For Release:
January 24, 2000
Contact: Jim Aisner
(617) 495-6157
BOSTON -- Candice Carpenter, a member of the Harvard Business School MBA Class of 1983, likes challenges -- things like rock climbing, trail running, extreme skiing…and since 1995, putting the pieces in place for the successful Internet startup iVillage Inc. Cofounded by Carpenter and her friend Nancy Evans, iVillage.com is an on-line network that aims to "provide effective solutions to everyday challenges facing women in their many roles as professionals, parents, friends, and partners."
Returning to HBS on Saturday, January 22, as one of three keynoters (along with Judy Lewent, senior vice president and CFO of Merck, and Heidi Miller, CFO of Citigroup), Carpenter spoke to the ninth annual HBS Women's Student Association Business Leadership Conference. This year's gathering, attended by almost 1,000 women, focused on the theme "Women Enriching Business." Carpenter addressed five topics: the essential ingredients in an Internet business, her own path to success (which went through American Express, Time Warner, and QVC), networking and mentoring, women and technology, and her dual role as a corporate leader and the mother of two young children.
Carpenter noted that to be successful, a consumer-oriented Internet company must pay close attention to building its brand, making its services simple and useful ("Television is about entertainment," she said. "The Internet is about utility."), creating a community of users, and paying "total attention to the customer experience."
Among Carpenter's other observations for those aspiring to follow in her footsteps:
Besides organizing its annual conference, the HBS Women's Student Association is involved in numerous other efforts to ensure that women -- who comprise 30 percent of the School's 1,800 MBA candidates -- succeed at HBS and beyond. WSA members are involved, for instance, in recruitment activities to attract qualified women to apply to the School, welcoming programs on Admit Day, and advocacy and support for women's issues on campus.
January 24, 2000
Contact: Jim Aisner
(617) 495-6157
Candice Carpenter (MBA '83), CEO of iVillage, Offers Words of Wisdom to HBS Women's Student Association Conference
BOSTON -- Candice Carpenter, a member of the Harvard Business School MBA Class of 1983, likes challenges -- things like rock climbing, trail running, extreme skiing…and since 1995, putting the pieces in place for the successful Internet startup iVillage Inc. Cofounded by Carpenter and her friend Nancy Evans, iVillage.com is an on-line network that aims to "provide effective solutions to everyday challenges facing women in their many roles as professionals, parents, friends, and partners."
Returning to HBS on Saturday, January 22, as one of three keynoters (along with Judy Lewent, senior vice president and CFO of Merck, and Heidi Miller, CFO of Citigroup), Carpenter spoke to the ninth annual HBS Women's Student Association Business Leadership Conference. This year's gathering, attended by almost 1,000 women, focused on the theme "Women Enriching Business." Carpenter addressed five topics: the essential ingredients in an Internet business, her own path to success (which went through American Express, Time Warner, and QVC), networking and mentoring, women and technology, and her dual role as a corporate leader and the mother of two young children.
Carpenter noted that to be successful, a consumer-oriented Internet company must pay close attention to building its brand, making its services simple and useful ("Television is about entertainment," she said. "The Internet is about utility."), creating a community of users, and paying "total attention to the customer experience."
Among Carpenter's other observations for those aspiring to follow in her footsteps:
- "Ninety percent of success is fit….Letting yourself gravitate [to a job] where you belong is very important. It doesn't always put you where your peers are going, but you have to have the courage to go there anyway."
- "The opportunity to be entrusted with other people's money and build something is a huge responsibility - something that will determine your business reputation for the rest of your life….So think hard about whether you want to start something right away or wait until you have some diverse experiences under your belt."
- "Before you start a company, talk to people who have failed. You only read about the people who succeed. You have to talk to those who've failed to make sure you're willing to be one of those people."
- "The issue of being a mother and an executive is worth a lot of thought as you plan your careers. Not wanting to think about it, just hoping it will all work out is a big danger."
Besides organizing its annual conference, the HBS Women's Student Association is involved in numerous other efforts to ensure that women -- who comprise 30 percent of the School's 1,800 MBA candidates -- succeed at HBS and beyond. WSA members are involved, for instance, in recruitment activities to attract qualified women to apply to the School, welcoming programs on Admit Day, and advocacy and support for women's issues on campus.