Yao Yao

Yao Yao helped build the infrastructure behind the sustainability strategy at Microchip, a Fortune 500 semiconductor manufacturer. She led the company’s first supply-chain greenhouse gas emissions inventory, covering more than $1 billion in supplier spend, and developed artificial intelligence-enabled processes to improve data quality. 

Yao manages environmental due diligence and sustainability training for more than 250 suppliers. She also created Microchip’s first life-cycle assessment (LCA) models for four major product families and built an internal LCA calculator that cut product carbon footprint analysis timeframes from six months to just eight weeks. Her work helped Microchip achieve its goal — to cut operational and electricity emissions by 50 percent by 2030 — five years ahead of schedule.

Before Microchip, Yao worked in ESG investing, corporate sustainability and climate policy through roles at Cerberus Capital Management, Dwellworks and Greenpeace.