Powering Progress on International Women in Engineering Day 2025

The world is increasingly defined by the technology we create – and who creates that technology has never mattered more.

Arm and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team believe computing should be built for everyone, and by everyone. This commitment to equity and inclusivity is a vital part of the landmark multiyear partnership between the two companies.

This International Women in Engineering Day 2025 (23 June), we’re honouring the women engineers helping make that belief real: designing systems, leading teams, solving global-scale problems, and helping build the future of computing with vision, integrity, and care.

“It’s rewarding to know that the work we do today helps shape the technology of tomorrow”

– Karima Dridi, Head of Productivity Engineering, Arm.

Karima grew up in Morocco, choosing between two futures — one expected, one imagined. Her mother hoped she would become a doctor, her father a teacher. But Karima felt something different when she worked through physics and mathematics challenges. She trusted that feeling and chose engineering. “Engineering offered a chance to build, to innovate, to be at the heart of shaping technology. I followed my instincts – and I’ve never looked back,” Karima says.

She became the only woman in her microelectronics program and later turned down offers from big companies to work in semiconductors. That choice gave Karima the chance to work on technologies that move quickly and make a real impact in the world.

Today, she leads Global Productivity Engineering at Arm, with her team focusing on AI integration, engineering analytics, design flows, and operational excellence. For Karima, success has never been about chasing titles but taking the time to learn deeply and lead with purpose.

“Engineering turned my childhood dream into a career”

– Kate Stedman, Senior Systems IP Design Engineer, Arm.

Kate always imagined herself as the inventor in the cartoons she watched as a child. She didn’t realise that job had a name until someone told her engineering was just real-world inventing.

That spark turned into action. Kate sought out hands-on experiences, internships, and education that brought her closer to the world she had once only imagined. However, the journey was not always smooth and early on, Kate found herself in classroom and meetings where feeling left out of place was common.

Over time, she found a network of women engineers who reminded her she belonged. Now, Kate helps build those spaces for others too, knowing that even small acts of connection can shift someone’s whole sense of what’s possible. “The ability to contribute to these networks is one of my career highlights”, says Kate.

“Be brave, be bold, put your hand up, and push yourself out of your comfort zone”

– Sioned Edwards, IT Operations Director, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team

Sioned didn’t follow a conventional path into engineering or IT. Her break came while deploying software at Aston Martin Aramco—where, as a lifelong Formula One fan, she saw an opportunity and boldly asked for a job. This led her from the production department to IT leadership, where she now oversees critical areas including trackside IT and cybersecurity. According to Sioned, success comes not from having all the answers, but being willing to lead, learn, and leap into the unknown.

For Sioned, mentorship has been key—drawing strength from her mother, a veteran commercial director, and from her former boss who once pushed her to speak in front of 2,000 people, a daunting but transformative moment. Her advice to aspiring women in engineering is “get a mentor or a tribe”, as having people who believe in you and push you beyond your comfort zone can make all the difference.

“If you don’t try, you’ll never know how far you could’ve gone”

– Noelia Rodriguez Matilla, Director, GPU Model Engineering, Arm.

For Noelia, the draw to engineering came from logic and not machines. She liked reasoning through problems more than memorising facts. While she wasn’t entirely sure what opportunities a new computer engineering degree could bring, Noelia now leads GPU Model Engineering across four global sites, helping Arm shape the tools that power visual computing.

“The leap from contributor to leader was the biggest shift. It was gradual, and it gave me time to grow into it”, she says.

Noelia’s advice to others is simple — trust yourself, speak up, and take the opportunity when it comes. Even if it’s not the perfect fit, you’ll learn something valuable just by trying.

“Own your ideas, your wins, your voice.”

– Pareena Verma, Solutions Director and Distinguished Engineer, Arm.

Pareena has always been drawn to solving problems. As a child, she loved debugging challenges and didn’t stop until she found the answer. Her father, also an engineer, encouraged her curiosity and showed her how patience and perseverance could go hand in hand.

Throughout her career, Pareena has faced moments where her voice could be overlooked. Rather than retreat, she responded by continuing to speak up in meetings, following up, and building strong relationships across teams.

Today, she is one of Arm’s Distinguished Engineers, an expert in Arm’s Developer Program, and a leader who makes sure everyone is heard and valued. Pareena encourages women to build hands-on skills, seek mentors, and step confidently into technical leadership “Being a woman in engineering means not only solving hard problems, but shaping the future of the industry”, concludes Pareena.

“Letting go of stability was the boldest move of all.”

– Julia Miroshina, Senior Engineering Manager, Productivity Engineering, Arm.

Julia’s story began with late nights designing websites and experimenting with code. That passion turned into a web development studio she founded. But the more she built, the more she wanted to go deeper — to understand how complex systems worked and how to make them better.

