Speaking on International Business at DePaul University

On Thursday, Jan. 19, I had the honor of speaking to students at DePaul University as part of an International Business Etiquette Panel.

The discussion was organized by two students groups, Future Global Executives and Ascend, and was designed to give students an insight into the do’s and don’ts of conducting business in different parts of the world.

As students enter today’s workforce, many of them will be dealing with clients and companies all over the world, so it’s important for today’s generation to understand the nuances of different cultures.

As someone who has been conducting international business since I was 20 years old, when I began importing pointe shoes from Russia and selling them in the United States, I was proud to share my experience with the students.

Others who spoke on the panel included Eugene Leung, who has held senior positions at companies including Arthur Andersen, Protiviti and Crowe Horwath; and Dragana Petrovic, president and founder of the International Brokerage Group, a company with headquarters in Chicago and a branch office in Bahrain.

Iryna Mogilevich, the student president of the Future Global Executives club, says the students loved the event.

“Hearing about [Aleksandra’s] experience in conducting business in Russia was truly insightful,” she said.