Maxwell-educated business leader to present ‘Life on the Edge’ lecture on memorable careers Thursday

Maxwell-educated business leader to present ‘Life on the Edge’ lecture on memorable careers ThursdayFebruary 24, 2009Kelly Luxkalux@syr.edu

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.