PADMASREE WARRIOR, AN IIT DELHI GRADUATE in Chemical Engineering, is the first female technology officer for Motorola. As the new Chief Technology Officer of Motorola from January 1, 2003, she is expected to drive a leadership technology roadmap that would reposition the company as a world leader in communications and embedded electronics.

Donning the CTO’s role is not new for her. Earlier, Warrior was the CTO of Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector. In that role, she was responsible for the sector’s technology strategy and embedded systems solutions. Warrior led the sector’s 1,100-member global research and development organization and played a key role in transforming the company’s technology innovations and intellectual property into customer-focused solutions.

Warrior has extensive experience in the semiconductor industry including profit and loss management, manufacturing, operations, technology and business development. An 18-year Motorolan, she has been instrumental in driving innovative methods for technology commercialization, realizing early “time to revenue” for the corporation. She has held many leadership positions within Motorola, was appointed vice president in 1999 and was elected a corporate officer in 2000.

Warrior was also in-charge of the business that made batteries for phones and laptop computers and also championed efforts to sell a new type of semiconductor material.

She received her master’s degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in New Delhi, India. She serves as the Motorola executive liaison for Cornell University. Warrior was one of six women selected nationwide to receive the prestigious “Women Elevating Science and Technology (WEST)” award from Working Woman magazine in June 2001. As a community leader, she served on the Texas Governor's Council for Digital Economy, and is a member of the Texas Higher Education Board review panel.