Christine Cloostermans works as a Principal Security/Cryptography Architect at NXP’s Competence Center for Security and
Cryptography in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. She devotes most of her time to long-term innovation (LTI) projects, besides being
responsible for the content of the company’s security LTI program. She also serves on the technical committees of several
standardization efforts and is one of NXP’s Notable Inventors. To mark International Women’s Day, we sat down with Christine to
find out her views on equality and representation.
FEATURING
Christine Cloostermans
Principal Security/Cryptography Architect
NXP: When did you join NXP?
Christine Cloostermans: I joined NXP in August 2018, fresh from a PhD in cryptography. I started in a talent
acceleration program that taught me the NXP business quickly by being thrown in at the deep end. I am very grateful for the
opportunity because it helped me to grow fast toward my current role. Along the way, I broadened my technical skills and led a
few LTI subprojects, as well as fine tuning my leadership skills in various capacities.
NXP: You were recently named a “Notable Inventor” at NXP, which means you have at least 10 patents to your name. We also learned
that you are one of the youngest women ever at NXP to receive this distinction. How do you feel about that?
CC: I always feel a bit awkward whenever my achievements are mentioned alongside my gender. It shouldn’t matter what gender,
culture, age, religion, race or whatever someone is; I just think it’s a cool achievement!
NXP: How do you feel about representation in the workplace?
CC: Over the last years I have grown to appreciate the importance of representation and role models. In any homogeneous group,
it’s easy to normalize certain behavior, which may make minorities in that group feel uncomfortable or excluded. Engaging
underrepresented groups almost always makes for a more inclusive workplace.
NXP: What would be your advice to young women starting out in their careers?
CC: When work opportunities present themselves, say yes instead of no. Many times during my early career, I was offered an
opportunity, and my first reaction was to decline for various reasons, including that it was too far out of my comfort zone, too
ambitious or that I wasn’t extrovert enough. However, I’ve learned that the worst thing that can happen is that you find out
it’s not for you. In the best case, you learn something new about yourself, broaden your network and create some new
opportunities for yourself.
Christine C. receiving a recognition for being a notable inventor
NXP: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
CC: I think it’s a yearly moment of self-reflection, like your performance review. A moment to appreciate how far we’ve come
from “a woman’s place is in the kitchen.” It’s also a good moment to re-emphasize that even though equality is closer than ever,
we are not there yet.
Bright minds. Bright futures.
NXP team members create breakthrough technologies that advance our world.
The future starts here.
NXP: This year’s NXP IWD theme is “Embrace Equity” – what are your thoughts on this?
CC: I think it’s a good message and one that everyone in the world should live by. Too often I hear people asking, “Why is
equity necessary?”, “Why does the imbalance need to change?”, “Shouldn’t we just follow the laws of supply and demand?” I
believe that an inclusive workspace needs diversity, which leads to better results in the end. Therefore, we must actively
champion and foster diversity by embracing equity on every level.
To learn more about NXP's programs, insights and other related information, please visit NXP’s Diversity, Equality and Inclusion webpage.
