2010 Annual CWIB Conference

Panels and Speakers

Keynote Address

Speaker: Mary Beth West, CBS MBA '86, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Kraft Foods Inc.
Click here for Mary Beth West's Bio

Fourteenth Annual Distinguished Alumae Award & Speech

Speaker: Beth Schoenfeldt, CBS MBA '94, Co-founder, Collective-E
Click here for Beth Schoenfeldt's Bio

Session I: Setting Yourself Up for Success
10:15 - 11:15 a.m.

"Tell Me Something About Yourself": Establishing a Personal Brand
What do Apple, Coke, Louis Vuitton and Porsche have in common? Brand equity.
In today's competitive environment, building brand equity is increasingly important. Professionally, just getting the job done is no longer enough. To further your career, you must carve a unique identity. How do you differentiate yourself from everyone else? The answers lie in establishing a personal brand. The conversation will highlight how to define and build your brand and how to shape it's evolution throughout your career while staying true to your identity. It's never to late to take a chance - to learn, reinvent, and build a personal brand worthy of remark. Hear accomplished women business leaders and experts share their experiences.

Moderator: Nupur Agarwal, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Push: Remembering Power, Courage, and Dreams in a Challenging Economy
Perhaps the panel for "non-traditionally" minded MBAs, this panel gathers women who are shining in fields that never had a safety net. How do they stay inspired? How did they manage to push their careers beyond the expected? What do they do to continue to stand out in their fields? What are their thoughts on the economy? Why do they believe that we each have to power to get the job of our dreams? Come join women from entertainment, philanthropy, finance, and fashion speak. What questions do you have on being fearless now? This is more than a conversation. It's your start to taking your career by storm with power, courage, and dreams!

Moderator: Jenna Bond-Louden, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Doing Good by Doing Business
In today's global economy, international development is becoming increasingly visible. This panel will explore the various ways in which women have been able to contribute to society and do good in various ways, while also making money. Our panelists will share their diverse experiences and offer perspectives on maintaining a global social awareness in entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, and international development.

Moderator: Christine Sedky, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Investing Your Success: Building, Spending and Preserving Your Wealth
As ambitious businesswomen, we view financial success to be a top priority, yet investing is a fulltime job in itself. This panel will explore the topic of wealth management as it pertains to women whose primary careers do not fall under investment management. By drawing upon the expertise of female leaders in wealth management, investment management and financial planning, the panel will seek to share with these busy women the resources available to them to build, spend and preserve their wealth.

Moderator: Brooke Fitzgerald, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Getting What You Ask For: Successful Negotiations in the Workplace
Getting what you want can be challenging in a work environment, particularly for women. This panel of communication experts will discuss successful negotiation strategies. The panelists will discuss the challenges related to communicating and negotiating in the workplace and how to overcome these challenges. Particular attention will be direct toward gender-related communication issues and barriers to successful negotiations. Panelists will provide an overview of communication strategies and will discuss how women can develop skills now that will help them be more successful at communicating and negotiating conflict at all stages of their career.

Moderator: Hillary Lazarus, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Session II: Thriving in Your Career
11:35 - 12:35 p.m.

Successful Women Consultants: Balancing Travel, Clients, and a Personal Life
Women are becoming a growing percentage of the consulting workforce - an industry with one of the most demanding professional lifestyles. This panel will showcase women who have been successful balancing a demanding consulting career and a family life, including women who worked part-time after having children and were able to make the transition back into a full-time client-facing role.

Moderator: Kristin Stepaniak, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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What Every Woman Needs to Know: the Secrets of Climbing the Corporate Ladder
What are the rules to the game for success in the corporate world? Talent and intelligence alone are not enough anymore - it takes emotional intelligence, political savvy, and much more to successfully navigate the ladder in any industry. How have these women done it? What are the secrets to their success?

Moderator: Anjali Shah, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Women Succeeding in Male-Dominated Careers
Can women succeed in male-dominated careers? Absolutely. Our panel of women will address the issues and challenges they faced while climbing the corporate ladder. More importantly we will discuss how they achieved success in their respective fields and what advice they would give to young women looking to enter into a male-dominated industry.

Moderator: Jenny Wang, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Behind the Curtain: Successful Careers in Media & Entertainment
The objective of this panel is to explore the perspectives of several women who have had significant and sustained success in the entertainment and media industry. We will discuss how they decided upon their respective career paths, and the steps they took to achieve their career goals. In addition, we will explore the challenges that have been common to all of them (such as determining an optimal work/life balance), as well as best practices that have contributed to their successes.

Moderator: Katie Robinson, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Demystifying "The Devil Wears Prada"
Beauty, fashion and media have always been part of our imaginations. A significant number of women pursue the dream of working at a company in one of these fields. But will a ruthless and cynical "Miranda Priestly" be waiting for them in every corner? What does it take to develop a "glamorous career" in a "glamorous" organization? Which are the main challenges to address? How is a typical day in the life of these executives? And how can a MBA be valuable and recognized in these industries? Several executives from beauty, fashion and media companies share their stories, experiences and insights in a very sincere and honest environment, demystifying the pre-established beliefs about these sectors.

Moderator: Sofia Serra, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Session III: Embracing New Horizons
3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

Beyond Green: Building and Driving Sustainable Enterprises
As we grow in our careers, we are continually exploring new ways to remain aware of the social and environmental impact our businesses can deliver. This panel gathers a group of accomplished women in the consulting, nonprofit, and consumer goods industries who maintain emphasize environmental awareness in their careers. Together, they'll offer advice and best practices on how to run a green business and incorporate sustainable tactics in our professional lives.

Moderator: Leah Johns, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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Second Career Success
What does it take to be successful in a second career? This panel will address the unique challenges faced by career-switching women. What is it like to change industries several years into forging a path in a different industry? What are differences between switching careers after having a child, getting a graduate degree, or simply switching directly without a life change? How do you know when it's a good time to make a career switch? How do you position yourself in job interviews? What skill sets are surprisingly transferrable? How difficult is it to catch up to peers who have been working in the industry for years already?

Moderator: Lily Oliver, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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"Into the United States & Beyond..."
This panel will serve as a forum to discuss the unique advantages and challenges faced by women who entered the United States business arena from different countries. How does one consider these advantages and challenges in launching a career overseas? These panelists will discuss the significance of being both a woman and an immigrant in their careers, as well as how the professional landscape has changed for immigrants over time.

Moderator: Raina Oberoi, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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From Dream to Reality: Starting Your Start-Up
CWIB is proud to announce its first ever Entrepreneurial Event, From Dream to Reality: Starting Your Start-up, featuring the founders of successful and growing women-led companies. You'll learn how each women turned her ideas into a reality and the challenges she faced along the way. In true entrepreneurial style, this innovative event is a hybrid of short pitches, panel discussions, and an interactive meet-and-greet session that is sure to get your ideas flowing.

Moderators: Shelley Rescober & Stephanie Palmeri, CBS '11, MBA Candidates
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Navigating the Financial Crisis
The financial crisis has changed outside perceptions of financial services companies, and many former industry titans are struggling to rebuild tarnished reputations. Executives across functions are charged with helping clients understand the events that precipitated the crisis, and what they are doing to guard against similar outcomes in the future. This panel will discuss strategic questions, such as: How has the role of Marketing changed during the financial crisis? What are firms doing to reposition themselves in the industry? How have internal priorities shifted? What are some important considerations for women thinking about careers in financial services? How have potential career paths changed?

Moderator: Lindsay Carroll, CBS '11, MBA Candidate
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