Women in Consulting Panel

On October 15th, NYU Wagner hosted Women in Consulting, a panel discussion on what a career in consulting means to three prominent women in the public sector, management, and public health consulting fields. This event was sponsored by the Wagner Consulting Group. 

Panelists included Anita Kishore (Wagner EMPA), Principal & Founder at Access to Opportunity Consulting; Daisy Duru-Iheoma (Tulane MPH), Chief Planning and Monitoring at UNICEF; and Megan Burke (Wagner MPA), Senior Manager, Public Service Practice, Accenture. Nou Moua, President of the Wagner Consulting Group, moderated the discussion. 

Each panelist shared key skills that enabled their career success, as well as their best advice for womxn students interested in a career in consulting. Moua engaged the panel on a variety of topics, including building confidence in womxn in the workplace, creating a network as a nontraditional applicant, and the effects of COVID-19 on the consulting field. The panelists shared insight from their own careers and sections of the industry. 

When asked about navigating "imposter syndrome" that often accompanies success for womxn and minorities, Burke advised students to find advocates to build them up when they felt underqualified for a role. Kishore echoed this statement, making a distinction between mentors and sponsors of one's work: “A mentor is someone with whom you can have a one-way conversation. You ask for advice and they give you an answer based on their experience. A sponsor is someone who can put you on a pedestal and praise you before others. This is how you get new roles and promotions; it's how you increase your visibility. They recognize that you have the ability to do more.”

During the open Q&A, student attendees asked questions about how to start their own consulting businesses, such as how to set fees and gain clients. The panelists shared pointed advice, as well as relevant resources, and offered to continue to field student questions after the event had concluded.