Smart Woman Securities sponsored an event that hosted six speakers in the finance industry. Kellyn Simpkins/The Fordham Ram
By Akash Bhatia
The Women’s Leadership Conference was held on Friday in Walsh Library. Fordham’s chapter of Smart Woman Securities sponsored the conference. The goal of the conference was to empower women to make personal connections and reach their true potentials.
Guest speakers included Barbara Desoer, CEO of Citibank, MaryAnne Gilmartin, president and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies and Danielle Sherwood, former COO of Alson Capital Partners.
Representatives from Grameen America, Elaine Pouliot,Image by Elaine Pouliot and JP Morgan Chase also spoke.
Andrea Jung, CEO of Grameen Bank, a microfinance organization founded by Muhammad Yunus that provides small loans to the poor without requiring collateral, described her experience as a woman in a leadership role.
“Many times in my career, I was the only woman on the executive team,” Jung said. “This made me realize that I needed to be more assertive.”
Even then, however, Jung did not experience perfect equality.
“I was paid less than men doing the same job,” Jung explained. Nevertheless, she does see progress for women in the workplace.
“The roles women are in, including leadership, are a lot better now than they used to be,” Jung said.
She also does not want to project herself as anti-men. “I’m a big believer in an even playing field, but not a tilt towards women,” Jung said.
Elaine Pouliot, CEO of the self-titled business Image by Elaine Pouliot, spoke about her involvement with other business leaders.
“To be amongst the women who have spoken today is such a honor,” Pouliot said. Pouliot began with basic, general advice. “Always enter into a room with confidence, not fear,” Pouliot said. She went on to speak about the importance of appearance and the image you convey. “It takes just seven seconds to make a first impression, so make sure to stand out for a reason,” Pouliot described.
Pouliot provided advice for getting early experience and managing yourself in the new workplace environment. “LinkedIn has become the number one recruit tool in America,” Pouliot said.
“Ask for help, and fake it till you make it,” were Pouliot’s words of advice concerning handling a difficult new job.
Ultimately, the Smart Woman Securities Conference demonstrated that professional success depends, not just on an individual’s skills and performance, but also on the team, environment and leaders surrounding the individual.
