Chemical Engineering Education-Springboard to Unlimited Opportunities
Monday March 12th, 3:00 p.m. WEB, 2230
Despite the downturn of the U.S. chemical industry relative to newer fields over the last half century, chemical engineers continue to thrive professionally. This lecture will explain this unexpected divergence, share career advice relevant to a young professional in any field, and relate stories from the still-evolving career of one chemical engineer. After earning a doctorate from MIT and fortunate enough to have Adel Sarofim as a thesis advisor, Kimberly Ritrievi began as an R&D engineer, morphed into a Wall Street analyst and business leader, and pivoted to become an independent consultant and a corporate board member. Her eclectic career and those of many other graduates prove that chemical engineers can perform at the highest levels of countless professions.
Kimberly E. Ritrievi received her doctorate in chemical engineering from the MIT School of Engineering and holds a master’s degree in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management. She received her B.S.E in chemical engineering from Princeton University. As a public company board director and equity valuation consultant she identifies and creates stockholder value on behalf of investors and companies, leveraging a 20-year career with firms including Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse First Boston, Lehman Brothers, PaineWebber and ARCO Chemical.
As a financial markets authority, Kimberly brings a blend of audit and financial analysis, business planning and strategy, and leadership development to her work advising boards and executive management teams on strategic global maneuvers. Specializations include: capital-intensive companies with cyclical profitability in industries spanning chemicals, basic materials, manufacturing industrials and energy; as well as people-intensive professional and financial services organizations.
Kimberly presently serves on the audit and strategic planning/enterprise risk committees for the Tetra Tech board of directors, and an Audit Committee Financial Expert (ACFE). Additional appointments include those with Princeton University, MIT, and Harvard University. She also holds a U.S. patent for the production of nonwoven fibrous articles.