NEWS INDEX 2001 2002 October

'French Means Business' forum to be held Oct. 10

Andrea Lynn, Humanities Editor
(217) 333-2177; a-lynn@uiuc.edu

10/3/02

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The French department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites bilingual (English-French) job seekers, including students, to "find out how far their knowledge of French can take them in the world of business."

The 2002 "French Means Business Forum," headlining more than a dozen executives from companies doing business with France, will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 10) in 314A and 314B of the Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana.

"We’re trying to reach as many people as possible," said Elizabeth Martin, organizer of the forum and a professor in the UI French department and director of the department’s Commercial French Studies unit.

"This is a golden opportunity to find out what the French language can do for people in the world of business."

The forum is free and open to the public. It is not necessary to register. "Just show up, browse our tables and listen to any presentation that interests you," Martin said.

During the forum job hopefuls will have the opportunity to meet company executives from Chicago and beyond; learn about international careers with major companies; explore internship opportunities, post resumes and consult a job file; and pick up free company promotional materials.

Presenters include:

Bruno Boucher, president of Forecreu America Inc.; Tim Carlson, co-director of Internships in Francophone Europe; Scott Daniels, outlets manager for Sofitel Chicago O’Hare; Robert Dunand, senior business consultant; Margaret Jean Flynn, freelance technical/legal/medical translator; Ellen Hake, consultant with International Business Communication; Alison Jacobs, international flight attendant-instructor for United Airlines; Ian Keil, UI Study Abroad Office; David Klein, senior vice president and financial consultant, RBC Dain Rauscher Inc.; Nicole Lamers, Peace Corps campus representative at Illinois; Bryan Lammers, technical manager at Caterpillar Inc.

Other presenters include:

Benoît Magrin, assurance & advisory services, Deloitte & Touche; Véronique Renault, deputy cultural attaché of the Cultural Services of the French Consulate, Chicago; Robert Shears, vice president of computer operations at Maytag International Inc.; Stephanie Sutton, Thorelli & Kopiwoda; Jessica Tragasz, senior associate at Deloitte & Touche; Stephanie Velt, ambassadorial scholarships program supervisor, The Rotary Foundation; Randy Williams, president of Alliance Française of Chicago, and partner in Williams, Lee & Baerson.

For precise presentation times, consult the forum Web site: http://www.french.uiuc.edu/FMB/.

Display tables will be open for browsing at 9 a.m.; presentations begin at 10 a.m.

The event is sponsored by the French department and by the Illinois Center for International Business Education and Research, a unit of the College of Commerce and Business Administration.