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84 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE 84 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE Savita Ganjigatti, vice president of engineering at Sienna ECAD Technologies, shares how her well-timed suggestion sparked the worldwide phenomenon that is the IPC PCB Design Com- petition, as well as how well-informed leaders are uniquely positioned to shape our indus- try's future. Savita's recipe for success? Work hard, read widely, and reframe problems as exciting possibilities for innovation. Savita, congratulations on receiving the IPC President's Award. It's very exciting. I never expected it and I feel very happy. Please tell me about your involvement with IPC in India and the PCB Design Competition. I started working with IPC India more than a decade ago. We started with a very small team. We had lot of initial meetings as part of the Technical Advisory Committee. The PCB Design Competition was one very important event that we started way back in 2013. I belong to the design industry and I got to meet some very experienced people from manufacturing and fabrication in the TAC meetings. Why do you feel it's important to be a leader, especially with IPC? Being a leader means you have access to peo- ple in the industry, and that's not always easy. Usually, we just focus on our own work and our own companies, but participating in IPC is very good exposure for meeting other lead- ers across the globe. Being a leader means you have a say in where people direct their focus. Your decisions help others do so many things in the industry; you help build and contribute to so many different technologies. What do you think has enabled you to become a leader both with your company and IPC? There are always new upgrades in the field of technology, so it's important to stay current. It's also important to read a lot. Patience and hard work without expectation, because it's my own work, "belongingness" and being happy about contributing. That's what I feel enables leadership in every aspect of our life. You're right about the hard work. Is there a special moment or memory from your time in IPC that you can share with us? Tell us about your very first meeting. At my first meeting, there were maybe 20 very experienced and well-known people in the industry, and we were all sharing our ideas, Savita Ganjigai e Spark of Innovation Interview by Patty Goldman