Today is International Women’s Day, a time to recognize the significant achievements of women around the world. There are so many women whose accomplishments are worthy of celebrating including Angela Merkel, former chancellor of Germany; Halimah Yacob, the first female president of Singapore; and Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer. Today though, I celebrate my mother – a women who has inspired me from a young age.
When I was three years old, my father passed away, making my mother the sole caretaker and provider of the family. It was a challenging time, but her impact was indelible – she taught me resilience, discipline and strength. Without her and the handful of women in my life today, including my wife and my two daughters, I wouldn’t be where I am.
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias, which calls on everyone, today and every day, to be responsible for their thoughts and actions to forge a more inclusive world for people of all kinds.
At Lam, I have the opportunity to serve as the executive sponsor of the Women of Southeast Asia: an employee resource group (ERG) that actively helps to retain and develop women in the region. Our members, comprised of both women and men, advocate for the progress of women within the company and provide counsel to my leadership team to ensure all employees are provided the resources and support to fully thrive.
Our current programs focus on providing career and professional development resources for women across our operations in Southeast Asia. I’m proud to share that we plan to extend our reach from the retention and development of women at Lam, to attract women beyond the walls of our organization, in the semiconductor industry through community outreach programs with pre-university students.
It is a privilege to serve in this role and I consider it a tremendous responsibility to be an ally for women.
From all of us here at Lam Research: Happy International Women’s Day