School of Business

On Friday, March 8th, the Acadia Women in Business Society hosted a banquet in celebration of International Women’s Day. The key topics and themes from this event were inspiration, empowerment, believing in yourself, support, and achieving goals.

The Acadia Women in Business Society is a student-led society that works to create a supportive community for women interested in pursuing careers in business. They aim to empower young women by providing them with the inspiration and resources needed to achieve success within the business world. They believe in the importance of diversity, inclusion, and gender equality, and are committed to creating a platform where women can thrive and make meaningful contributions to the business community.

The banquet was about bringing people together to celebrate and support the achievements of women in the direct Acadia community and around the world. The event started with an opening from the executive team, which was followed by an address from Cassidy Churchill, an Acadia graduate. Cassidy gave points of advice to the students that she has learned through her university experience and in her professional life, with one piece of advice being to “never be the smartest person in the room”, as this allows you to always learn from others around you.

Also attending this event was an inspiring panel of guests. Christine Pound provided many valuable interjections while acting as the moderator for the panel. Karen Hutt discussed her experience as the first female CEO of Nova Scotia Power and the path that led her to be recognized as one of Atlantic Canada’s 25 most powerful Women in Business. Angela Simmonds highlighted many important points such as recognizing intersectionality, being a leading example for her children, her experience as a woman of colour and a mother going through law school and being an MLA for an underrepresented community. Lastly, Julia Rivard Dexter discussed navigating the corporate world after competing in the Olympics. She made many excellent points about believing in yourself and not taking shortcuts in life. She also discussed being a young single mother and how that was part of her inspiration for her Shoelace Learning company.

When asked about the event, Acadia Women in Business Society President, Emily Patterson, said “It was so amazing to see a goal we created so long ago finally come into fruition,” and External Vice President, Kate Hutt, said, “It was inspiring to hear the different perspectives of each panelists stories”.

The event was a major success with tickets selling out within one week and 160 guests attending the banquet. Attendees gave lots of positive feedback about the speakers and how the event was set up. With the success that the Acadia Women in Business Society saw with the event this year, they plan to make it an annual tradition.