“I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” — Audre Lorde.
On any given morning, a hiring decision sits on a desk. A campus offer awaits in a spreadsheet. A visa question pauses a career. Somewhere a candidate refreshes an inbox. In these small moments, companies become who they say they are. Impact is built from choices you can measure and cultures you can feel. The best leaders treat talent like an investment. They map the road. They design the journey. They tune the engine until it hums.
That is the world Tara Hsu has built. As Global Head of Talent, Attraction, Mobility, and Inclusion at Marvell Technology, she connects recruiting, early careers, executive search, immigration, mobility, operations, and brand into one system. This quote reflects her intentional, values-driven approach, fearlessness in navigating complexity, and her unwavering pursuit of impact. It also reflects her forward-thinking approach in setting a plan whether in work or for her own life.
Tara says that her career has been anything but linear, and she’s considered that as a strength. She has moved between industries, geographies, and even careers, driven less by hierarchy and more by purpose, curiosity, and the desire to keep learning and building.
Tara immigrated to the U.S. from Hong Kong in 1984 and was the first in her family to attend college. She studied International Business and French at Cal State Fullerton and began her career in banking with Wells Fargo and Citibank in Hong Kong, supporting high-net-worth clients. “Those early roles taught me service, cultural fluency, and how to build trust in complex environments,” said Tara.
Later, she joined Tiffany & Co. in Asia Pacific, delivering bilingual training across multiple markets. After she returned to the US in 1998, she joined Bank of America and it was there, a client encouraged her to try executive search, and she joined Heidrick & Struggles, later moving to CTPartners and recruiting senior leaders across tech, and consumer sectors. After the dot-com crash, Tara pivoted into biotech & life sciences and learned a new industry from the ground up, proving to herself that she could adapt and lead through any cycle.
Later in 2004, Tara opened a day spa on Lake Mission Viejo, scaling it to 40 employees and $500K+ in annual revenue, while also working as a mortgage loan officer for two large homebuilders. “That chapter taught me to lead with empathy, financial discipline, and resilience. When the 2008 crisis forced me to close the spa, I made sure my employees were placed in new roles first, and that is a decision that stays with me even today,” she added.
Returning to recruiting, Tara joined Blizzard Entertainment, helping to expand global hiring and rebuild critical teams. At Capital Group, she restructured high-volume hiring, using data and process design to improve quality and speed. She later joined a fintech startup to build the TA function from scratch.
After that, Tara took time to reflect, completed additional certifications, and worked briefly as an individual contributor and contractor at Nike focusing on getting back to her roots in hands-on recruiting before joining Marvell Technology in August 2020.
“Over the years, I’ve remained a lifelong learner. I plan my life in five-year increments, not around titles, but around what brings me energy and impact,” Tara expressed. She leverages the holiday shutdowns to invest in personal development, earning certifications in DEI, yoga, aromatherapy, and bookkeeping. These experiences remind her that fulfillment often lies outside the expected path.
In 2023, she took on the additional role of Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Marvell. This work is deeply meaningful for Tara and aligns with her belief that culture should be intentionally shaped, not left to chance.
On the personal side, Tara is also a huge nature and pet lover. She has 4 large dogs and has fostered over 45 dogs. Through every chapter of her career, she has led with a builder’s mindset, adapting, listening, and trying to lead with purpose and humility.
Inside the Global Talent Engine
Marvell Technology is a global leader in semiconductor solutions, powering some of the most data-intensive innovations of our time, from AI and cloud computing to 5G, automotive, and enterprise networking. At the heart of this fast-paced innovation is talent and that’s where she comes in.
