Spring Break
A Celebration of Dynamic Women in Business
Ann Lucas (Partner NB), Contributing Writer
Issue date: 2/12/07 Section: News
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As one of the largest conferences on campus, more than 900 participants packed into Burden Auditorium, including a group of 17 young women from the Summer Search program. Conference chair Peggy Yu says, "The goal of the conference is to demonstrate the diverse personal and professional paths women may take, and that no path is typical and all are possible."
"I really love the name of this conference but it feels a little redundant to me-have you ever met a woman in business who is not dynamic?" began Lois Quam, President of UnitedHealth Group's Public and Senior Markets division, in her keynote speech. As one of Fortune's most powerful women in business, and a mother of three (including twins), Quam shared humorous anecdotes on being a working mom, including one where she received a same-day meeting request from the governor of Minnesota for a spot on the state's Health Care Access Commission. Quam explained that any other day, she could have rearranged her schedule to meet with him, but on that particular day, she was still lying in the hospital just after giving birth.
The main focus of Quam's speech was that of corporate social responsibility (CSR), a theme that echoed throughout the conference. She pointed out that while some say that business is all about profits and other considerations are a disservice to shareholders, Quam counters, "Saying the purpose of business is to make money is like saying the purpose of government is to hold elections." Instead, she believes that, "business exists to address the problems of individuals and of society" and called on the rising generation of business leaders to embrace creative and sustainable solutions to society. Whether it means making CSR into a part of one's core business or collaborating with government to unite the best practices of public and private domains, Quam emphasized that "this is not a gender-specific call to action."
Quam's powerful keynote was followed by three panel sessions dispersing wisdom on diverse topics such as the "Business of Sports" and the "5-year Reunion," which provided perspectives on life after HBS by female graduates. For example, the session on "Power Couples," which consisted of three marriages where both partners had high-powered careers, tackled the issues of work-life balance. Stephanie Mims, mother of two and a senior manager at Dell, offered the advice that we should realize that, "You can have it all-but you can't have it all at once." Although the road may be difficult to finding a sustainable equilibrium in a power couple, Leslie Campbell, a VP at Dell who leads a cross-country marriage, offered some encouragement, "It's been great having someone who understands my profession...and he really keeps me grounded. It's a great balance." Partner NB Sadaf Saya says, "The concept of a power couple was really interesting-making it work requires true teamwork and partnership."
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