Bill Imada plays career matchmaker at Hiatt Communications Forum

Imada encourages more than 250 students, alumnae and friends to 'pay-it-forward'

Photo/ Wajida Syed '12

Bill Imada, founder, chairman and chief collaboration officer of IW Group, Inc.

Impressed by the caliber of Brandeis students and alumnae, 2013 Communications Forum keynote, Bill Imada has made a personal commitment to help students excel in the next step of their professional development.

Founder, chairman and chief collaboration officer of IW Group, Inc., Imada recently joined Brandeisians for the third annual Communications Forum at the Hassenfeld Conference Center. IW Group, Inc. has worked with notable brands, including McDonald’s USA, Verizon, Warner Bros. Pictures and Coca-Cola Farms. He is also an active blogger and writes for Advertising Age, an international publication covering the advertising industry.



Through his involvement with the Advertising Educational Foundation (AEF), which works to demystify and enrich the understanding of advertising and its role in culture, society and the economy, Imada was introduced to the growing interest in marketing and communications at Brandeis.

Imada spent the day of the forum on campus as a guest lecturer in an undergraduate communications class at the International Business School (IBS).  He also participated in a brown bag lunch session organized by the Hiatt Career Center. He took keen interest to get to know each student and write down information about their conversation.


In the event’s third consecutive year, he addressed a full house with an entertaining and inspiring presentation in which he shared his personal experience with a twist of “10 words of wisdom” from successful Brandeis alumnae. 

“Do not give up. Your career will take twists and turns; Enjoy the ride,” said Imada, whose own career has come full circle to a now profitable relationship with the company that he had initially been turned down by when he first set out to pursue his dream job.

The evening concluded with rounds of speed networking, facilitated by 40 industry professionals including those from Hill Holiday, Google and Today.com. 

Within 24 hours, Assistant Director of Employer Relations at the Hiatt Career Center Caroline O’Shea, who coordinated the forum, had already begun to see her inbox fill with invitations from Imada to students connecting them with industry colleagues, and offering advice on how to follow-up.

There are several success stories in motion and others that took place that evening, including Ayan Sanyal '14, economics major, who was offered a spring internship at Hill Holiday on the spot.

“I was, of course, elated when I found out the position was offered to me,” said Sanyal. “This event gave me important face-time with an employer, which I find extremely important. Hiatt gave me the opportunity to finally meet with employers and discuss their work, my talents and how I could fit in their work environment.”

“Bill is the perfect example of how those connected to Brandeis can give back,” said O’Shea. His ongoing effort to “pay-it-forward” by giving advice and playing career matchmaker to students is something that O’Shea hopes to build off of this event’s momentum.

“We try to create unique and engaging opportunities for students to learn more about their interests and provide them with the tools they need to succeed,” said Dean of the Hiatt Career Center Joseph Du Pont.

Hiatt provides many different facets of career development programming, including networking, one-to-one counseling, resume writing, interview practice and more. 

“The dedication and resources of Brandeis alumnae, parents and friends, like Imada, ensure that our students are successful on campus and long after they’ve graduated,” Du Pont said.

 “It was fun, interesting and enriching,” said Imada. Supporting efforts to enrich and build opportunities for a student is an investment in their future that we believe will continue to be paid forward.

Visit the Hiatt Career Center to learn more about how to help engage students and alumni professionally.

Categories: Business, General, Student Life

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