Gina Park
Product Line Manager for Texas Instruments' DLP® Catalog business in Dallas, USA
Gina Park is Product Line Manager for Texas Instruments' DLP® Catalog business, a multi-million dollar product line delivering innovative DLP platforms to market to solve the needs of global industrial, medical, security and telecom customers. Gina started at TI as a summer intern, and joined TI full time in 2003 as a Process Engineer in DMOS6 wafer fabrication facility. Later, she worked with the Product Integration team for TI's DLP MEMS technology where she secured 2 patents for new process methods. In 2008, Gina was selected as Product Marketing Manager for the then newly formed DLP Catalog business and was responsible for revenue growth initiatives including marketing and global customer account management. Following steady growth of the business, Gina was named Product Line Manager for DLP Catalog in 2012.
Gina holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University and a Certificate of Marketing from the California Institute of Technology. A lifelong resident of Dallas, Texas, she stays connected with her family's local camera business to which she attributes her avid interest in photography and the arts.
My journey from engineer to P+L management
I started at Texas Instruments, fresh out of university with chemical engineering degree, ready to change the world. P+L (profit and loss) responsibility was an unclear and distant idea for my 10-year career plan. This presentation describes my journey and defining milestones in becoming a Product Line Manager with P+L responsibilities. I will share key aspects of my transition from engineering to business leadership that may offer guidance for others wondering if the technical or business track is the right fit for them. Some areas I will cover include:
- Technical degrees can offer respectable preparation for business leaders
- Self-reflection of your skills and strengths is a helpful step for choosing your career path
- Important expectations of a manager versus individual contributor
- Common misconceptions I've heard from women interested in P+L roles