Women In Business 'seize day'

Downstairs, past a showcase of awards and trophies, swarms of black stiletto heels clacked toward the conference room. Dressed in crisp suits with multiple résumés at hand, the ladies of this year’s Women in Business Conference gathered, discussing and planning future careers as professional businesswomen.

Inside the Kelley School of Business on Saturday, the Carpe Diem 2012 Conference presented a series of successful businessmen and women speakers.

The morning session, limited to Kelley School of Business students, featured IU senior lecturer Tatiana Kolovou, Ford North America Executive Joy Falotico and various WIB alumni who spoke about their business career paths. At noon, the afternoon session opened the lecture to all interested parties. Susan Pickett, the group vice president of Macy’s, Inc., and Ron Hoven, the global marketing director for Eli Lilly and Company, concluded the event.

“I kept the theme by talking about seizing the bad day,” Pickett said. “It is important to know it is okay to fail. It is a hard concept, but when we see a lot of successful people you have to remember that they had a lot of screwups, too.”

Sophomore Shelby Honekamp said she enjoyed the speech, finding it inspirational and interesting.

“The main point was when you fall down, you just have to get right back up,” Honekamp said. “It is beautiful how you just need to make the most out of every situation and learn throughout the process.”

Before the mini career fair began, the WIB panel set up a hints-and-tips lecture about networking and development.

“The speech was really helpful,” sophomore Murphy O’Neil said. “It reminded us to introduce yourself, smile, firm handshake, and how important it all is when meeting professional businessmen and women.”

The career fair, a new session to the conference that was introduced by WIB Director Danielle Rizzo, was designed to help the attendees gain experience and relationships with local businesses. ArcelorMittal, Discover Financial Services, Ernst & Young, Bosch and Target were invited to the event.  

“The fair is for both relationships and future careers,” Discover employee Lindsay Swisher said. “Our main goal is to enhance our presence on the IU campus. We have many IU graduates working at Discover, and a lot of good work comes from our IU
employees.”

Swisher is a 2009 IU alumna who attended the career fair to notify women about a prospective job shadowing opportunity for freshmen and sophomores to learn more about the Discover organization.

Keynote speaker Ron Hoven concluded the event. Hoven, a father of two IU students, works for Eli Lilly and Company, leading market activities for both commercialization of existing brands and the development of Lilly’s insulin and device pipeline. Hoven spoke to the WIB audience, emphasizing the importance of seizing the day and finding yourself in the process.

Hoven said three parts help define that purpose. The first is a personal drawing or vision that makes up your personal essence. He said the second aspect is learning to understand yourself, your motivations and your individual sense of achievement. The last part is to accept insights throughout life. He told audience members to chart their courses and set their sights on whatever paths they decide to take.

“The point I am trying to make is, seizing the day is fun, but you need a purpose,” Hoven said. “A purpose maintains spirit and energy, ensuring that you are making a
difference.”