WBS Women in Business Club: Meet the 2022/23 Presidents

Business learning doesn’t just happen in traditional lecture-style settings on the Warwick Business School Full-time MBA; our range of student-run clubs take our participants out of the classroom and create new chances for networking and development.

We met with Madhu and Mel, 2022/23 Co-Presidents of the Women in Business Club, to talk about empowerment, inclusivity, and opportunities. 

What is the Women in Business Club? What is your aim and mission?

Madhu: The Women in Business (WiB) club is an MBA club that seeks to be a space for women to feel empowered, safe, and supported. The club aims to empower women across geographies and ethnicities through:
-    Career and networking events
-    Women’s social nights
-    Collaboration with other professional networks 

Mel: The aim is to equip women with the skills, confidence, and support to navigate through climbing the career ladder. Membership is open to Warwick Business School students (both women and allies) who are interested in the world of business and are passionate about gender equality and women empowerment. 

Who leads the Club?

Mel: Working with Madhu and I to lead the Club is a team of seven spectacular vice presidents. We made sure to select women coming from various backgrounds and ethnicities to ensure representation within the Club.

Madhu: Diversity and Inclusion is something that we hold in high regard, but more than that, we are passionate about empowering women to succeed in the world of business. As women coming from all over the world, the WIB Executive Committee wants to ensure an inclusive environment for all – we are great advocates of women supporting women. 
To ensure that we provide the best support and network for the women of the MBA, we meet on a bi-monthly basis to discuss future talks, workshops, and get-togethers to have an environment that is not only conducive to professional growth, but also conducive to our personal development. 

What’s the year looked like so far?

Mel: One of the first things we did when we were appointed the Co-Presidents was the rebranding and the realignment of strategic vision and goals of the Women in Business Club. We launched it within the first thirty days of our appointment because we wanted to set clear objectives for the year. 
Aside from this, we created an online group within the MBA where we share opportunities and news; it helps to keep the women of the MBA connected with one another. We wanted to make sure that the environment we created for the women was one of collaboration and support. 

Madhu: To celebrate women on International Women’s Day, we had guest speakers and fellow WBS MBA Alumnae, Tribeni Chougule (Director - Visa Europe) and Roli Esisi (Senior Manager – PwC) speak to us about their professional and personal journeys around the theme ‘Embracing Equity’. We’ve also gathered the support of the MBA Cohort to wear purple and acknowledge and celebrate the women in our lives. 

Madhu: In May, we hosted the first interactive career workshop called “Pitch Perfect: Identifying Your Communication Style and Tuning Into the Job Market”, moderated and led by fellow MBA mentors and alumni, Sanjiv Patel and Nupur Gadkari. Together, they gave us real advice on the international job market and how to succeed in it. 
We’ve also hosted mini socials throughout the academic year that aimed to check-in on the women of the MBA. 

How have you managed to juggle with your Full-time MBA?

Madhu: Despite juggling the academic requirements of the Full-time MBA, we are committed to building camaraderie among the cohort as we have a genuine passion to work towards empowering women. 

Mel: And it’s just really being very aware of the fact that we are students-first, co-presidents and executive members second. (Actually, these may even be less prioritized when you think about the number of amazing wonder-moms we have in the cohort). But we all came here to WBS with the intention of graduating and finally getting those three-letters after our names. It’s been an absolute struggle, but we help each other out and become sounding boards for each other. Our FT MBA Chat is always alive with questions and answers. It’s really a great community that we’ve built.  

What’s next for Women in Business?

Mel: Only onward and forward for the Women in Business Club. 

Madhu: While it is bittersweet that our journey in Warwick Business School is ending so quickly soon after starting it, we’re already looking forward to continuing this legacy and handing over the club to the newest Full-time MBA cohort. We know that we will find like-minded individuals ready to take on the responsibility of leading Women in Business. More than that, we’re getting ready to show the same support to the next WIB Co-Presidents just as Monica and Ramsha have done for us.

Mel: If you want to know more about our club, you can find us on Instagram (@wbs_women_in_business).