On Thursday and Friday of last week, I had the pleasure of participating in the second annual Executive Coaching program run through the Marketing Immersion - what a fantastic event! Warren Ellish, a Sr. Lecturer here at the Johnson School, put together an amazingly diverse panel of sixteen marketing executives with experience in many different industries - traditional CPG, technology, healthcare, cause marketing, hospitality, and executive search, to name a few - who traveled to Ithaca to share their career experience and offer their advice with students interested in marketing. On Thursday evening, we all had the opportunity to mingle with the participating executives at a reception at the Statler Hotel - it was great to get the perspective of people coming from such various backgrounds and career paths, yet all with a marketing connection. And, it was really inspiring to see how many options there are out there, and how worth it it is to really make sure you are on a path that works for you.
On Friday, each of us spent forty minutes with two different executives and used the opportunity to talk about whatever was on our minds. I was particularly interested in refining my "story" and making sure I was clearly communicating why my past experience has led me to pursue a career in brand management. I also used the time with my coaches to narrow down my target list of companies and to talk through some of my PARs (Problem Action Result framework used to answer behavioral questions in interviews) to make sure I am on the right path. All in all, I think the two day event was a true testament to some of the key strengths of the Johnson School, both in the dedication it takes to put something like this together as well as in the responsiveness and availability of alumni who are willing to help.
On top of the Executive Coaching program, this week brought several additional high level executives to the Johnson School. On Wednesday, myself and several other marketing students had lunch with Bill Pearce, the CMO of Del Monte Foods. Bill talked with us about what brand management looks like within Del Monte, the skills needed to be successful, his vision for Del Monte going forward, and what he has learned from reflecting on his own career in marketing. On Thursday, William Weldon, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson, presented at the 2008 Lewis H. Durland Memorial Lecture. Mr. Weldon, who began his career with Johnson & Johnson in 1971 in the sales and marketing department of its McNeil Pharmaceutical subsidiary, discussed his perspective on leadership and maintaining company values through times of opportunity and challenge, which is something that I believe truly sets the company apart. After the presentation, I had the opportunity to connect with several Johnson School alums involved in various marketing roles within the Johnson & Johnson family of companies who were in Ithaca for the event, and was once again reminded of how lucky we are to have such a strong marketing program here at the Johnson School.
So, needless to say, it's been a very exciting few weeks career-wise.....now back to Finance!
