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The Many Different Paths to Success:
SWIB Conference 2005
By Lauren Levine
and Kelly Thomas
The Stern Women In Business (SWIB) community, alumni, prospective
female students and corporate recruiters gathered together at
The 13th Annual Stern Women in Business Conference, The Road
Ahead: Mapping Your Own Path to Success on Friday, February
4, 2005. Over 350 women came together to network, learn and discuss
the vast array of career paths and the many different ways to
get there.
“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
Millienium Sposnor, 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.
 |
| From left to right: Jennifer Preller,
Dean Thomas Cooley, Carolina Campbell, Kathleen Corbet, Kristin
Sanborn, Jennifer Heard, Sharon Katz |
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 doesn’t 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.
 |
| Carla Hendra |
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.”
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. |
