3rd Annual Women Tech. Executive Roundtable 2010

Enjoy this frank and lively discussion with these Silicon Valley movers and shakers about what's new and what matters most for women in business and technology in 2010.


The 3rd Annual Women Technology Executive Roundtable of 2010 showcased five amazing women with five unique stories of how they reached the top of their professions in Silicon Valley: A VP responsible for the developer community at one of the worlds largest mobile communications corporations; the planning and operations VP for a multi-national start-up company supporting electric vehicle infrastructure; the VP of product management at a mega-search giant; the VP & GM for a $35.1B semiconductor chip maker; and the SF Bay Area HR director of the worlds largest software company. Within the midst of the recession, these five women are leading Silicon Valley's companies towards innovation, not only at the local level, but at the global level as well.

The panelists shared their perspectives on the hiring of women. They all agreed that the ratio of women applying for technical jobs in comparison to men applying has been and continues to be slim. The VP for Google stated that they actively search to hire women but don't come across many women with the technical background needed for their positions.

Depending on the products of the company, some of panelists believed having a diverse group of employees produces a better company, thus a better product. The VP of Nokia agreed the design process of mobile phones would be different if more women were hired, but she also noted their company does not receive a significant amount of resumes from women interested in any of their positions. All the panelists agreed that if more women were employed, marketing would definitely change, as would the nature of conversations, work environments, and increased perspectives.

The 2010 Roundtable gave the leading women of Silicon Valley an opportunity to share their insights on self-advocacy, pay scales, and their experiences within the technology industry.