Spotlight
Driving systemic change in electronics leadership
With International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June highlighting the need for stronger leadership pathways in STEM, CIE spoke to WE United CEO and co-founder Jackie Mattox about how the non-profit organisation — formerly Women in Electronics — is advancing gender parity across the industry through leadership growth, mentorship and networking opportunities for women and the wider electronics ecosystem
CIE: To begin, can you tell us about your career journey and the path that led you into the electronics industry? Jackie Mattox (JM): Yes, my path into the electronics industry was somewhat unexpected. I was originally trained in broadcast journalism and had plans for a studio career. However, life circumstances required a quick pivot, and I took a sales role I found through my college career centre. At the time, I had no technical background, but the company was willing to invest in training me. Over time, I became deeply involved in designing technical components and working directly with customers. One of the key messages I share is that this industry isn’t limited to engineers. It requires a broad range of skill sets, including sales, marketing, operations, and technical expertise, all working together across different stages of design and production.
What ultimately made me fall in love with the industry was the people. It is highly relationship-driven, and as someone who values connection, that resonated with me.
CIE: What experiences in your early career made you passionate about supporting talent development and leadership growth within the electronics sector? JM: I’ve always been drawn to leadership and personal development. I was constantly reading, attending leadership events, and studying how people grow and impact others. Early in my career, I was often one of the only women in executive settings, but I was fortunate to have strong mentors, so it didn’t feel limiting at the time.
However, after stepping away from the industry for a period and then returning, I realised that very little had changed. I was still one of the only women at the table, and that was a turning point.
It became clear that succession and 16 June 2026
leadership development needed to be addressed. Leadership ultimately drives results. You can have great products and talented teams, but without strong leadership, outcomes will fall short.
CIE: You founded Women in Electronics in 2017. What was the organisation’s original purpose, why was it changed to WE United, and how has it evolved today in terms of mission, scope and the kinds of programmes, events and support you now provide to the wider industry? JM: We originally launched in 2017 as Women in Electronics, with a simple goal: to connect and develop women who were often the only ones at the table across various roles in a highly technical, male-dominated industry. As
Components in Electronics
we brought these women together, we began to explore deeper questions:
Why aren’t more women advancing? What barriers exist?
What skills are needed to navigate leadership?
From there, we built programmes focused on executive presence, confidence and communication, emotional intelligence, navigating unconscious bias, and having difficult conversations.
We offer a monthly virtual leadership development series and our in-person annual leadership summit. We also offer the chapter programme for local, in-person engagement and continuing the conversations. As we evolved over the years, we recognised that systemic change cannot happen without active engagement from our male colleagues. The leaders already in
position must be part of the solution. We transitioned to WE United to reflect a broader mission: bringing men and women together to build stronger, more balanced leadership pipelines. We know from data that companies with balanced leadership teams can see up to around 19 per cent higher returns. This is not just a social issue; it’s a business imperative.
CIE: WE United is built around leadership development, mentorship and community. In your experience, which of these areas creates the biggest shift in people’s careers, and why does that particular pillar make such a JM: Each pillar impacts people differently depending on where they are in their journey.
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