“I come from a foundation of business, entrepreneurship, and engineering – an unconventional path that taught me to adapt quickly, stay curious under pressure, and lead with both strategic clarity and technical depth,” says Julia.

That desire led her into enterprise engineering, and eventually to Arm. Today, she leads data engineering platform teams that support innovation across Arm’s IP and system-on-chip (SoC) development. She also works closely with employee resource groups and inclusion programs to help build not just better systems — but better cultures.

“Do what you love – because when things get tough, passion motivates more than anything else.”

— Dr. Gemma Lawrence, Control Systems Engineer, Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team

For Dr. Gemma Lawrence, a career in engineering was inevitable. “I’ve loved racing since I was a little kid,” she says. “My dad used to race, and I’ve spent weekends at tracks for as long as I can remember. I never realized it wasn’t something girls usually did—I just did it because I loved it.” That early passion led her into motorsport engineering, and today she plays a critical role as Control Systems Engineer for Car 14 (driven by Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion), supporting every race from mission control. From steering wheel configurations to race starts and software-controlled systems, Gemma ensures the car is calibrated and ready before it leaves the garage.

Her journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Early in Gemma’s Formula One™ career, a rule change led to a disagreement with her chief engineer over control calibrations—a common point of confusion in a field often seen as a “black box” to those with more mechanical backgrounds. “It was daunting to push back against someone with so much more experience,” she recalls. “But I stood my ground and explained my position clearly and respectfully. It wasn’t until the next race that he came around, but it built trust—and gave him more confidence in my judgement going forward.”

That resilience is grounded in Gemma’s deeper, lifelong dream: “When I did work experience, I saw the race engineers and thought: that’s what I want to be.” While her focus eventually shifted from race engineering to controls, the dream stayed the same—and that dream is what still drives Gemma today. Her advice to young women considering a path in engineering is: find the field that excites you: “There are so many different branches of engineering—pick one that aligns with what you love.”

Finally, one of the joys of Gemma’s career has been the sense of community among women in engineering. “Some of my best working relationships are with other women in the field. Initiatives like the Women’s Impact Network at Aston Martin Formula One team have really strengthened that sense of connection,” she says. For Gemma, it’s a reminder that empowering women in engineering doesn’t just open doors—it builds networks, fosters mentorship, and drives lasting change.

“Believe in yourself and go for it.”

– Audrey Hayden, Senior Director, Engineering Delivery, ML Group, Arm.

Audrey’s early love of mathematics led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science. As her career accelerated, so did the complexity of balancing work and life. With three young sons at home, Audrey’s husband made the life-changing decision to become a stay-at-home parent, a choice that brought calm, clarity, and balance to their lives.

At Arm, she leads engineering delivery for the Machine Learning (ML) Group and is committed to improving life for women across the company by driving meaningful, lasting change. She helped establish a menopause peer support group and actively champions the CE-ML DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity) team to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment. Audrey believes that great engineering depends on healthy, empowered teams — and that creating a culture of psychological safety is essential to achieving sustainable, high-impact results.

“Find your allies and build something bigger.”

– Gemma Paris, Developer Learning, Senior Manager, Arm.

Gemma’s curiosity started early. She loved playing with gadgets and exploring how things worked, with her strong academic performance in physics and mathematics giving her the chance to attend the university of choice in Spain. She picked electronic engineering, a field she knew little about at the time, but one where it seemed like there was so much to discover.

Before applying, Gemma reached out to women already studying the subject. These conversations gave her the confidence she needed. Since then, Gemma has built a career focused not just on innovation, but inclusion. Like Pareena, she is one the experts in the Arm Developer Program who is always available for advice and guidance.

Gemma’s advice to others is to seek out those connections, inside and outside your organisation. They’re often the key to resilience and growth.

“Follow your passion without hesitation.”

– Liliya Wu, Senior Ecosystem Specialist, Arm.

For Liliya, the best part of being a woman in engineering is the empowerment it brings—high self-worth, independence, and the potential for a rewarding, impactful career. However, like many others, she has faced challenges—especially in programming, where developing new features often demands significant effort. But Liliya is quick to highlight that these challenges are also opportunities for innovation and growth, leading to a deep sense of accomplishment. She was heavily involved in the recent launch of the Arm’s Developer Program in China and is keen to engage with local developers in the country.

Shaping a more inclusive future

Each of the women featured above had different experiences, but common themes emerged as women in engineering: bringing new perspectives to the table, forming connections, leading by example, and showing up as your full authentic self.

The Arm and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One™ Team partnership reflects a shared belief that equity and inclusion should power both innovation and culture across industries, be that in STEM or motorsport.

At both companies, these women—and so many others—are not only powering the future of their industries, but making engineering more inclusive, human, and inspiring for everyone.