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Diane Ramos relies heavily on reflection to gain clarity and set goals both in her personal and professional life. She’s centered herself on three core values: learning, inspiring, and giving, which she has practiced for the past decade.
Ramos feels that sometimes failures in life can lead to personal growth and teach us perseverance and resilience. In early 2019, she lost her job, which was difficult at the time, but she soon came to the realization that the role was ultimately not a good fit for her.
“While the loss of my job was hard, I do believe if you have a giving spirit, we open ourselves up to receive good things,” Ramos says. So, during her job search, she took time to give back—caring for loved ones, volunteering at her church and her son’s school, and registering people to vote.
Personal reflection, courage, and a dose of humility would bring Ramos back to AMD, the company where she spent nearly ten years of her career, but in a different role, a different focus, and, in many ways, a very different place.
“I remember thinking that in my next role, I wanted to be part of a large company again,” Ramos explains. “I want to be at a place where employee engagement and culture are key pillars, and I want to learn from incredible leaders.” She sought inspiration, job security for her family, and the ability to learn from a best-in-class HR organization that was truly making an impact in the business.
Ramos, now senior director and HR business partner at AMD says it felt like coming home, even though that home had undergone (and would continue to undergo) extensive remodeling. When she left AMD, there was only one employee resource group (ERG), AMD’s women’s forum. The organization she ultimately returned to had thirteen ERGs, including the Latino ERG, Impacto, which she now serves as executive sponsor.
“I do believe if you have a giving spirit, we open ourselves up to receive good things.”
Diane Ramos
During her first year back at AMD, she continued to give back. She is a strong proponent of women supporting women, especially women of color. Outside of AMD, she started volunteering with the nonprofit, Dress for Success, providing support to help women thrive in work and life by providing professional attire and development tools. She quickly became very involved in the program and now serves on its board of directors.
Inside AMD, she became involved with the Impacto ERG and was invited by the Impacto leadership team to speak on a panel for Hispanic Heritage Month. Several months later, the AMD ERG review board took notice, recognizing her value, and nominated her to join the board that oversees all ERGs.
Ramos believes that seeing a person who looks like you in a leadership position can be massively inspiring and motivating. She understands the importance of representation and works to impart this message to the three women of color whom she currently mentors.
Since being back at AMD, it’s not just the ERGs that are continuing to grow and evolve. When she started in the data center group at AMD in 2019, the business was integrated under a larger reporting segment. However, due to significant growth, it began reporting as a separate segment in 2021 bringing in $3.7 billion in total revenue. Last year, the data center group closed at $6.5 billion, and 2024 is tracking to be another record year.
In addition, the company started investing in merger and acquisition work, and Ramos had the opportunity to lead the HR integration process for the Pensando business at AMD. She had ample background in acquisition work with her previous employer, where she worked on three acquisitions, so she welcomed this work at AMD. Ramos says, “Leading the HR workstream during an acquisition provides such valuable learning experiences. First, culture is crucial. Take the time to truly onboard with empathy and care. Two, you must embody a ‘one team’ attitude. At AMD, we are ‘one AMD’ through teamwork, uniting to solve problems, and finally, overcommunication of the business vision and strategy is crucial to all parties.”
As a leader, Ramos is known for her strong work ethic, operational excellence, and communication. She values cultural differences and the impact of writing things down. When onboarding new team members, she provides them with a one-pager of expectations, success measures, and priorities in writing. As English isn’t everyone’s first language, documenting provides clarity and alignment.
“Diane is articulate, direct, and a truth-teller. She isn’t afraid to speak up and take risks,” says Mark Pearson, CVP of talent at AMD. “And most importantly, she encourages others to take action and create positive change—not just inside AMD, but in our communities.” These attributes were brought up in her last promotion, as was her global and inclusive leadership. Ramos credits these qualities to her mom.
“My mom only went to the fourth grade and then was taken out of school to work in the cotton fields,” Ramos says. “She taught herself how to drive, how to speak English, and she later got her GED. She raised four kids. My mom was a warrior, and therefore, I’m a warrior as I see how much she had to fight for all she had in life.”
While Ramos continues to have a warrior spirit herself, she is truly comfortable with who she is and what she brings to the table. She lives her authentic self every day and has a confidence that underlies her engagement with senior leaders and her global team at AMD (and beyond). This confidence has given her much success and people within the organization look to her for guidance.
“I’m thankful for my journey and to AMD for providing an environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work. I know I still have so much to continue to learn, inspire, and give, and [I’m] happy to be at a place that appreciates it,” she says.
The senior director recently had another important moment of reflection while filling out applications for her oldest son’s hopeful future school. The application required the testament of someone who’s known her family and her son their whole lives and someone who can speak to their spiritual faith. None of those people could be family, and she had no problem finding that testament.
Ramos says she is filled with gratitude for the circle she and her family have built around them. She has friends from third grade who are still in her life today, and she has close friends she’s made at AMD, not only in HR but across the company. When she asked her son what she should speak to Hispanic Executive about, he highlighted that very fact.
“I don’t feel like people talk about friendships enough and how much they bring to your life,” Ramos says. “Find those people that you trust and who understand you and hold onto them. Be they family or friends, those are your people. That’s what I told my son.” Her hope is that he remembers that moment and shares it with Hispanic Executive when we interview him years from now.
