11 women shaping the future of robotics

The IFR’s 11 women who will shape robotics in 2026. | Source: IFR

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) today named 11 women it says are shaping the future of robotics. The IFR said it hopes the list will give women in the industry more visibility and acknowledgment.

Women have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields. Today, women make up only 16% of engineers. This is despite the fact that women make up over 40% of the global workforce.

“Women are critical contributors in the fast‑growing field of robotics,” said Dr. Susanne Bieller, general secretary of the International Federation of Robotics. “This is clearly illustrated by diverse teams developing unbiased AI technology and next-generation robotics systems. These projects aim to open up new sectors for automation, not only in traditional manufacturing settings, but also in healthcare and elderly care, or in consumer markets.”

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This year’s honorees include:

Younseal Eum, the CEO of AeiROBOT, a South Korean developer of general-purpose robots
Stefania Ferrero, chief marketing and solutions portfolio officer at Comau, an Italian producer of industrial automation and digital solutions
Christina Jørgensen, marketing manager for northern and eastern Europe at Universal Robots, a provider of collaborative robots (cobots) based in Denmark
Allison Krumpe, president and CEO of HealthTech Partners Global, a U.S.-based consulting firm that helps med-tech startups grow their footprints
Henrike Neulen, senior business development manager at Intrinsic, a robotics software and AI company that recently joined Google
Asami Sasao, manager of the Design Dept. in the Robot Division at Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a Japanese provider of industrial robot arms
Kristina Schunk, CEO of Schunk Group, a German technology provider of toolholding and workholding, gripping, and automation
Mikell Taylor, director of robotics strategy at General Motors
Susanne Timsjö, Nordics manager at ABB Robotics, a Swedish provider of robot arms and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)
Dana Whalls, VP of events at the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), which is an advocate for robotics, vision, motion control, and automation
Prof. Rong Xiong, the co-founder and chief scientist at IPLUSMOBOT, a Chinese AMR provider

Last year, the IFR included 10 women in its list of women shaping robotics in 2025.

Mikell Taylor keynoting Robotics Summit & Expo

Mikell Taylor will be giving two talks at the Robotics Summit & Expo, the world’s leading event for commercial robotics developers. The show takes place May 27-28 in Boston. It will attract 5,000+ developers who are building robots for aerospace and defense, healthcare, logistics, manufacturing, and other markets.

Taylor will be leading the Women in Robotics Breakfast on May 28 at 8:00 AM. She will then deliver a keynote called “What Makes a Robot Worthy?” at 10 AM the same day. She will draw on her experience at startups developing technology for customers big and small, as well as experience in leadership roles at companies like General Motors and Amazon, to urge the industry to focus on areas of robotics that can unlock exponential growth while avoiding stagnation in “pilot purgatory.”

Registration for the Robotics Summit & Expo is open now.

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