Potvin Speaks at FFE Conference

On Saturday, March 28, Providence College Future Friar Executives [FFE] held the third annual Business Conference, entitled "Pathways to Success." FFE has been nominated as "Most Outstanding Organization in 2007 and 2008." Due to its contribution to the College community, its creativity, planning, organization, implementation, promotion, and appeal to the student body, last year's Business Conference was nominated as "Most Outstanding Event 2008."

"Pathways to Success" was open to students from all majors and grade levels at the College, and was designed "to further educate students to take their learning experiences out of the classroom and into a more professional business-oriented environment," said Elizabeth Ross '09, who worked as conference co-chair.

The event was held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Moore Hall, and included a wide variety of sessions from which students could choose to attend. Workshops included financial guidance, marketing and advertising, sales, investing, and choosing a career path. A "3 Under 30" panel was held from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in which "young alumni spoke about the transition from PC to the real world, their experience at school, and how it has added value to their current profession," said Kevin Higgins '10, conference co-chair.

The panel was a great opportunity to connect students with various alumni, hear their stories, and learn from their experiences.

"Every speaker touched on the liberal arts education they received here and how it has helped them," said Higgins. Young alumni informed current PC students about how their Providence education has contributed to their current professional success, and has provided them with information and tips on entering the workforce after graduation.

"The succession of events was seamless, and can definitely be attributed to the hard work of the committee," said Jessica Pepin '10, FFE member.

The highlight of this year's Pathways to Success Business Conference was keynote speaker Brian Potvin '91, who currently works as senior account executive at Procter & Gamble Co. At PC, he was actively involved as a member of Student Congress and Friars Club.

"I really felt that PC gave me a great grounding," said Potvin.

Since graduating from PC, he has received his MBA from Boston College's Carroll School of Management, and has held prominent work positions in areas of sales management, retail management, customer and brand marketing, and business development, all of which have provided him the opportunity to work in many different areas throughout the United States.

In his current position at Procter & Gamble Co., he is responsible for $160 million in sales of Gillette and Braun grooming products at CVS/Caremark. P&G is currently the largest manufacturer of consumer goods, and has 132,000 employees in 180 different countries worldwide. He described the core strengths of his company which are "consumer understanding, brand-building, innovation, go-to-market-capability, and global skill," and said that anything the company does "has to be done with the consumer in mind, and it has to appeal to her wants and needs."

Potvin discussed his various jobs prior to his current position, and discussed how they were beneficial to his development as a professional. He informed students that all jobs, despite the hardships they may contain, can serve as great learning experiences, and thus it is important to make every job an important one.

During an interview, he said "it's important that you explain…why you chose to pursue the path that you have followed, and what were your successes as you went through them."

Potvin also discussed the endurance that is necessary for working in the intense environments that marketing jobs often provide. He spoke of the hardships and challenges such as late nights, frequent traveling, and accommodations that jobs in the business realm often entail. "Marketing is challenging work, [but] rewarding work," Potvin said.

His presentation then shifted towards the qualifications necessary to embark on a career in the business world. "We're really looking for bright student leaders, people who are enthusiastic and confident in themselves, people who are competitive folks with a passion for winning, and have strong communication skills," he said.

Students were provided with tips to aid them in the job-hunting process after college, as Potvin stressed the importance of elements such as planning ahead, having a professional appearance, becoming informed about the specific company you are interested in, and following through after an interview. Once you acquire a job, it is important to have a terrific attitude of self-motivation, to develop your network and mentor relationships, to constantly strive to better yourself, and to use your time wisely, which are a few of the keys to success that Potvin mentioned in his presentation.

Ultimately, Potvin drove the point home when he told students, "Don't let your work define you." According to Potvin, although work is important, family, friends and personal interests are the things that ultimately sustain you.

"He demonstrated his value and ability to keep his professional success balanced with his personal relationships and activities. He was able to put his influential position into perspective for the students by addressing both the benefits of hard work as well as the importance of family and friends," said Jesica Pepin '10.

FFE was extremely excited to have Potvin as its keynote speaker this year.

"We wanted to get someone with a brand name attached to him this year that people could relate to, as well as someone who would succeed in addressing the attendees with an appropriate message," said Higgins. "Brian has a very impressive resume at P&G, and we were told he would make a great presenter, so we felt he was an excellent fit."

In selecting Potvin as the keynote speaker, members of FFE worked closely with both Alumni Relations and Career Services.

"We specifically hoped to find someone in a notable executive position…and to have someone who worked for a company that students would recognize and be able to associate with," said Ross.