Finance is about helping people achieve their goals, says Taeshima White, BS’05, managing director at Charles Schwab—and that’s a natural fit for many women who may think they don’t have a place in the industry.
Watch the video to learn the qualities and experience White says women need to be successful leaders in financial services.
Your Own True Success: Taeshima White on Women in Finance from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.
Jennifer Conway, MBA’18, majored in economics in college and then worked at high-profile firms in New York and Connecticut. She worked hard, introduced new ideas and reached a level of independence.
Then she left.
She moved away from the world’s financial center to earn an MBA at the Kelley School of Business.
“In my previous role, I was practically running my own show, but I still felt stuck between the back office and client services,” Conway says. “I craved a more analytical role—and I knew an MBA would help me pivot and catapult my career.”
Since coming to Kelley, Conway has taken advantage of the personal branding and career development resources, and she’s figured out some fundamental truths about herself and the male-dominated finance world.
1. Finance is huge—find your place.
The finance industry is an ever-changing field, with many different potential roles. “Kelley helped me know my options,” says Conway. “I discovered that private wealth and alternative investments are areas where I can learn individuals’ stories and build portfolios based on their needs and desires.”
Finance professor Veronika Pool has spent her career studying finance and fraud, publishing papers about hedge funds and mutual funds.As a product leader at The Nielsen Company, Kalika Parnaik makes her voice heard. But she wasn’t so vocal when she first started in the Kelley School of Business Full-Time MBA Program. Kalika found that there’s no hiding in the Kelley MBA classroom—professors like Dean Idalene “Idie” Kesner sought out her perspective and encouraged her to speak up.
Watch the video to see how Kelley’s MBA faculty taught Kalika to have confidence in business—and in her own voice.
My Kelley Moment: Kalika Parnaik Finds Her Voice in the MBA Classroom from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.
Public skate parks can be intimidating places, especially for girl skaters just starting out. Courtney Payne Taylor, BS’06, says females represent less than 10 percent of riders. She teaches girls how to navigate skate parks with confidence through a strong understanding of how to handle the environment before they ride.
Watch the video to see how Courtney affects change through Girls Riders Organization (GRO), which she founded.
Learn more about Courtney and GRO in Momentum, a digital magazine from the Kelley School of Business.
Girls Riders Organization: A Skate Crew for Social Change from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.
Born in the United States to immigrant parents, I have consistently sought out international experience that fostered my desire to learn. During my spring semester of junior year at the Kelley School of Business, I studied abroad in São Paulo while also working part-time as an intern at a small firm, ba}Stockler.
These are my three takeaways from my international business experience:
Get comfortable with asking questions.
At ba}Stockler, everyone spoke Portuguese. There was a steep learning curve for my business vocabulary and comprehension during meetings. I needed to understand the firm I was working for and how they conducted business. So for every project, brainstorming session or meeting I attended I observed and kept detailed notes on what I didn’t understand. And then I asked my questions when it was appropriate. If I had pretended I understood everything, I wouldn’t have added much value or learned anything. (more…)
As an associate professor of international business, Dr. Dan Li encourages her students to examine how international business affects their daily lives. As a native of China, she can see first-hand how differently business works both in the U.S. and abroad.
In a global environment, Li believes all students should be interested in international business and learning how it works.
Here she offers her insights as to how women can excel in international business.
What steps can women take to succeed in international business?
“For women students, no matter what kind of career they are going to pursue, a line that I always give is to ask for help. Comparing men and women, no matter which nation or country we’re talking about, often we see women be very quiet. Unfortunately, sometimes people perceive asking questions or asking for help as a sign of weakness. It’s not true.
“Also if we look at the business world today, there has been collective research talking about how women, compared to men, actually do not always have the mentors that they need. The men just tend to offer more advice and suggestions to younger generation men rather than women. It’s really up to women to ask questions and to ask for help when necessary. (more…)
As CEO/President of Langham Logistics, Cathy Langham, BS’82, focuses on business development, fast-growth strategy and critical industry issues such as cargo security. Networking, she says, and feedback from peers is essential to success.
“Really listen and be engaged,” says Langham. “The comments fellow networkers make could change your world.”
Watch the video for Langham’s networking advice—including a mantra to boost your confidence.
One-Minute Mentor: Cathy Langham from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.
“Networking” is probably the most popular word used by undergraduate professors, students, career coaches and professionals. What exactly does it mean? From my experience, networking is a form of feeding your innate curiosity to learn more about yourself, others and the opportunities around you.
This past year, I have found networking to be the best source of career research, as it has connected me with incredibly successful and insightful individuals. These efforts, coupled with the help of mentors, family, and friends, have led me to attain an internship in private wealth management for this coming summer. (more…)
Senior Director of Advancement Rochelle Reeves enables Kelley School of Business students and alumni to connect with the school and each other. She offers advice on how students and recent grads can build, nurture and use their network to create momentum for their careers.
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| Rochelle Reeves Senior Director of Advancement Kelley School of Business |
How can I network while I’m in college?
“Make sure you understand that networking is work. Your network needs to be built and needs to be nurtured. Networking is also a two-way street. You should always be looking for ways to help people as well as get help for yourself.
“The best time to start networking is when you’re a student and when you have so many resources and opportunities at your fingertips and there are people willing to help you.”
Who should I include in my network?
“There are a lot of organizations that are geared towards women. That is a great place to get answers and advice on work/life balance and the kinds of things that men don’t experience. At the same time, I would encourage young women to also network more generally, making sure as they build mentors over the course of their career to include men.” (more…)
