Alessandra Costa is a technology leader with a deep understanding of business and a keen eye for innovation and operational excellence.  Alessandra is the Vice President of North America Field Engineering for Cadence. She and her team are responsible for the deployment and for the support of Cadence tools and solutions for the whole Semiconductor Industry in North America, enabling half the revenue stream for her company. In her long career with Cadence, Alessandra has held instrumental leadership roles both in sales and in R&D, gaining a deep understanding of software development, new product launch, enabling revenue growth and customer success, and organizational effectiveness. Alessandra has a proven ability of building global organizations from the ground up, scaling business and creating value to maintain high margins. A strong advocate and supporter of diversity in technology, Alessandra founded WOW (“Women of Worldwide Field Operations”) to attract, retain and promote female talent in Sales and the larger Cadence organization. As part of this effort, she scouted external female leadership programs and started a mentoring program. Under the umbrella of WOW, Alessandra has developed a series of leadership workshops that she has delivered within and outside Cadence. Alessandra is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the local chapter of AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization), an association that allows more than a thousand kids to play soccer in a nurturing environment. She was instrumental in creating the Annual Operating Plan and reorganizing the finances for the chapter’s economic sustainability. Alessandra holds an MSEE and a PhD in Microelectronics from the University of Genoa.