The EMEA Women’s Leadership Council harnesses the leadership of those women who have risen to the top ranks of the semiconductor industry to provide inspiration and sponsorship for the next generation of female leaders.
MartineAntonio
EMEA IP
Sales Director
Synopsys
Martine Antonio
EMEAI IP Sales Director
Synopsys
Martine Antonio joined Synopsys in 2004. She currently serves as the IP Sales Director for EMEA and Israel, where she leads an international sales team and has consistently achieved over 20% year-over-year business growth. Her clientele includes global accounts, territorial accounts, and startups operating in the Automotive, High-Performance Computing, and Wireless/IoT sectors.
Martine’s 30+ years of international experience in the semiconductor industry, her profound understanding of customers, partners, and the ecosystem, have played a pivotal role in driving IP business growth across diverse markets and applications. A crucial aspect of her role is ensuring customer success and satisfaction while nurturing a culture of inclusion and diversity within her talented international teams.
Since her childhood, she has always believed in the role of women in technology, which is why she aspired to become an engineer. Her passion for teamwork, engaging with people, and creating a positive environment where teams can develop their skills and excel is central to her focus. She firmly believes that diversity of perspectives fosters creativity and enhances performance. She is enthusiastic about the opportunity to connect with women in the industry through the GSA Women’s Leadership Initiative.
She earned her M.Sc. in Physics and Semiconductor from the University of Sciences Paris-Saclay, France
Selma Arici
Global Key Account Manager
Analog Devices
Selma Arici
Global Key Account Manager
Analog Devices
Selma Arici joined Analog Devices (ADI) in June 2019 as Global Key Account Manager, driving business development and building strategic partnerships with multinational clients.
She combines extensive global account management experience with a technical background and fluency in three languages to develop innovative solutions for advanced technologies in digital healthcare environments. A central element of her role is creating value for global clients and multi-functional teams around the world.
She received her M.Sc. in Electrical and Information Engineering with Business at the University of Applied Sciences Kempten, Germany, and her International Executive MBA University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Before joining ADI, Selma held various roles in Sales Management at Texas Instruments (TI) in Automotive, Industrial, Aerospace, and Defense, as well as led business development for top European Electronic Manufacturing Services companies globally.
In addition to her role, Selma is a member of the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and holds various leadership roles in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committees.
Cristina
Borelli
Advisor
Silicon Catalyst
Cristina Borelli
Silicon Catalyst Advisor
Silicon Catalyst
Cristina Borelli has 30 years of experience in Electronic Design Automation/ Semiconductor and 10 years of experience in Software/Information Technology, with a good understanding of the European Electronic market and ecosystem.
She has covered executive positions in sales/marketing and program management in companies like Synopsys, Cadence, Etnoteam and Italtel.
While retired from business, she is committed to help new generations of innovators in the development of their ambitions in STEM.
In this context of nonprofit activities, she is currently advisor for Silicon Catalyst and Berkeley Skydeck Europe, supporting the review process and mentoring of startups.
She is also collaborating with the PhD School of Politecnico of Milan, as project teamwork facilitator for the course “Industrial Skills”.
Maria Cristina holds a Master in Electronic Engineering from the Politecnico of Milan.
Richa
Bubna
Key Account Manager
Cap Gemini
Richa Bubna
Key Account Manager
Cap Gemini
Richa is an accomplished business professional with a passion for driving business growth. She finds herself intrigued by the complex world of business challenges and is adept at crafting tailored solutions to meet her clients’ unique needs. With over three years of experience in the semiconductor industry, Richa has extensive knowledge in end-to-end sales cycles, strategic planning, stakeholder management, and proposal development. Richa holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi in India. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming and reading books, and currently resides in Munich.
Françoise
Chombar
Co-Founder & Chair,
Board of Directors
Melexis
Françoise Chombar
Co-Founder & Chair, Board of Directors
Melexis
Françoise Chombar is Chairwoman and co-founder of Melexis. She served as the CEO of Melexis for 18 years (from 2003 to 2021). She is currently a member of the Board of Umicore, Soitec, Smart Photonics, Antwerp Management School and Mediafin.
