SEGOVIA – At 7pm on September 19, the popular Segovian bar Daddy Cool was host to the first Women in Business (WiB) event of the semester.
In a pleasantly resonant ambiance, the cheerful chattering of the attendees, the first words of Emma Sutherland, a second year BBA student inaugurated the club’s activities. Now leading the Segovian branch of the Women in Business club – which was, a year ago exclusive to masters – Mrs. Sutherland thanked everyone for their presence, both women and men, in a moving speech that reminded the audience what is at stake in this club.
Punctuated by shrieks of support, Mme Sutherland, stated that “[they] want to promote more equality in the workplace” as well as provide the tools to “help the professional careers” of all the clubs member, regardless of their gender.
She also pointed how the struggle for equality in the professional arena is far from being over, and how it instead starts to become more crucial not only within our community, but also globally. Indeed, it is vital to recall how the first woman who graduated from college, did so only 150 years ago.
The fight for more equality and fairness in the treatment of women in all sectors and industries is surely pivotal in how our world will evolve.
To continue promoting the empowerment of women and the perpetuation of equality, Mrs. Sutherland can count on an all-stars team.
Isa Rosberg, a second year PLE student in charge of event coordination, reiterated on one of the goals of this club, being “giving the tools that women need in order to enter the working world with confidence and ease”. And one of these tools is surely the networking force that drives this club forward.
Camila Acosta, a second year communication student responsible of the social media’s coordination and strategy of the club, described the inspiring and powerful encounters she and her colleagues hosted last year, with some of the brightest and most achieving women out there –- the senior vice-president of Sony Production in Europe, gender development activists & TEDx speakers, a product manager at Ernst & Young, a stylist and designer, and many more. She also clarified for the newcomers the main pillars of this club, the first being the famous-dinners series with high profile women.
These dinners allow each member to discover more about several sectors and industries of their interest, such as the creative industry and Silicon Valley’s tech kingdom, and the plan is to bring more successful women from more diverse sectors.
Undoubtedly, WiB’s members the event with their stomachs full, and their spirit marveled.
The second pillar is made of workshops that focus on providing practical experience to attendees for job interviews, CV building tips & negotiation skills.
Last but not least, community building and forging ties are at the core of what the WiB club yearn to achieve. Because as Mrs. Acosta stated, “we want to spend more quality time with you”.
WiB is hence clearly focused on improving the condition of women in the professional realm.
Yet, what do men think about the initiatives of the Women in Business club? Questions were asked to Sebastian Schramm, a second year LLBBIR, who was very fond on the club’s goals and values. He believes that men should indeed support women and care about their involvement in the workforce. As a fair disciple of law, he advanced on how “the law is enforcing [such changes], as nowadays more and more women reach positions of control, previously denied to them, in big companies, whether as CEOs or general managers”
Members have, ultimately, a myriad of opportunities to grow and learn from the experience of the guests, the workshops proposed, as Andrea Lerena expressed.
She adds how, through what the club prepares for its members this year, they should “dip their toes in the networking process and the pool of future, potential professions, because it is a scary world, and the more contacts you have, the easier it becomes”. It is a scary and hard world. And in the jolly-merry atmosphere of the Daddy Cool club, the WiB club promises to make it easier. Cheers to them.
