April 9th, 2019

For GWC’s second “Coffee with Professor” event in the series, you’re invited to a coffee chat with professor Patricia Plackett. In an intimate setting that will provide opportunity for open discussions on the topic of Investing in your intangible assets for career success the focus will be on two specific aspects: understanding the role of intangibles in recruitment today and making choices about personal priorities given the inevitable time constraints that affect us all. There will be plenty of opportunity for input and questions. Coffee and snacks will be provided!

This event has a limited number of spaces so make sure to register!

About Professor Patricia

Patricia Plackett holds PhDs in business strategy from Copenhagen Business School and in anthropology from the University of Toronto. Her background includes management, research and teaching positions in the public and private sectors. For four years she was Academic Director of the International Summer University Program at Copenhagen Business School where her research and teaching interests were focused on innovation and sustainability issues. Earlier positions include Assistant Director of a global executive MBA program, Project Manager of an EU-Asia Link Project and Researcher/Analyst with two research think tanks in Copenhagen. Prior to moving to Copenhagen in 1999 she was Executive Director of a professional education network for the forest sector of British Columbia in Vancouver. Her previous management experience includes roles as the first Technology Marketing Manager for New Zealand’s Forest Research Institute and subsequently as the Director of Marketing and Business Development for the New Zealand Ministry of Forestry following several years with the management consulting arm of a multinational engineering company in Vancouver. She started her career with a position in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of British Columbia. In 2012 she was nominated for The Economist ‘Business Professor of the Year’ award and continued to supervise master’s thesis students at Copenhagen Business School until 2017 and currently undertakes a range of consulting assignments involving workshop facilitation, textbook reviews, program assessments and course design and delivery as well as work on a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve initiative and David Suzuki Foundation initiatives.

The GWC was honoured to invite Jill Earthy, an entrepreneurially minded leader who believes diversity drives innovation. She is currently the Chief Growth Officer of FrontFundr, an online investment platform connecting entrepreneurs and investors.

In the Keynote speech, Jill shared a wealth of information on topics ranging from leadership and career development. Her entrepreneurial background and active mentorship roles provided wisdom and insights to all students who were interested in starting their own business and driving change in community development.

Following the speeches, the GWC hosted a sit-down dinner for a few like-minded individuals to closely connect with Jill.

The GWC was honoured to invite two executives from Saje Natural Wellness – Julie Potter, Senior Director of Financial Planning and Analysis and Jessica Connolly, Senior Director of Leasing to our Run the World Series event in February 2018.

Starting with a keynote speech to all Beedie graduate students, Julie spoke about her career changes and growth in finance and retail. She discussed how her strengths in analytical problem solving has driven her to pursue career opportunities with brands that connect her to purpose and offer an experience that goes beyond the product offering. Jessica also shared how her passion for holistic wellness, combined with her love of real estate, has led her through a journey of self-discovery and career growth in major fashion and retail companies.

Following the speeches, the GWC hosted a sit-down, 3-course dinner for a few like-minded individuals to closely connect with the executives.

On November 16 we hosted our first event of the academic year: Women, Wine & Networking Time. The event brought together 30 women from the different Graduate Business Programs, including the MOT, Part Time, EMBA, and Full Time programs.

The event started off with a quick ice breaker, which randomly assigned tables participated in enthusiastically. The executive team also gave a sneak peek into what Beedie’s Graduate women could expect in the new year: namely, the Run the World dinner series, and an inaugural conference.

For the main event, the 30 women randomly rotated through speed networking sessions, which encouraged participants to share answers to the question prompts. Paired with a glass of wine and some pizza, there was lots of laughter and relationships formed. The executive team was honoured to also host GWC alumnae, who participated in the event and shared their learnings with the student attendees.

We had a lot of strong feedback from the event, and had a wonderful time meeting the women of Beedie’s graduate programs.

Some things the participants had to say after:

“I liked the energy and atmosphere. I felt that I knew those women for a long time. It was like a chat with your friends somewhere in a cozy cafe after a working day. Also it was so much fun!!!”

“Hands down the best student organized networking event I have been to. Very inclusive and fun!”

We’re already looking forward to our events in 2018!

For our second Dinner Series, the GBWC featured Women in Marketing, Communications and Entrepreneurship. We were joined by business leaders Erica Hakonson, founder of Maven Collective Marketing, and Kathleen Reid, Managing Director at Switchboard PR.

Erica and Kathleen each spoke about their career journeys and what led them to branch out on their own. Each business leader informed us about the realities of starting their own companies and spoke openly about what future entrepreneurs should consider or look out for.

We were joined by women from the SFU full time MBA, part time MBA and EMBA and the evening was filled with a lively discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing women in today’s business world.

Our first Dinner Series event was organized in March, 2017 and we were delighted to welcome Alannah Cervenko and Lindsay McIvor, two extraordinary business leaders in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability sectors. Alannah is the Leader in Community Investment and Partnerships at Teck Resources. Lindsay is the Principal Consultant at Compass Sustainability Services.

Alannah and Lindsay shared the stories of their career trajectories, experiences through the SFU MBA program and advice on how to succeed after graduation. Lindsay spoke about how companies focus on corporate responsibility and think creatively and strategically in their approach to health, safety, environment, and community (HSEC) risks and opportunities. Alannah discussed how she strategically promotes the advancement of Teck Resource’s business and community goals at her work.

Dinner at Nuba was in a mediterranean feast style and added an amazing ambience to the night.  The event was an absolute success and the professionals were looking forward to attending another event with the GBWC in the future.