In 2025, Tara’s overall title and responsibilities changed. Currently as Global Head of Talent, Attraction, Mobility, and Inclusion, she leads a dynamic portfolio of seven global functions across nearly 21 countries and a team of 60+. Together, these teams fuel Marvell’s growth engine:
- Full-Time Employee (FTE) Recruiting
- University Recruiting
- Executive Search
- Immigration & Global Mobility
- Talent Branding
- Talent Operations
- Inclusion & Diversity
This role demands agility, strategy, and a high degree of cross-functional influence. On any given day, Tara moves between building scalable hiring frameworks, advising on executive hiring, solving cross-border mobility challenges, and shaping the company’s inclusion narrative. And she emphasizes that none of it would be possible without a great team and strong managers who make this engine run smoothly, continuously improving and growing alongside the business.
When she joined Marvell in 2020, the TA function was a lean, decentralized global team of 15, with limited infrastructure, manual processes, and only Workday Recruiting in place. She quickly mobilized efforts to professionalize and scale the function:
- Built and deployed an end-to-end recruiting tech stack
- Launched sourcing and operations teams
- Implemented CRM, interview scheduling tools, and robust analytics
As their hiring surged from 400 to over 1,500 hires annually, Tara built the business case and launched their Talent Branding team, moving from generic messaging to a compelling, employee-authored employer brand. Today, their EVP is deeply authentic, helping them win multiple “Best Places to Work” awards and expanding their reach across campuses and digital platforms globally.
The company’s Early Career strategy has evolved from a basic summer internship program to a global initiative with 450+ interns annually and an 80%+ conversion rate. She has also spearheaded broader, long-term pipeline development to address talent gaps in semiconductor engineering:
- Created a Girl Scouts Electrical Engineering patch in partnership with the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
- Launched Explore Careers, a national campaign reaching 46,000 high schools
Marvell has also built scholarship programs in India and Vietnam and designed a Semi Careers Program and expanded their intern footprint to Argentina
In 2023, she was tapped to lead Inclusion & Diversity, initially on an interim basis, which has now become a formal part of her role. She has since focused on embedding inclusion within their culture while diversifying their talent pipelines across levels and functions.
What began as a reactive recruiting organization has transformed into a strategic, high-impact global talent function, built on process excellence, equity, and human-centered leadership. She remains constant in building and empowering teams that will shape the future of technology with agility, inclusion, and integrity.
Aligned, Authentic, Agile
Tara believes attracting top talent in areas like AI, cloud infrastructure, and custom silicon requires more than just a compelling job description, it demands a cohesive strategy that connects business priorities with a differentiated candidate experience.
For Talent Acquisition, Marvell’s approach has centered around three key pillars: alignment, authenticity, and agility.
First, they work closely with business leaders to align hiring strategies with product and innovation roadmaps. For highly competitive domains like custom silicon and AI accelerators, the company proactively maps the talent landscape, identifies capability gaps, and build specialized sourcing strategies that reflect both immediate and future needs.
Their partnership with engineering leadership ensures they’re not just reacting to requisitions; they’re building long-term pipelines to position them ahead of demand. Tara is currently leading a Workforce Strategy Task Force to build workforce forecasting into MarvellOS for future planning.
Second, the company focuses on authentic employer branding. In a market saturated with noise, talent is looking for real stories and clear purpose. They invested in building their Employee Value Proposition from the ground up, replacing stock imagery and vague messaging with authentic storytelling that reflects their people, culture, and global aspirations. Marvell’s talent brand is now a strategic engine for growth, powering their visibility across high-impact platforms and helping Marvell earn multiple Best Places to Work recognitions.
When Tara joined, Marvell was still somewhat under the radar, especially among top-tier engineering talent. They’ve worked hard to change that. They want candidates to know that Marvell is where innovation is personal and powerful. They’re small enough that your ideas spark change and big enough that your work drives industries forward. That balance is something the company actively communicates and cultivates.
Third, Marvell stays agile and candidate-centric. For hard-to-fill roles, they’ve shortened feedback loops, implemented CRM for ongoing engagement, and introduced interview models tailored to technical hiring. They ensure that every touchpoint, whether it’s immigration support, relocation, or post-offer integration, is thoughtful and well-executed. Their global mobility team plays a crucial role here, helping candidates and their families transition smoothly across borders. The company’s approach remains fluid, adapting to changing business needs and organizational dynamics as they arise.
