On November 18, 2020, the Finance Academy invited Eva Oellig-van den Bosch as the first guest in their speaker series, which was geared towards educating students to become prospective leaders in both finance and business. Dr. Oellig-van den Bosch recently retired from her position as CEO of Geoban S.A. Germany where she ran all operations of Santander Consumer Bank. She has also held leadership positions at the Royal Bank of Scotland and Deutsche Post (the post office of Germany). 

“I want to get the students more engaged in learning about different aspects of careers in business and finance,” the Finance Academy Program Manager Dorothy McClelland said. “By meeting people in a variety of careers, they will gain insight into what the future might hold for them, and what they might focus on.”

Throughout the Zoom meeting, Dr. Oellig-van den Bosch shared with students her vast experience in and knowledge of international business.

“I learned a lot about the skills you need to be successful in a high-level position,” junior Maya Magnuski commented. “Dr. Oellig-van den Bosch spoke about how you need to be a great listener, a good communicator, a problem solver, and be willing to make sacrifices,” Maya added.

Dr. Oellig-van den Bosch provided students with various professional, social, and academic advice. For instance, she told students that the only prerequisite for working in business is to love being with people, making connections and building networks with them along the way.

“My key takeaway from yesterday with Dr. Oellig was that it might not matter so much about your college major and courses,” Ms. McClelland noted. “What matters more is your outlook and attitude and to do something that you really enjoy.”

All students are encouraged to attend the next presentation in the speaker series, which will be held in December. Students who wish to attend should email Ms. McClelland at [email protected] to receive a digital invitation.

“I have always had trouble figuring out what I want to pursue so I hope that listening to more guest speakers can help me make my decision,” Maya concluded.