A ranking of No. 10 on Fortune's "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" speaks to students.
Yesterday afternoon, Betsy Holden, co-chief executive officer of Kraft Foods and president and CEO of Kraft Foods North America, spoke to students in Huntsman Hall as part of the Wharton Leadership Lecture Series.
Holden emphasized a three-dimensional approach as the way to evaluate a company's success -- business leadership, people leadership and societal leadership.
"Business leadership alone is not enough," Holden said. "Investors look at how well a company fulfills its social obligations."
She spoke to students about the role of corporations in modern-day society.
Specifically, she addressed the changing expectations that the world has for corporations, citing surveys that stated citizens' views that both government and corporations are responsible for solving complex societal problems.
Holden, who has held a number of key positions at Kraft over the last 20 years, focused on some of the societal issues that her corporation is attempting to deal with, such as the global rise in obesity.
In addition to her leadership role in business, Holden is also an active volunteer, teaching Sunday School and serving as the president of the Off the Street Club, designed to help at-risk youth in Chicago.
Student reaction to the event, which was attended by at least 50 students and was followed by a question-and-answer session, was generally positive.
"I came because I think it's important to have strong women leaders," first-year Wharton graduate student Jennifer Connelly said.
"She is involved in a field that I'm interested in."
"She was really inspiring to achieve so much while keeping her life balanced," first-year Wharton graduate student Jessica Bronesky said.
Holden advised students who are not currently studying business but who may be interested in it to "explore alternatives," explaining that "preconceived notions [about career possibilities] turn out to be not true."
"There are no perfect jobs," Holden said. Rather, she emphasized the importance of finding a job that inspires passion and creates a sense of personal fulfillment.
For Holden, working in business has not always been her goal. She received a bachelor's degree in education from Duke University and a master's degree in education from Northwestern University.
After working as a teacher, Holden decided to return to Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management for a degree in management in marketing and finance.
In 1992, she became the first female vice president of marketing at Kraft.
As CEO, Holden worked on the company's Nabisco acquisition, as well as issues relating to its stock price in 2001.