Finally, Marvell is investing in early and future talent. They’ve expanded their university recruiting pipeline significantly and are now building programs to engage students earlier in their academic careers, especially in analog, packaging, and test engineering, areas that are critical to their long-term growth in infrastructure and compute.
At Marvell, they know the technology landscape is evolving quickly. Their talent strategies are designed to evolve just as fast, without losing sight of the human experience at the core of it all.
A Brand Built on Real Voices
Employer branding has been a key driver in elevating Marvell’s visibility and credibility as a top workplace, especially in a highly competitive landscape like semiconductors and infrastructure technology.
As Tara mentioned, when she joined, Marvell was doing incredible work behind the scenes but wasn’t widely recognized outside the industry. Marvell products are in almost everything but not visible to the consumer. They saw a clear opportunity to change that by building an authentic, global employer brand from the ground up.
She started by launching a dedicated Talent Brand function, partnered with a branding firm to clearly define what Marvell’s Employer Value Proposition (EVP) was. They moved away from stock imagery and generic messaging and instead leaned into real employee storytelling, original photography, and narratives that reflect their unique culture.
This shift in brand strategy has yielded measurable impact. In the past year alone, Marvell has been named a 2023 Glassdoor Best Places to Work, 2023 Built In Best Places to Work, and has earned Great Place to Work® certification in the U.S., India, and Vietnam. These recognitions validate what their people already know: that Marvell is a place where talent can thrive, be heard, and contribute to meaningful innovation.
Marvell’s employer brand is not just about attracting talent; it’s about building a sense of connection and pride across the organization. It plays a critical role in how they scale, compete, and retain top talent across 20+ countries. More than ever, candidates want to work for a company that reflects their values, and their brand helps them see what’s possible there.
The Compass of Curiosity
For Tara, staying inspired in her role starts with staying curious. She has never viewed her career as a straight line, and as mentioned before, approaches it in five-year chapters, always asking: What do I want to learn next? Where can I grow? How can I contribute differently?
This mindset has helped her navigate multiple industries, global roles, and even entrepreneurship with a sense of purpose and openness. If she feels that she has built what is needed, then it’s time to move on to her next journey. Tara has switched industries and functions several times in her career, so she is pretty much a chameleon.
She believes that in a high-velocity industry like semiconductors and AI, it’s easy to get caught up in pace and pressure. What keeps her anchored is connecting with people, whether it’s mentoring early-career talent, listening to a candidate’s journey, or partnering with leaders to solve complex problems. Innovation doesn’t just come from technology; it comes from insight, empathy, and shared vision.
Tara also stays close to macro trends and evolving talent dynamics by leveraging tools like insights, industry reports, and peer networks. But inspiration doesn’t always come from looking up, it often comes from looking inward, reflecting on what still excites her, and aligning her work with that energy.
Building a Future with Purpose
We asked Tara what advice she would offer to emerging leaders navigating talent strategy in tech. She said, “Understand the business deeply. Talent strategy isn’t just about filling roles, it’s about enabling growth, innovation, and execution. Spend time with product, engineering, and finance leaders. Know what success looks like in their world. The more fluent Talent Acquisitions leaders are in the business, the more credible and strategic they become.”
Looking ahead, Tara envisions the next five years as an opportunity to deepen the integration of passion, purpose, and impact in both her professional and personal life. She has always approached her career in intentional five-year chapters—not by chasing titles, but by focusing on doing the work with excellence, trusting that impact and appreciation will follow.
“This next chapter is about broadening the ways I create value and joy—whether through leadership in my profession, supporting causes I care deeply about, or exploring entrepreneurial avenues that allow me to blend purpose with impact,” Tara concluded.
Digital Magazine Link: Top Professionals Leading Talent Acquisition with Impact
