Leadership (Part II): the Forté Foundation 2008 Women’s MBA Conference in New York City

By: Tonya

Did you know that Simon is one of the 37 top MBA schools that make up the Forté Foundation? 

It is such a privilege to be a part of this consortium of major corporations, top business schools, and influential non-profit organizations united to help direct talented women towards leadership roles in business.  Each year Forté holds an annual conference where all of these organizations come together, along with talented MBA students, for several days of speakers and sessions that are informative and inspirational.  I was honored to get to attend the conference this year with 5 incoming Simon students and 3 current students.  I think we all walked away with an amazing experience, an expanded network, and valuable insights into women’s business issues, like shattering the glass ceiling, finding work/life balance, negotiating skills, and leadership development.

Since this is my second blog that examines leadership.  I wanted to tell you about the Dialogue with Leadership Luncheon that was held during the conference.  The accomplished businesswomen that led the discussion were: Sharon Allen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Deloitte LLP; Lisa Weber, President of Individual Business at MetLife; and Patricia Sellers, Editor-at-Large at Fortune magazine.   The panelists discussed their perspectives on building professional legacies, making meaningful career and life choices, maintaining the integrity of business, and becoming responsible corporate citizens.  Advice they offered included the importance of focusing on people and surrounding yourself with a good team.  They also stressed that women should never become complacent and never remain stagnant in their career and responsibilities.

The conference also included an MBA Career Fair where MBA students had the opportunity to meet with Fortune 100 recruiters from some of the world’s most prestigious corporations, like: Abbott, American Express, Avon, Bank of America, Capital Group, Chevron, Citi, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Eli Lilly, Ernst & Young, Fidelity, GE, General Mills, Goldman Sachs, IBM, Intel, John Deere, Johnson & Johnson, Lehman, McKinsey, Merrill Lynch, MetLife, Moody’s, Morgan Stanley, Wachovia, and Williams.

Forté membership is open to all women who attend Simon, a Forté sponsor school.  For more information, visit: www.fortefoundation.org.