Integrating STEM, Law, and Ethics for Responsible Tech Innovation

By: Alpa Sood, Director, Legal - India, Marvell Technology

Alpa Sood is a strategic legal professional with a solution-oriented approach, adept at navigating complex regulatory landscapes. She embraces growth, mindfulness, and well-being, integrating practices like yoga, meditation, nature, and creative pursuits to foster balance, insight, and conscious leadership.

In an engaging interaction with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Alpa shares her insights on the evolving role of women leaders at the intersection of law, technology, and ethics. She emphasizes that curiosity, courage, and cross-function collaboration serve as the key components of responsible innovation.

To learn more about her approach and experiences, read the full article below.

As a woman leader in a tech-driven legal space, how do you view the evolving role of women legal leaders in bridging STEM, law, and ethics today?

Women leaders are increasingly pivotal in shaping how technology—and specifically areas like sustainable tech and ethical AI—align with human values and regulatory frameworks. For example, global data shows that women make up only about 22% of AI professionals worldwide. In research, only around 14% of authors of AI research papers are women.

At the same time, we see communities such as GSA’s Women Leadership Initiative (WLI) and SEMI’s Women in Semiconductors (WiS) actively driving programs that promote mentorship, leadership development, and visibility for women in technology and AI.
 

They balance what’s possible with what’s responsible and sustainable. These leaders make sure progress in STEM isn’t just fast, but fair and accountable.
In my experience, having diverse voices in both tech and law sparks important questions like: “What impact will this technology have on society or the environment?” or “Could this system unintentionally reinforce bias?” This kind of bridge-building is essential in today’s rapidly changing world.
 

What strategic mindset helps women legal professionals confidently navigate ethical dilemmas that arise at the intersection of advanced technology and law?

It starts with two key attitudes: curiosity and courage. Curiosity to dig deeper into the technology—not just at a surface level, but enough to ask: “How does this work?” and “What assumptions are built into this system?” And courage to speak up when things are unclear or when the stakes are high.

From an in-house counsel’s perspective, imagine you’re part of a big tech rollout—say, a new algorithm for decision-making in operations. A practical approach means you don’t wait until the last minute to do a compliance check. Instead, you join the conversation early with the tech team and ask: “What data are you using? How was it collected? Are there fairness risks? Could this unintentionally disadvantage any group?”

You keep your anchor in principles—transparency, accountability, fairness—even when the law hasn’t caught up yet. You know regulations may lag behind technology, so your role is to help the business move forward responsibly. That means fostering open discussions with ethics, privacy, tech, and business teams.

In practice, I’ve seen this mindset change outcomes: instead of “legal says no,” it becomes “legal helps map risks and enables innovation—with guardrails.”

How can women leaders strengthen collaboration among technical and legal teams to build ethically sound but innovation-friendly strategies?

From my experience in an in-house counsel role, the key is to act as the bridge between legal/regulatory and business/technical teams—not just representing one side, but facilitating shared language and mutual understanding.

For example: when technical teams talk about “DFT (Design for Testability)” “Simulation –” or “STA” and legal talks about “compliance”, “risk”, “liability”, the two sometimes operate in silos. A legal leader who has familiarised herself with tech concepts (even at a high level) can ask relevant questions in the tech language and vice versa translate legal concerns into business impact terms.

One practical step: hold joint workshops early in a project lifecycle—legal, tech, operations and business together—to map not just “what we must do” but “what we could do”. In that workshop you might map business objectives, technical capabilities, legal/regulatory constraints, ethical/social implications.

In my experience such cross-functional sessions reduce friction later, enable faster innovation (because you clear issues upfront) and build a culture where ethics/regulation is seen as enabler not blocker. When legal is engaged as collaborator, technical teams feel supported rather than policed.

In your experience, how can women in law embed ethical thinking into corporate decision-making to influence how emerging tech evolves responsibly?

Embedding ethics means building it into decisions from the start—strategy, product design, vendor selection—not just reviewing at the end. For example, if your company plans to adopt a new AI platform for customer service, ethical thinking begins when you ask: “How will this affect user experience? Who might be excluded? What biases could exist? What data governance will be needed?”

As legal leaders, you can bring these questions into every board or executive discussion. You role-model integrity when you say: “We will choose vendor A only if they show bias-auditing, transparency in their algorithms, and follow sustainability protocols.” That elevates ethics as a business value, not just compliance.

For example- for Marvell Technology “ESG is an important initiative for Marvell. It’s about addressing climate change, inclusion, and diversity, and making sustainability integral to how we operate and innovate.” Responsible tech adoption means fewer surprises, fewer regulatory issues, and a stronger license to operate. In my experience, when legal is proactive, ethics becomes part of the culture—not just a box to tick at the end.

  LAST WORD: Advice for Emerging Women Leaders

Speak up when you don’t understand. Ask the right questions—with confidence and calm. Curiosity and clarity often open doors that silence keeps shut. You don’t need to adopt jargon or pretend to be a tech-expert—but you do need to be willing to learn. So be curious: read, talk to tech folks, ask questions without shame. Build your voice on your values—integrity, empathy, clarity of purpose.

Don’t shy away from spaces that feel unfamiliar. Leadership often means stepping in even when you don’t yet feel fully qualified, but you accompany that with readiness to listen and learn. Build a network of mentors across disciplines—tech, legal, ethics, business.

And finally: be kind to yourself. Growth takes time. Celebrate incremental wins. Stay aware of your mental well-being and keep your passion for learning alive.