She is also president of the STEM platform, an advisory board to the Flemish government, aiming to encourage young people to pursue a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics education. Françoise Chombar’s long-term commitment to actively advocating more STEM and gender balance is driven by her profound belief in their positive societal impact.
She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Vlerick Award, the Global Prize for Women Entrepreneurs of BNP Paribas, ICT-Personality of the Year by Datanews, Science Fellowship at the VUB, Honorary Award by the Flemish Community, the Computable Lifetime Achievement Award, a Honorary Award by the Science and Technology Group of KU Leuven and the European SEMI Award.
Ms. Chombar holds a Master’s Degree Applied Languages (Dutch, English, and Spanish) from Ghent University.
Rebecca
Dobson
Corporate
Vice President, EMEA
Cadence Design Systems
Rebecca Dobson
Corporate Vice President, EMEA
Cadence Design Systems
Rebecca joined Cadence Design Systems in January 2020 as Corporate Vice President, leading the field engineering and sales teams across Europe and the Middle East.
Since graduating with a BSc (hons) Rebecca’s career has been in high tech companies. Supporting customers across innumerable industries, but with a focus on Automotive, Infrastructure, Consumer Electronics, Industrial and Communications.
Rebecca has worked in a variety of blue-chip businesses and startups; all of which were successfully acquired due to their financial performance.
Prior to joining Cadence, Rebecca was Global SVP Sales and Marketing at Inmarsat, transforming the Enterprise Business Unit from a satellite network management business to a IoT solutions business.
Rebecca spent almost eleven years at Arm, the world’s leading semiconductor IP company, where she was VP EMEAI, leading sales and engineering teams across Europe, Middle East and India. Through her time at Arm Rebecca progressed her career from Global Account Management, managing one of Arms biggest customers, through to Director of Sales for various parts of Europe and finally VP EMEAI.
Outside work, Rebecca enjoys cooking, gardening and interior design. As well as spending time with her young family.
Christelle
Faucon
VP Sales
Agile Analog
Christelle Faucon
VP Sales
Agile Analog
Christelle Faucon VP Sales Agile Analog. Christelle brings an impressive 27 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, covering both technical and commercial roles. Having been raised with the values of hard work and support, Christelle credits her parents for instilling in her the strong belief that anything is possible with the right dedication. As a proud mother of two teenagers, she strives to pass on to them the same philosophy. Christelle pursued studies in Mechanics and Electronics, persevering in an environment where women were a minority. This led to a successful career as a design engineer in France and later as a product marketeer at Philips Semiconductors. Christelle then spent a decade at TSMC, gaining experience in both technical and commercial positions, before taking on a leadership role at GUC Europe for ten years. Christelle is now VP Sales for Agile Analog, the customizable analog IP company. Dedicated to empowering women in the semiconductor industry, she envisions creating impactful programs through the GSA Women’s Leadership Initiative that foster diversity and celebrate achievements. Her vision is to cultivate a strong community of women, providing equal opportunities and support. Mentorship, networking, and educational initiatives will be instrumental in driving the mission of empowering women in the field. Throughout her career, support from both men and women who believed in Christelle’s abilities and goals played a significant role in her success. Joining the GSA Women’s Leadership Initiative marks an exciting step for Christelle toward driving change, inclusivity, and giving back the support she received to others.
Christina
Höfner
Head of Global
Executive Recruitment
NXP
Dr. Maria
Marced
Board Member
Ceva, IQE, Sequans
Dr. Maria Marced
Board Member
Ceva, IQE, Sequans
Mrs. Maria Marced holds non executive Director positions at Ceva and IQE. Prior to this, Maria has been the President of TSMC Europe from November 2007 until December 2023 being responsible for the strategy and management of TSMC Europe and leading the decision of TSMC on the EU fab.
