Stephanie Blanchet Simpson, I’m doing it my Way

I’ve been a member of EuropeanPWN since January 2004 when I was completing an MBA programme and was very anxious about the development of my career. What did I want to do next? Was I happy in my current job? How would I manage a major career change? Could I pursue a dream? When should I start a family?

Nearly three years later, and with the answers to all these questions, I’d like to thank all you EuropeanPWN ladies for your advice and precious help.

Here’s how it all began: At a ‘Last Thursday’s’ gathering in early 2005 in Paris, I met personal coach Valerie Ryder (now treasurer of PWA Milan). We collaborated for a few months, and I concentrated on my core competencies in marketing and communications (I was in a commercial department at the time). But I was in a quandary because I wanted to start a family. I recall asking some of the EuropeanPWN ladies at a workshop how they managed both a career and 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 then going through a divorce! She still managed to cope! So, at the end of 2005 (December 26th 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, Kurt April, a fantastic speaker, gave a speech on “social responsibility”. At some point, he asked the audience to take 5 minutes to think of what we had done in our life that made us feel really proud of ourselves, and then to think what our “VOCA” should be. I realized that what I had enjoyed most was being 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 would be in this field. But then, it is not easy to move from banking/insurance sector to charity work…

This same year, I had a start-up idea: to create a fun and 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 8 (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 and after further grueling interviews, I was finally offered the job!

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 1 October, I joined the Bice (International Catholic Child Bureau) and am now working in my dream job!

Stephanie Blanchet Simpson
December 2007
For more information, please visit: www.bice.org

This is a reprint of Stephanie’s article “The Power of a European network” published in our EuropeanPWN newsletter, October 2007