January 20, 2001
Contact:
Jay Chrepta
Harvard Business School
(617) 495-6155
Nearly 700 Attend Women's Business Conference at Harvard Business School
Tenth-Anniversary Gathering Focuses on "Dynamic Women in Business."
BOSTON -- The Women's Student Association at Harvard Business School celebrated its 10th annual conference today with a wide array of panels and keynote addresses featuring leaders from business, academia, and the nonprofit sector. For the first time, the conference also honored five HBS alumnae with awards recognizing their accomplishments in professional services, leadership, industry, entrepreneurship, and social enterprise.
The goal of the sold-out conference, according to student organizers Ali Best, Alice Gugelev, and Shalini Verma (all members of the MBA Class of 2001) was to "highlight the past accomplishments of women, the experiences and issues facing women today, and women's dreams for tomorrow."
In her opening remarks, keynote speaker Deborah C. Hopkins, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Lucent Technologies, commented on the remarkable changes that have taken place in the telecommunications industry. She also noted how the role of women in business has evolved since she graduated from college.
Hopkins credited the contributions of mentors and coaches in her own personal and professional development and urged conference participants to create their own networks of advisors. She also stressed the importance of family life. "You need to 'shut down' from time to time, because [life] is a marathon, and not a sprint," she said.
Hopkins also spoke at length of her current efforts to reinvigorate Lucent Technologies during the most challenging time in the company's history.
Later in the day, Ellen Hancock, chairman and chief executive officer of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Exodus Communications, advised members of the audience to pace themselves in their jobs and seek the guidance of their peers. They should not be afraid of taking the occasional risk, she said, nor should they fail to recognize when the time had come to move on to the next job -- typically, when the challenge or the "fun" of going to work every day had disappeared.
Hancock noted that she had spent 29 years at IBM in a variety of staff and line positions at several locations. After Big Blue reorganized in 1995, she joined National Semiconductor as executive vice president and chief operating officer. One year later, she was named executive vice president for research and development and chief technology officer at Apple Computer.
To conclude the conference, the Women's Student Association presented awards to five outstanding HBS alumnae:
- Nancy Berry, MBA '75, president, Women's World Banking (Professional Services Award)
- Rena Clark, MBA '90, chair and chief executive office, QVS Inc. (Leadership Award)
- Judith R. Haberkorn, Advanced Management Program 111, former president for consumer sales & services, Verizon (Industry Award)
- Jeanne B. Lewis, MBA '92, president, Staples.com (Entrepreneurship Award)
- Andrea Caren Silbert, MBA '92, founder and chief executive officer, Center for Women & Enterprise (Social Enterprise Award)
Also included in the full day's program were panels on such subjects as entertainment and media, entrepreneurship, marketing, manufacturing, nonprofit organizations, and "fast track" careers.
The Women's Student Association at Harvard Business School (http://sa.hbs.edu/wsa) is dedicated to promoting the diversity of women's achievements and contributions; creating a sense of collaboration and community among HBS women, and between MBA students and women business leaders; and laying foundations for a powerful network of female business leaders. About a third of the School's 1,800 MBA students are women, many of them holding leadership positions in the School's numerous extracurricular activities.
Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University and located on a 35-acre campus in Boston, Harvard Business School offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as an extensive portfolio of Executive Education programs. With a faculty of more than 200 distinguished scholars and unmatched resources, the School aims to shape the practice of business by building enduring knowledge, educating leaders, and effectively communicating important ideas to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. From high technology to entrepreneurship, the School strives to set the highest standards for business education in this country and around the globe.