How Christine King Went from Welfare to Pioneering Female CEO in Semiconductors

My guest for Episode #282 of the My Favorite Mistake podcast is Christine “Chris” King, who defied the odds as a single mother in the 1970s, rising to become the world's first female CEO in the semiconductor industry. Armed with degrees in electrical engineering, Chris climbed the ranks at IBM before leading billion-dollar companies like AMI Semiconductor, Standard Microsystems, and QLogic Corporation.

Episode page with video, transcript, and more

Her leadership extended across engineering, sales, and business management, and she even founded Expedition Electronics. Beyond technology, Chris is also a champion equestrian and dairy farmer. Her incredible journey is captured in Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling.

In today's episode, Chris reveals how an initial mistake—pursuing electrical engineering to impress someone—unexpectedly launched her into a successful engineering and leadership career. Chris and Mark discuss the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated field, the importance of persistence, and her approach to leading successful business turnarounds.

We also touch on her experiences as a champion equestrian and a dairy farmer, drawing parallels between problem-solving in agriculture and business. Throughout the conversation, Chris emphasizes the value of learning from mistakes, building confidence, and leveraging opportunities for growth, offering listeners practical leadership insights and inspiration.

Questions and Topics:

• What would you say is your favorite mistake?
• Did the relationship with the guy who inspired you to study engineering work out?
• As you went through your engineering education, did you have doubts? Did it feel like a mistake at first?
• Why would a caseworker be resistant to letting you attend college?
• Did you have to pitch your plan for going to college? How did you make it work financially?
• What was it like being the first or only woman on teams early in your career?
• When did you start transitioning from technical roles to leadership roles, and did you aspire to become a CEO?
• How did the team you managed react to having a female boss?
• What challenges did you face with your superiors as you advanced?
• How did you feel about becoming a CEO for the first time, especially on 9/11?
• Did the events of 9/11 affect your business?
• What lessons did you learn from leading turnarounds, and how did you diagnose the issues?
• Did you encounter similar challenges during other turnarounds, like the one during the 2008 financial crisis?
• How did media attention around being the first female CEO in semiconductors affect you?
• Who were some CEOs that you admired or learned from?
• What are the three things any successful businessperson needs?
• What three things do people not need to succeed in business?
• How many women have followed your path in the semiconductor industry?
• What lessons did you learn from dairy farming?
• What lessons did you learn from equestrian competitions?
• How do you see the parallels between leading a team and managing livestock or horses?
• How do you approach creating a culture of learning from mistakes in leadership?
• What inspired you to write your book, Breaking Through the Silicon Ceiling?
• How do you reach the audience you want with your book, and what creative efforts have you made for that?
• Who is the audience you’re hoping to inspire with your story?
• What advice would you give for fostering interest in STEM among young women?