SWIB Conference 2005:The Many Paths to Success
By Lauren Levine, lel219, and Kelly Thomas, kat258
Issue date: 2/8/05 Section: News
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"Stern Women in Business creates opportunities for women to explore different options through interaction with one another, alumni, and the business community. This year's conference highlights this theme as we seek insight from our speakers in order to map our own paths to success," said SWIB Co-president Sharon Katz.
The day kicked off with a welcome address from the conference's Millennium Sponsor, Goldman Sachs. Carolina Campbell, an associate within the Pensions Services Group Equities Division spoke about the strides the firm is taking to incorporate women's growth and presence within the firm.
The morning keynote was given by Kathleen Corbet, President of Standard & Poor's and a Stern alumnus, in a Q&A format. Describing her own career ascent and reinforcing the theme of the conference, Corbet commented that, "[One's career] is a map in progress. You are influenced by many things that happen in your life."
What advice would Corbet give to MBA students? While acknowledging that it does not work for everyone, one strategy she utilized in her career was seeking out and accepting positions and opportunities that seemed unattractive to others. By turning around situations that seemed hopeless, Corbet gained significant recognition and quickly garnered more responsibilities.
In recognition of her dedication to the Stern community and her professional success, 2nd year SWIB Conference Co-chairs Jennifer Heard and Kristin Sanborn presented Corbet with the Distinguished Alumna Award.
Women spent the day attending panels ranging from "Harnessing Your Entrepreneurial Spirit" to "Women at the Top: Managing for Success" to "The Business of Glamour." Panelists included high-level executives from companies such as Sony, JP Morgan Chase, Revlon, Johnson & Johnson, HBO, Kraft, Pfizer, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs.
The afternoon keynote was given by Carla Hendra, President of Ogilvy One, North America. Hendra highlighted the ever-changing advertising environment and how to succeed in today's turbulent business atmosphere. Hendra emphasized five specific points that helped her throughout her 20-year career: experiment early and often; nothing takes the place of practical skills; choose special projects wisely and surpass expectations when you execute; and embrace ambiguity and uncertainty. Hendra's only regret is not spending anytime abroad working in a foreign market, and so she urged women to follow their dreams. "Perhaps the greatest risk of all is not taking one. Go out there and be fearless," she proclaimed.
The conference winded down with a networking reception where panelists, alumni, and students exchanged contact info, business tips and career advice. SWIB conference attendees left with information, inspiration, and of course, the requisite sponsor goody bag filled with moisturizers, lip balm, and toothbrushes.
The event's success was due to the hard work and dedication of a large team of SWIB members. Along with Heard and Sanborn, Lauryn McDonough and Marina Mesion (1st year Vice Presidents of Conference), ensured the conference went off without a hitch. The Conference Committee members - Jackie Bassett, Laran Brindle, Abigail Coleman, Jennifer Feder, Viveca Gruen, Rama Nemani, Siobhan O'Connor, Neha Patel, Najia Shaukat, Beth Suvak, Cathy Wong and Cheryl Wong - organized and ran each of the six panels during the event.