Then and Now: The Women Who Built, and Continue to Build, the Electronic Components Industry

From the scientists who laid the foundations of semiconductor research to the leaders running global teams at Fusion Worldwide today, women have played a far deeper role in the electronic components industry than many people realize.

The electronic components industry has a long history: one that stretches back further than most people realize, and includes more contributors than the standard telling tends to acknowledge. Women have been part of that history from the beginning: as scientists, engineers, and leaders who helped build the foundations the industry stands on today.

What’s striking, looking at that history, is how consistent the pattern is. Across different eras and different disciplines, women brought talent, rigor, and ingenuity to fields that were still figuring out how to make room for them. The work got done. The fields moved forward.

That pattern continues at today at Fusion Worldwide, where women across engineering, sales, operations, and leadership roles continue to shape the industry’s future.

The Pioneers

The Women Who Laid the Scientific Groundwork

Before there was a semiconductor market, before there was an open market for electronic components, and before the infrastructure that makes companies like Fusion possible, there was the basic science. The foundational research into how electricity behaves, how materials conduct and resist, how power moves through systems. Women were central to that work.

Hertha Marks Ayrton spent the late 1800s and early 1900s studying electrical arcs: the behavior of electrical current as it passes through gases and across materials. Her research was meticulous and widely recognized. In 1904, she became the first woman ever to present to the British Royal Society. She brought findings that advanced the field and opened doors that had not previously been open.

Edith Clarke earned an electrical engineering degree from MIT in 1919, the first woman to do so, and went on to build one of the most practical innovations in the history of power systems engineering. The Clarke Calculator dramatically simplified transmission line analysis and made the work of engineers across the field faster and more accurate. She later became the first woman elected as an IEEE Fellow.

These aren’t stories about women who happened to work near the electronic components industry. Their work is in the components. The understanding of electrical conductivity and power systems that Ayrton and Clarke helped establish is embedded in the science that semiconductor manufacturing depends on. Every component that moves through Fusion’s supply chain exists in a lineage that runs through their research.

Then and Now

How the Industry Has Changed: and Where It’s Heading

The professional landscape for women in engineering and business has changed significantly since Ayrton and Clarke’s time. Women today hold leadership roles across every function in the industry: as engineers, executives, sales directors, product managers, and operations leads. The progress is real.

What the women at Fusion will also tell you is that confidence and voice still matter. The willingness to advocate for your ideas, take on stretch assignments, and lead without waiting for the perfect conditions is what distinguishes the careers that grow from those that stall.

That’s not a critique of the industry. It’s an observation about what it takes to thrive in any competitive, fast-moving field. The women leading at Fusion have figured that out.

“The industry needs more diverse voices: don’t be afraid to take up space, speak your truth, and drive change.” – Brianna Graham, Product Manager, E-Commerce

Brianna Graham, who manages product for Fusion’s eCommerce platform, spends her days deciding what gets built and what shouldn’t. It’s work that requires more than speed. It requires judgment: asking the hard questions, challenging assumptions, and making sure the team is solving real problems, not just moving fast.

“Confidence and adaptability are key. Take initiative, embrace challenges, and trust that you have what it takes to make an impact.” – Armelle Wijnhoven, HR & Talent Acquisition Manager, EMEA

Armelle Wijnhoven manages HR and talent acquisition across EMEA from Amsterdam, navigating employment law, hiring strategy, and employee support across multiple jurisdictions and cultures. The adaptability she describes isn’t passive: it’s an active skill, the ability to read a new environment and find your footing in it quickly, without waiting for the environment to be made comfortable first.

What a Decade of Doing the Work Looks Like

 Megan Maher, Executive Vice President

One of the clearest examples of what sustained commitment in this industry can produce is Megan Maher’s career at Fusion Worldwide.

Megan joined as an Account Executive in 2015. She won four consecutive President’s Club Awards. She was promoted to Director of Business Development in 2020. She relocated to Santa Clara to open Fusion’s Silicon Valley office. She won Sales Manager of the Year in 2022. She was promoted to Vice President of Sales in 2023. She has now been named Executive Vice President.

That is eleven years of showing up and diving in. Of taking the harder assignment. Of stepping into each new role willing to stretch beyond what’s comfortable, grow into it, and then do it again in the next one.

The promotion is the visible part. What it represents is less visible: every meeting where she made her case, every stretch assignment she took, every moment where she chose action over waiting. Those moments don’t show up on a press release. They’re what the press release is made of.

Women Leading at Fusion Worldwide

From Boston to Seoul, the Same Mindset Across Every Function

Across Fusion’s global offices, the same pattern repeats in different forms.

In Boston, Nisha Ravesi manages operations: overseeing audits, quality compliance, office logistics, and global team support. The work requires constant problem-solving and a comfort with the fact that no two days will look the same. She describes thriving on structure and efficiency, on making things clearer for the people around her. That’s not a support role. That’s infrastructure leadership.

“Believe in yourself and your value. The more confident and proactive you are, the more impact you’ll have in shaping your career.” – Nisha Ravesi, Operations Manager, Boston

From Seoul, Olivia Ju leads sales teams across Korea and Japan, navigating two markets with different business cultures and competitive dynamics. Her days often begin analyzing market trends and end focused on helping her teams move forward. What motivates her most is seeing someone on her team succeed, whether that means closing a deal they worked hard for, gaining confidence in their role, or stepping into the next stage of their career. For Olivia, the real reward is watching the people around her win.

“Trust yourself, reach out for mentorship, and take on challenges fearlessly: your impact in this industry starts with believing in your own value.” – Olivia Ju, Senior Director of Sales, Korea & Japan

What connects these women across their different functions and geographies is not a shared experience of the workplace. Their days look nothing alike. It’s a shared orientation toward the work: show up, push forward, don’t wait for permission.

International Women's Day 2026

The Work Continues

Hertha Marks Ayrton and Edith Clarke built things that lasted: research and tools woven into the science underpinning the electronic components industry today. The women leading at Fusion Worldwide are doing the same, building teams, opening offices, developing platforms, and running operations that move the company forward.

International Women’s Day is a moment to recognize that contribution and reflect on how far back it actually goes. Women have been shaping this industry from the very beginning.

At Fusion, that legacy continues every day through the women across our global teams who solve problems, lead teams, and help the people around them succeed. Their work builds on the foundation laid by the pioneers who came before them.