivity isn’t a box-ticking exercise. It’s about actively creating an industry that allows everyone to thrive. As Jackie said: “When we can create a leadership culture of civility, ethics, and humanity, we will see the impact on our industry and beyond.”