International business leader and Maxwell School alumna Jill Bodkin G'77 will
present "Building Your Own Career: My Life on the Edge" on Thursday, Feb. 26, at
6 p.m. in Room 106 of the Physics Building.
Bodkin will speak about her own finance and project development career, which has
spanned government, business and entrepreneurial enterprises in Canada and Asia.
The theme of her presentation is that students should find work that suits their talents
and values, regardless of industry, and that this will lead to a memorable and
rewarding career.
Bodkin's work transcends the boundaries of private, public and nonprofit
organizations. A leading member of the business community in Vancouver, British
Columbia, Bodkin has been chairwoman and CEO of Golden Heron Enterprises, a
financial services company, since 1996. In addition, she holds an interest in Yaletown
Venture Partners and is on the board of directors of Westport Innovations. She also is
director for Canadian development for Seattle-based PBS station KCTS-TV.
From 1965-81, Bodkin held several senior financial posts in the Canadian
government. In 1981, she became British Columbia's first woman deputy minister,
overseeing the department responsible for financial institutions, a position that she
held until 1986, when she was appointed founding chair of the British Columbia
Securities Commission.
From 1987-96, she was a corporate finance partner and director of financial services
at Ernst & Young.
Bodkin has chaired and served on many business and public policy boards in
Canada, China, Japan, Russia and Thailand.
She considers her Maxwell mid-career education to be a springboard for her success,
suggesting that it was at Maxwell that she learned the need to be entrepreneurial in
finding career opportunities. During her lecture, Bodkin will present several case
studies of turning points in her own career.
For more information about Bodkin's presentation, contact Kelly Lux in the SU
Center for Career Services at 443-3616 or kalux@syr.edu.
