When tasked with writing this article, I knew that I wanted to choose and highlight a club that reflects my personal values, as feminism is of the utmost importance to me. Throughout high school I had the experience of interacting with people who, even if not explicitly stated, clearly did not believe that women should be equal to men in leadership positions. These instances have stayed with me since there was no opportunity to join a club that focused solely on women’s leadership. When completing my AEO application process, I learned that community involvement is an integral aspect of student leadership for both AEO and HBA students alike. Club membership is a great way to get involved, and Ivey offers numerous extracurriculars that operate separately from Western’s USC clubs. With the goal of highlighting a club that is reflective of my values, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the co-presidents of the Ivey Women in Management Club (WIM), Clare Duff.
Duff is currently an HBA2 student at Ivey pursing marketing, who was previously enrolled in BMOS with a specialization in finance. Duff was not always certain about her career path but fortunately, a benefit of participating in extracurricular activities is that doors open for new opportunities. As a result, people can discover newfound passions, which became the experience of Duff.
After establishment in 2010, WIM has been focused on empowering women in the field of business. The club aims to inspire young women in the ways of relationship building, knowledge sharing, and inspiring a passion and drive for business leadership. Furthermore, while equality for women in business has come a long way in the past decades, the club recognizes that inequalities still exist. Duff regarded that “WIM uses these inequalities as a catalyst to teach members tools to “use as future leaders entering the workforce,” which resonated profoundly with me. I was compelled to dig deeper into the mission of the club and find out what WIM was all about.
The club curates several events throughout the year, including a Private Equity Panel (charcuterie board night) and collaborative panels with the Ivey Consulting club. According to Duff, the events are “the best part about WIM!” Clearly members would agree — the KPMG x WIM Fireside chat was a popular past event and is set to return this year. In response to the club’s current goals for the school year, Duff expressed her aspiration to bring a skill building activity to WIM: “I wanted to give members an opportunity to work on cross sectional, female only teams to collaboratively conquer a business case… this not only gives members the chance to build case solving skill and presentation skills, but it also serves as an accomplishment to list on their resumes and a chance to meet females in other sections.” This goal has taken shape in the form of the first ever WIM x Deloitte Case Competition, which has been sponsored by Deloitte. Additionally, plans for mentorship mixers, socials and the annual “Galantines” day brunch are in place, which allows members both learning and networking opportunities and to enjoy the true sense of community evoked through the positive atmosphere of WIM.
Whether looking to explore your passions, make connections, or simply get involved in the community, WIM is an amazing club to join. What better way to explore issues such as inequalities and the integral role that women play in the business community than through fun events and a supportive community?
A special thank you to Clare Duff for her contributions and insights into the club, and for more information please visit their website at http://iveywomeninmanagement.com or follow them on instagram @iveywim.