By Lizzie Napier T’91
Lizzie Napier is an associate director in Tuck’s Career Development Office and specializes in the consumer goods, retail, and social enterprise industries. She is a marketing strategy expert, social entrepreneur, and consummate connector:
This was my second year accompanying students on the annual fall New York marketing trek. I met up with students after their first stop at Bristol-Myers Squibb. You can read a recap from Sarah Hayes T’16 on that visit here.
Our next stop was Diageo, hosted by Amy Calhoun T’04, global innovation director, Smirnoff global brand team. While we sipped Moscow Mules in ice cold copper mugs, we discussed how Smirnoff is the “Baskin-Robbins of vodka.” Amy reinforced the importance of demonstrating passion to those interested in careers in marketing. Later that evening, I arranged “Tuck Tails” with my T’91 classmates Ferit Ferhangil and Brad Burde who were delighted to share words of wisdom with T’16 students who were 25 years their juniors.
On Thursday, after an amazing stop at Anheuser-Busch InBev, we traveled to Pepsi where vice president of marketing Angelique Krembs T’94 and other Tuckies hosted us at their Design Center in SoHo. With the Wall Street Journal in one hand and People magazine in the other, they reminded us of the famous words of former PepsiCo chair Roger Enrico, “A point of view is worth 50 IQ points.”
We then made our way downtown to American Express (Amex), where the vice president of consumer products (whose sister-in-law is a T’06) discussed how she chose the company over Johnson & Johnson as well as how the company is transitioning some of their groups to working two days remotely. The day ended with a panel of five T’08-T’11s hosting a very informative Q&A on the wide variety of MBA job opportunities at the firm. Mark Hosbein T’90 graciously treated the group to drinks and more mentoring at a cool downtown bar, Ward III.
On Friday, we journeyed to Colgate-Palmolive, where a huge group of Tuckies hosted us and shared a “day in the life” at the company. Another unforgettable highlight came with the wonderful appearance of Michael Sload T’90 vice president and general manager of global personal care, who chatted with students about his 20-plus-year career at Colgate.
We journeyed out to New Jersey for the final stop of our trek at Reckitt Benckiser. T’12s Roman Hughes and Sebastian Martinez hosted us. During their talk, they described the importance of finding your mojo, remaining highly entrepreneurial, and never forgetting their motto of “speed before perfection.” They also shared the opportunities at RB for promotion—there is the potential to reach senior brand manager in two and a half years!
As always, it was great fun to travel with the first-year students and be on-hand to ask all the questions that no one else dares to. We’re already looking forward to our next adventure! See below for some moments captured during the trek.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
American Express
Colgate
Colgate
Diageo
Diageo