Maria joined Philips Semiconductors in 2003 as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Connected Multimedia Solutions Business Unit and later on as General Manager of Sales and Marketing during the transformation of Philips to NXP. Maria joined Philips from Intel where she developed her professional career over 19 years, reaching the top position in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region as Vice President and General Manager. Mrs. Marced holds a degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain. She was born in Valencia, Spain and is married with one daughter.
Katrien
Marent
EVP & Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Imec
Katrien Marent
EVP & Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Imec
Katrien holds an engineering degree in Microelectronics. She joined Imec in 1992 as an Analog Design Engineer and specialized in design of low-noise readout electronics for high-energy physics. In 1999, she became press responsible and scientific editor at Imec’s business development division and was responsible for authoring and editing the research organization’s numerous company technical documents and publications. In 2001, she was appointed Corporate Communications Director at Imec. Her responsibilities expanded in August 2007, when she got the position of External Communications Director including corporate, marketing and outreach communications. In October 2016, she became VP Corporate, Marketing and Outreach Communication. Since April 2020, she has served as the Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and member of the executive board of Imec. She is also a member of the board of directors of RVO Society, an organization to inspire young people, teachers and citizens with educational and leisure activities regarding engineering, technology and science.
Manja
Moller
Advisor to the
Division Manager
Fraunhofer Institute
Manja Moller
Advisor to the Division Manager
Fraunhofer Institute
Manja is the Advisor to the division manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, Department Adaptive Systems Engineering EAS and Equal Opportunity Officer in Dresden, Germany. In this role, she is responsible for advising and supporting the Institute’s department head on management and organizational issues as well as technical topics, while also leading the “Team Assistance” group of EAS.
As a manager, Manja is passionate about creating an environment that encourages employees to develop and realize their full potential. She firmly believes that diversity is a key driver for success and that different experiences, perspectives and ideas make it possible to achieve the optimal outcomes for a company and its customers. Manja is dedicated to inspiring women to take on tasks in research and the semiconductor industry, and to awakening girls’ interest in STEM from an early age.
Prior to joining the Fraunhofer Institute, Manja held various roles at the Swiss Federal Railways, where she managed large teams across multiple locations and was responsible for planning train drivers and shunting personnel for the annual timetable and beyond. She holds a degree in Transportation Economics and a Master of Advanced Studies in Project Management and is currently working towards her qualification as a systemic business coach.
Estelle
Prin
Founder
Semiconductor Observatory
Estelle Prin
Founder of the Semiconductor Observatory
Semiconductor Observatory
Estelle Prin is an economic intelligence consultant specializing in the semiconductor industry. She created the Semiconductor Observatory – a website dedicated to providing comprehensive information and insightful analysis on this sector. Estelle previously held a career in journalism spanning 15 years, and has also taught courses on international economics and geopolitics, particularly on topics such as relations between China and the United States, and China’s policy and presence in Africa. Estelle obtained an MBA in Economic Intelligence from the Ecole de Guerre Economique in 2022.
Olivera
Stojanovic
VP of Cogita Product & Embedded
Vtool
Olivera Stojanovic
VP of Cogita Product & Embedded
Vtool
Olivera Stojanovic holds an MSc in electrical engineering from the School of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade and EMBA from Cotrugli Business School.
Her diverse experience is concentrated on project management and managing teams of verification engineers. She spent a portion of her career helping senior management and the sales department through business development management. Her expertise in the technological field has helped her to better comprehend and anticipate customer needs.
Being the product owner of the Cogita-PRO tool, which is largely concerned with debugging and assisting verification engineers in their endeavors, is Olivera’s greatest accomplishment and current area of competence. She highlights the value of its features and devotes her varied knowledge to its upgrading as her primary goal in developing and establishing the Cogita-PRO tool’s purpose.
Her main motivation is based on her ability to get the best out of everything she learned throughout her whole career – business development management, verification, creating sales strategies, product design, project management, and leading the group.
Olivera’s next goal is to achieve progress in all areas of Cogita-PRO development and realize her vision for it to become a valuable tool for fighting bugs.