Members’s testimony: The Power of a European Network

Stephanie Blanchet Simpson

Just like you, every month, I’ve been an avid reader of the “member focus” part of the newsletter. Just like some of you right now, I was thinking that these success stories only happen to “the happy few”. If you think there’s no chance for you to be the next one on the “focus”, then, keep reading!

I’ve been a member of EuropeanPWN since January 2004. At this time, I was completing an MBA programme and was very anxious about the development of my career. Many questions were going through my mind; what do I want to do next? Am I happy in my current job? How would I manage if I underwent a major career change? Can I pursue a dream? When should I become a mother?

Well, well, well, nearly three years later, I have found the answers to all these questions, and mainly thanks to EuropeanPWN ladies! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their advice and precious help.

Here’s how it all began:
At one of the ‘Last Thursday’s’ gatherings in early 2005 in Paris, I met Valerie Ryder (now treasurer of PWA Milan), a personal coach. We collaborated for a few months and it resulted that I should concentrate on my core competencies in marketing and communications (I was in a commercial department at the time). This put me in a quandary because I wanted to be a mummy. During a ParisPWN workshop I attended, I recall asking some of the ladies how they managed a career and having a child. One told me that by the age of 32 she had had 3 children, a promotion at work involving international travelling and was going through a divorce! She still managed to cope! So, by the end of 2005 (26th of December to be exact!) I gave birth to my first child and was interviewed two weeks later for a communications position … and got it. But, that’s not the end of my story… it’s just the beginning!

A few months beforehand, during my last MBA course, a fantastic speaker (Mr. Kurt April) gave a speech on the topic of “social responsibility”. At some point, he asked the audience to think for 5 minutes of something we had done in our life that made us feel really proud of ourselves, and then to think what our “VOCA” should be? At this very moment, I realized that what I had enjoyed most was that of a volunteer for a US humanitarian association whose goals were to promote Hispanic culture and help first generation children obtain a proper education. I was sure that my dream job should be in this field. Now then, it is not easy to move from the banking/insurance sector to the associative world…

This same year, I had a start-up idea: to create a fun & cultural website for children from different countries to learn from each other. I shared my idea with Bernadette Martin (another EuropeanPWN member) who was teaching “Marcom” at an MBA school. She suggested that a team of 5 of her students conduct a marketing study on my idea as part of their graduation project. Working with those students during the first semester of 2006 helped me believe that my dream could come true one day. In May 2006, I joined the mentoring programme and was fortunate to have been assigned a great mentor, Hassina Piaraly, who is also a personal coach.
She helped me gain confidence, reshape my CV, and convinced me that a career change was possible. A year later, during our usual monthly “mentor-mentee” lunch, she told me to have a look at the new “job offers” section on the EuropeanPWN site. I only found time to look at the site on June 8th (I remember this date well because it was one day before my birthday). My heart missed a beat when I saw the following job posting: “Communications & Fundraising Manager for an international NGO defending children rights”. “That’s it”, I thought, “this is tailor made for me”!! I wrote to the contact mentioned, Isoline Lecomte (executive search consultant at Neumann International). The following week, I had the most pleasant job interview ever with her! After other gruelling interviews, I was finally chosen!

What are the tips that one could get from my personal story? Do not stay isolated, but find the right people to help you in your change process. Believe strongly in yourself, even when times are tough. Be PATIENT (that’s key, it all comes in time). Do everything you can to work towards your objective (get some training, network, read related books, volunteer in your spare time to gain experience).

On October 1st, I will join the BICE (International Catholic Child Bureau) and I just can’t wait for my new life to start! www.bice.org

Stephanie Blanchet Simpson
September 2007