|
|
|
2009 Women on Wall Street Conference
Overcoming Obstacles: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities
On 20 October, Deutsche Bank hosted the 15th Annual Women on Wall Street® conference, titled "Overcoming Obstacles: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities," at the Grand Hyatt on 42nd Street in New York City.
Stephanie Ruhle, Managing Director for Structured Credit Sales in Global Market's Institutional Client Group, kicked off the conference with the introduction of Michael Cohrs, Head of Global Banking. His opening remarks focused on the merits of a diverse workforce and the competitive advantage the greater presence of women seems to provide. He encouraged the audience to write their own rules for success. "Success requires patience and planning. There are going to be setbacks, but do not give up. It's important to do your own job enrichment because only you know what you find truly fulfilling."
Joanna Barsh, Director, McKinsey & Company, delivered the keynote speech and discussed the results of the leadership survey 1,300 attendees took prior to the conference. She also moderated a panel of female executives:
- Lucille Douglas - Senior Relationship Manager, Deutsche Bank
- Sylvia Ann Hewlett - Founder & President, The Center for Work-Life Policy
- Denise Incandela - President, Saks Direct
- Eileen Taylor - Global Head of Diversity, Deutsche Bank
From left to right: Joanna Barsh, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Lucille Douglas, Eileen Taylor, Denise Incandela
The panelists candidly shared insights about experiencing success and failure, and what the opportunity of not getting what you want can provide. They emphasized the value of taking risks, persevering and believing in your own talents.
Douglas spoke about her search for a job on Wall Street after completing her MBA at Pace University. She was told she did not have the right pedigree to work on Wall Street. Although this was a setback, it did not stop her from pursuing her career goal as she has been working in financial services for over 20 years. “It is very important to move beyond your comfort zone, persevere and be resilient,” she said.
Taylor discussed her bold move to find a new role within the Bank. “I networked to find a role that capitalized on my strengths.” As result she became the Global Head of Diversity, a position where she has the opportunity affect change.
Preethi Nair, the closing speaker, treated attendees to a humorous telling of her courageous journey from a management consultant to a successful novelist.
Roelfien Kuijpers, Global Head of DB Advisors at Deutsche Asset Management provided closing remarks that reiterated the conference theme: “Obstacles will always be thrown in our individual paths. The panelists successfully overcame obstacles and turned them into opportunities.”
Click here to see a replay of the event featuring great tips shared at the conference by the keynote speaker and panelists.
Deutsche Bank’s WOWS, a Deutsche Bank employee network group, has sponsored this yearly event for members of the financial and broader business communities since 1995. Since its inception, attendance at Women on Wall Street® has grown from 200 to over 2,000.
|
|
|
2009 Conference Webcast
The 2009 Webcast videos are now available.
