The Diversity in Chips Leadership Board has an important role for the consolidation, revision, and future use of the outcomes of the ECDA project and give advice and recommendation on the long-term impacts of the project. This board will oversee DEI initiatives, coordinate efforts among stakeholders, and serve as the central point for promoting DEI in the microelectronics industry.

Beatrice Boots

Drs. Beatrice Boots is director of the Dutch STEM Platform: Platform Talent for Technology (PTVT). PTVT is the national knowledge, expertise and network center in the field of technological education and the technological labor market.

Beatrice is also chair of the EU STEM Coalition, the EU’s most important network of national STEM platforms. The main goal of the EU STEM Coalition is to facilitate the sharing of best practices between countries and regions. Through a wide range of activities and resources, we bring together policy makers and policymakers to exchange ideas, share experiences and develop new approaches in a range of areas related to STEM education and the labor market. Our activities include annual conferences, thematic working groups, webinars, peer learning activities and online repositories. In addition, the EU STEM Coalition provides direct support in the development of new initiatives, organizations and strategies based on existing best practices. The main supporting instruments are: policy briefings, task force meetings and roundtable discussions. 

Margherita Bottino

Margherita Bottino, a psychologist and psychotherapist, has been working  with adolescents for several years, focusing particularly on school and career guidance. She also addresses issues related to bullying, sexual orientation, and gender identity, on which she conducts publications, training for organizations and institutions, and conferences.

She has also worked on projects concerning the health of immigrant women and against violence towards women and minors. For IAL FVG, she serves as the regional coordinator for Special Educational Needs and school support. 

Françoise Chombar

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.  For a few years, she has also been supportive of the EU STEM Coalition, a European-wide network of national and regional STEM organisations, and the DEI initiatives of SEMI Europe and GSA. As a ‘STEMinist’, she advocates for more STEM and more inclusiveness and gender balance. That commitment is driven by her deep belief in its positive social impact. Ms. Chombar holds a Master’s Degree Applied Languages (Dutch, English, and Spanish) from Ghent University.  

Isabella Drolz

Isabella Drolz is the Vice President Marketing & Product Strategy at Comet AG, Industrial X-Ray Solution Division, overseeing Market & Product Strategy, Global Application & Training Centers, and Marketing for the brands Comet Yxlon and Dragonfly.

She holds an MBA and has an industrial engineering education. With extensive experience in the mechanical and plant engineering industry, she has successfully driven long-term business and product strategies. 

Mary Finegan

Mary Finegan is an experienced semiconductor technology leader with 34 years accumulated experience since graduating as a MicroElectronic Engineer from Trinity College Dublin in 1990.

Since her graduation Mary has worked extensively overseas and has held technology leadership and business development roles in Asia/Australia, Europe, USA and in Ireland. In 2008, Mary moved to Australia where she worked as General Manager of Research and Development at Silverbrook Research leading a team of over a 100 engineers and scientist in the development of revolutionary new MEMS based Printhead IC components for the MEMJETs print technology in partnership with TSMC, Xintec and ASE in Taiwan. Since her return to Ireland 2014, Mary was part of the Movidus Leadership team who were acquired by Intel in 2016. As VP of PMO, Mary was responsible for driving to production the core Movidius VPU and AI accelerator chip programs:Myriad 2, Myriad X and Keem Bay including all associated chip variants, dev kits and software. More recently Mary was the Global VP of PMO at Taoglas, focussed primarily on their emerging IOT business.

Mary is currently acting Chairperson of the Maynooth engineering advisory committee, amember of the UCD engineering advisory board, A member of the Diversity in Chips Leadership Board, the MidasIreland ECDA representive, and a strong advocate and mentor for women in engineering and science.

 

Catherine Le Lan

Catherine’s experience focuses on global customer success management, specializing in technical support, training, project execution, and team management at LSI-Logic, Synopsys, and Texas Instruments in both France and the United States.​

After a stint in the academic world as a professor in high schools and universities, Catherine returned to the industry. She rejoined Synopsys in 2022 to create collaborations opportunities for Workforce development and to foster innovation.

Dr. Philip Matthes

Philip Matthes is an accomplished HR executive with over 17 years of experience in Human Resources and Change Management. For 14 years, he has led multicultural, diverse HR teams at Merck, where he has demonstrated a strong passion for driving Diversity & Inclusion in high-tech industries.

Notably, he achieved a 40% female staffing ratio at a semiconductor equipment plant and spearheaded anti-bias training for leadership. Philip is currently Senior Director, Head of Human Resource Business Partnering Electronic at Merck KGaA and has held previous leadership positions in Merck Semiconductor and Merck Japan.

Cassandra Melvin

Cassandra Melvin leads SEMI’s operations, business development, and strategic initiatives in EMEA. She is responsible for leading a culturally diverse team, enhancing member value, and directing operations for optimized financial performance.

With experience leading cross-functional teams, Cassandra is committed to fostering talent, equity, and high-performing, inclusive cultures. Cassandra is a dedicated advocate for diversity and workforce development in the semiconductor industry. As Co-Chair of the European Commission’s Pact for Skills in Microelectronics, she leads efforts to expand skill-building and attract a diverse talent pool across Europe. Cassandra founded Future Legends, an organization dedicated to equipping young women with digital and leadership skills, and co-led Rockchain, a network supporting women in leadership. She holds a BS in Business Management, and Minor in Neuropsychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

 

Magdaléna Musilová

Magdaléna Musilová has a background in human rights law and management. She has been working with businesses, universities, and NGOs on creating safer and more respectful spaces and environments since 2021.

Magdaléna Musilová has a background in human rights law and management. She has been working with businesses, universities, and NGOs on creating safer and more respectful spaces and environments since 2021. She has delivered numerous workshops and lectures on the prevention and resolution of sexual harassment and co-created several internal systems in this area. She is the co-author of a manual for organisations on how to effectively and ethically deal with the topic of sexual harassment. She works currently in academia as an assistant professor, teaching economics and finance courses, and as a researcher of gender equality in the labour market, in the workplace and in academia. In the last decade, she has been active in various human rights NGOs.