Ms. Hanford serves as Chief Security Officer for Synopsys. In this role, she works collaboratively to safeguard Synopsys. She leads efforts to drive industry awareness and enablement for secure design from software to silicon to support our business in EDA, IP and Software Integrity. Ms. Hanford previously served as co-general manager of Synopsys’ Design Group, responsible for leading the development and deployment of our physical design, implementation, and analog/mixed signal product lines. Deirdre has held a number of positions at Synopsys since joining the company in 1987, including leadership roles in general management, customer engagement, applications engineering, sales, and marketing.

Ms. Hanford earned a B.S. Eng (electrical engineering) from Brown University and an M.S.E.E. from UC Berkeley.

In September 2022, Ms. Hanford was appointed to the Department of Commerce’s Industrial Advisory Committee.

Ms. Hanford serves on the Board of Directors of Cirrus Logic, Inc. Ms. Hanford currently chairs Synopsys Foundation and Brown University's Engineering Advisory Committee. She serves on the Engineering Advisory Board for UC Berkeley's College of Engineering. Ms. Hanford is a board member of NDIA. In 2008, she served as the Chair of American Electronics Association.

Deirdre was named to WomenTech’s 2022 list of Women in Tech Leaders to Watch, VLSIresearch’s 2017 list of All Stars of the Semiconductor Industry, and National Diversity Council’s 2014 list of Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology. In 2001, Deirdre was a recipient of the YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) Award and the Marie R. Pistilli Women in EDA Achievement Award.