Seneca College - RED 2017 - 26

1980s

Sales leader continues to
close the deal for Seneca
Helen Szumigaj

HELEN SZUMIGAJ came to Seneca to help a friend. A girlfriend of hers in Ottawa wanted to enrol in the Esthetics
program, but her parents worried about her going away
to school alone. So Helen came along to keep an eye on
her and study business. She had an uncle in sales, but
no other ties to the profession or any idea what she
wanted to do. It was an educational "cold call" that
sure paid off.
Her connection to Seneca now spans three decades,
as a graduate, volunteer and donor. Helen was one of
the first graduates of the three-year advanced Business
diploma program and went on to chair the business
program advisory committee, serve two terms on the
Board of Governors and sit on Seneca's Alumni Council.
Like countless students throughout Seneca's
history, she worked part time during her studies, first
in retail, then for an insurance agency. These experiences, coupled with her education, helped Helen find
her talents as a salesperson, which she leveraged into a
successful career with leading food and beverage companies like Dare, Cadbury, Mother Parkers Tea and
Coffee and Kerry.
Recently, Helen took on a new challenge in a different sector as the Director of Sales for the international

26 RED

2017

flatware and service ware company Oneida. Selling a
new kind of product isn't a concern for her, though.
"You're selling yourself. The product is just a tool,"
says Helen. "It's about instilling confidence in people
you don't know, and understanding where they are
struggling so you can improve it."
Helen attributes her strengths in interpersonal
communications and problem solving to her time at
Seneca. She benefited from the flexible learning
environment and the industry knowledge her professors brought to the classroom. Helen notes one professor, Cindy Hazell (who retired as Seneca's Senior Vice
President, and was honoured as the first Professor
Emeritus), as a great influence and mentor.
"I was really comfortable at Seneca," says Helen.
"The courses were very practical, and the halls were
always energized. I liked the entrepreneurial spirit and
that the professors had real-life experience. They connected with the students and made it interesting and
fun to learn."
Because of her ongoing connection to Seneca
through volunteerism, Helen has seen first-hand the
rapid growth that has taken place on campus over the
past decade and a half. Her first program advisory
committee meetings were at the old Sheppard Campus,
and her time at Seneca includes the tenures of three
presidents. With all this change, though, some constants have remained.
"Seneca's core values have never changed," says
Helen. "To this day, you feel that excitement and the
respect for the institution and the people. The people
are who make Seneca what it is."

You're selling
yourself. The
product is just
a tool.

PHOTO: JOANNE K

Distinguished Alumni
Award winner Helen
Szumigaj served Seneca's
Board from 2007 to 2013.



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