Dare to Dream Date:   Monday , June 29, 2009 “If you have passion and commitment, you can accomplish whatever you desire,” says Padmini Sampath, Design Manager and Management Representative of Quality in Texas Instruments (TI). If you have the will to succeed, nothing is impossible. This never-say-die attitude is probably what has seen her through her career in engineering. In her career spanning over 15 years, Padmini has been involved in the design of complex chips and systems. She has been involved in the design and verification of DSP cores as also the design management of microcontroller chips and control IPs that have a direct impact on the society, enabling industrial control and green energy, amongst numerous other applications. At a time when not many women ventured into the engineering field, Padmini took up a bachelor’s course in electronics and communications engineering and graduated from the Government College of Technology, Coimbatore in 1989. In fact, like all others in those days, her parents wanted her to pursue a course in Arts. The fact that not too many women make a foray into the semiconductor industry did not deter Padmini when, after having worked for close to 10 years in two different companies in Chennai and Mumbai, she made the decision to move to Texas Instruments (TI) as a design engineer in 2000. This was the turning point of her career. When Padmini joined TI, the company had just come out with the first Digital Signal Processor (DSP) codenamed ‘Ankoor’, which had been designed and developed wholly in India. She joined the design team of ‘Mantra’, another DSP intended for control applications, as a verification engineer. From then onwards, Padmini went on to design many products, which have a direct impact on society. She has also contributed towards the definition of SoC design processes and quality objectives and metrics in TI India. Padmini believes that one needs to learn a lot when one starts to work. This desire to learn continuously pays off, as it equips one with the required skills when changing domains. Drawing boundaries or limiting oneself to just the task at hand will lead to stagnation and will not enable growth. As Padmini puts it, “you need to start painting your canvas.” Whether it was getting a high score in engineering or graduating from individual responsibility to leading a team and then moving forward as design manager for AEC in 2006, Padmini believes that it is the sense of ownership and commitment that she showed towards her work and her capacity to learn that took her up the ladder. Presently she handles a team of about 30 people as a design manager. Her leadership mantra is to let people participate. One needs to be transparent and open to suggestions. She says, “I let my team bring in their ideas.” Recognizing the area where each individual can contribute and bringing out the best in him or her is an integral part of the job. In her role as Management Representative - Quality in TI India, which she took up very recently, Padmini expects to contribute significantly. “Quality is a key aspect of any design or verification process. You cannot be an engineer without giving attention to detail. It is also a mindset that enables continuous improvement in processes and products, thereby enabling the delivery of superior products to customers,” she elucidates. Talk about work-life balance that women generally complain of, and Padmini dismisses it saying that the barrier really does not exist. She says, “It is more of a mental barrier than a real one. Of course, you need to invest some time in building your career to reach a certain level. A support system is definitely needed but one should be able to convince one’s family that this is something you are doing because you are passionate about it.” In addition to designing SoCs and managing quality, Padmini does make time to pursue her hobbies. She has a keen interest in writing and was not only instrumental in running an in-house eZine in her organization in TI, but till recently she was also the editor of this publication. In her leisure time, she also likes to do serious reading, especially titles related to the current Indian economic scenario. “I want to learn more about macro-economics and related policies,” she says. Nandan Nilekani’s ‘Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century’ and Narayana Murthy’s ‘A Better India, A Better World’ are among the books she has been reading of late. She also enjoys reading travelogues. “Geography and learning about different cultures interest me. For example, I would like to know how people in Iceland live,” she says. Apart from reading and geography, Padmini also has a keen interest in interior designing. Urging the current generation of women engineers to take up semiconductors as a career Padmini says, “Engineering, and in particular the semiconductor field is a good option as you can bring in a lot of value to the table and to the society at large. Conventional areas like civil and mechanical engineering will continue to exist but think about this: with a single chip, one can control an entire production line in a factory. There are multiple other examples of what semiconductors can accomplish in today’s society. The technical gratification you get out of the job is unmatched.” As far as her professional life is concerned, Padmini has no regrets. She has shifted from one domain to another working on board design and microcontrollers, but despite the challenge that the shift brings along, she has been committed enough to gain expertise in new areas and grow. With her passion and commitment, she is confident of winning many more laurels in the future. Looking back at her career, this confidence is certainly not unfounded. Recognizing the fact that in India most of the work in the semiconductor industry is restricted to design, Padmini says that there is a need for more applications expertise and knowledge in India. “This is a big challenge. What I want to do in the future is to be able to contribute to the specifications of SoCs, but this requires much more comprehensive system knowledge,” she says. Padmini is convinced that constantly setting high targets and converting challenges into opportunities are the stepping-stones for success. With many accomplishments to her credit, she is indeed a role model for the next generation of women engineers in India.