A homeless teenager who managed to conquer the male-dominated field of information technology and created her very own multi-million dollar empire along the way, Dawnna St Louis epitomises the spirit of perseverance, dedication and commitment which is inherent in the female psyche.
Selected as this year’s feature speaker at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business Women in Leadership Conference, St Louis was carefully researched by the organisers to ensure she fit the bill.
Designed for female leaders, the event, which will be held on July 14 at the Hilton Trinidad, was created to foster the development and leadership of women across both the private and public sectors throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Each conference exposes women from the corporate, governance and academic sectors to the hardships faced by the featured speaker, in their personal quest to attain success. The theme for this year is “The Spirit of Woman”.
Director, Academic Development and Accreditation, Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Dr Kamla Mungal, acknowledged that of the more than 50 per cent of female entrepreneurs in T&T, many had encountered various hurdles in their pursuit of professional goals.
She said whether it included less financing than their male counterparts or shouldering more burdens, it was a reality that women were often faced with more social barriers and obstacles during the struggle to establish themselves as successful businesswomen.
Declaring that St Louis was not just another rags to riches story, Mungal endorsed her as an enduring female force who had managed to carve out her own niche by expanding her “kitchen table idea”.
Proud to claim ownership of the $100 million business consultancy firm BizIntel, St Louis recalled her personal hardships along the way as she revealed that she had been living in her car at the age of 19, when she realised there was more to life than becoming statistic as predicted by a guidance counselor.
Empowered with the knowledge that she was the only one who could overcome her fears to attain professional and personal success, St Louis related the struggles she endured as she embarked on the path to achieve success in the field of information technology where she earned certificates in programming language, such as Java and C#, along with her Project Management Professional and six Sigma Black Belt certificates.
Along the way, St Louis also developed what she refers to as The Six, a radically simple to use business building strategy that she credits as the catalyst for the unprecedented growth of her business.
Welcoming persons during yesterday’s press briefing at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Mt Hope, executive director and professor of strategy, Miguel Carrillo, spoke of the resilient female spirit which allowed them to always place others needs and wants above their own, adding, “there is no gene for human spirit.”
Carrillo said most women were more concerned about achieving fulfilment as opposed to accomplishment. He said the decision to put their family first sometimes and career second, often led to personal conflict but that it was always sorted out at the end of the day.
During her video-link interview, St Louis revealed the rationale she used to negotiate salary packages when interviewing for various jobs. She explained that as a result of her strategy, she was now paid more than her male counterparts. St Louis is expected to speak about her strategy for success next month.