Women in Hardware Mentorship Program

Become a Mentor

Mentor Profile & Commitment

Help grow the next generation of women leaders in hardware. Here's who we're looking for, and what mentoring involves.

< 4 hrs per month
Up to 2 yrs program commitment
2 full-day in-person events

Profile

Who we're looking for

  • Senior leader with current or past experience in a hardware engineering organization, 1–4 levels below the C-suite (25+ years' experience)
  • Individual contributor or people manager
  • Passionate about mentoring peers and growing future leaders
  • Experience in mentoring is preferred

Commitment

Less than 4 hours per month, for up to two years

Connect with mentees

  • Hold or attend virtual Fireside chats (1–1.5 hours, depending on the topic)
  • Hold virtual or face-to-face 1:1s with mentees Max 2 / month

Meet in person

  • Domestic travel, and the costs associated with it, to attend two full-day face-to-face events

Support the program

  • All aspects of Fireside chat execution
  • Participate in panels and workshops Max 3 / year
  • Attend key mentor meetings Max 4 / year
  • Participate in mentor- and mentee-centric networking events or panels
  • Recruit mentors and mentees for future programs
  • Raise awareness of the WHM program

Interested in becoming a mentor?

Reach out to the WHM team to learn more about the next program.

Contact wli@gsaglobal.org

The Women in Hardware Mentorship (WHM) Program kicked off the pilot program in January 2023. It was founded by Antonella Oliva and senior industry women leaders with a goal to increase the presence of women in leadership positions in hardware engineering by sharing mentor women leaders’ strategies.

Founder Antonella Oliva partnered with GSA WLI to expand this program by creating a community of women that encourages the culture of mentorship while making a lasting impact for women of all generations in our industry.

Problems:

  • Very few women make it to executive positions in Hardware Engineering.
  • Too few to reach enough women engineers in a given company and act as role models.

Consequences:

  • Career growth falters
  • Lack of leadership diversity
  • Attrition of female employees

WHM Goals:

  • Help mid-career-level mentees develop leadership skills and help them advance into leadership roles.
  • Build a support community of women in Hardware Engineering across the industry and companies to encourage the culture of mentorship and experience sharing.
  • Build a group of senior women mentors across the semiconductor industry to address specific needs of women Hardware Engineers and create a larger pool of women mentors and role models.

Mentorship Circles are formed where mentees from companies throughout the industry can interact and learn from one another. Curriculum includes topics on:

Curriculum:

Participant Profile:

Mentees:

High Performing Mid-career level managers and individual contributors in HW engineering (4-5 levels below C-suite)

Mentors:

Industry leaders 1-3 levels below C-suite. Passionate about mentoring.

Format:

6 monthly Firechats (virtual) with one Mentor and six Mentees. Specific Curriculum topics are discussed. Pre-work is assigned to encourage Mentees participation. 

Quarterly 1:1 between Mentees and Mentors are encouraged.

Time Commitment (over one year):

Mentors: 2-3 hours/month

Mentees: 2-3 hours/month

Circles Timeframe:

Monthly Firechats:

January – June (held virtually)

Two F2F Events (in-person):

January/August

Quarterly 1:1 Sessions:

January – January (over one year)

Antonella
Oliva

WHM Founder

Nitza
Basoco

Teradyne

Fadoua Chafik

Fadoua
Chafik

Google

Ingrid Cotoros

Ingrid
Cotoros

Mytra

Dr. Angela Dalton

Dr. Angela
Dalton

AMD

Rimjhim
Dasgupta

Synopsys

Nika
Esfahani

NVIDIA

Manisha
Gambhir

Marvell

Sonia
Leon

Executive Technologist & Advisor

Dr. Yan
Li

Sandisk

Dina McKinney

Dina
McKinney

NVIDIA

Jeanne Trinko
Mechler

Marvell

Nevine
Nassif

Intel

Janet
Olson

Santa Clara University

Lyndsi Parker

Lyndsi
Parker

Marvell

WHM Mentor - Padma Parthasarathy

Padma
Parthasarathy

Microsoft

Geeta
Singh

Arm

Elene Terry

Elene
Terry

Meta

Kathy
Wilcox

AMD

Olivia
Wu

Meta

Emily
Yang

Diodes

Sherry
Xu

Microsoft

Jennifer
Zhao

GigaDevice Semiconductors Singapore

 

Antonella Oliva, WHM Founder

Traci Brandon, Vice President of Women’s Leadership Initiative 

For additional information on this program, please contact wli@gsaglobal.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Guidance for companies identifying and nominating candidates for WHM.

Where will the in-person events take place?
The in-person events will take place in Silicon Valley, California. Specific venue details will be shared as they become available.
Does the mentee need to be a people manager?
No. High-performing individual contributors and technical leaders are encouraged to participate. Current people-management responsibility is not required. Candidates should demonstrate leadership potential and organizational influence regardless of reporting responsibilities.
What level of employee should be nominated?
Ideal candidates are typically at the Principal, Senior Principal, Distinguished Engineer, Director, Senior Technical Program Manager, Technical Fellow, or equivalent level within their organization.
How many years of experience should a candidate have?
WHM is intended for mid career professionals with approximately 10+ years of industry experience who are preparing for their next leadership transition.
Are individual contributors eligible?
Yes. Both individual contributors and people managers are eligible. Many successful participants are senior technical leaders who influence strategy, innovation, and business outcomes without direct management responsibilities.
Is WHM intended for early-career professionals?
No. WHM is designed for experienced professionals who have already established their technical expertise and are seeking to expand their leadership impact.
Should candidates already be executives?
No. WHM is intended for high-potential leaders preparing for broader leadership responsibilities. It is generally not targeted toward executives who are already operating at the VP or C-suite level.
Do candidates need to work in hardware engineering specifically?
Candidates should work in hardware or closely related technical fields, including semiconductor design, manufacturing, suppliers, product engineering, systems engineering, hardware-software integration, architecture, technical program management, and similar disciplines.
Can a company nominate someone who recently moved into a leadership role?
Yes. Candidates do not need to already hold executive positions. The program is designed to support leaders who are preparing for increased organizational influence and broader leadership responsibilities.