Distinguished Speaker Series | CHS Means Business!

The Cathedral High School Business, Finance, and Law Academy hosted a Distinguished Speaker Series event on February 7. The panel featured three acclaimed guests: Dominic Chu, Senior Markets Correspondent for CNBC; Kate Mackie (known as Kate Mackz), an accomplished business owner and Digital Content Creator (host of The Running Interview Show); and April Wirtz, Managing Director & Northeast Strategy Lead at Accenture. The three speakers shared invaluable perspectives on navigating the dynamic landscape of communication, media, technology, and the importance of leadership for bright and high-achieving high school women in New York City. 

 Dominic Chu reflected on the twists and turns on his path to becoming a CNBC mogul. Dominic’s career started in investment banking on Wall Street after his graduation from Cornell University’s college of Hotel Administration during the dot com boom. It was actually being laid off from a job during the banking crisis that resulted in his pivot to business reporting. Dominic emphasized that with a foundational level of intelligence, attitude and hard work can bring you over the line. He advised CHS students that there are truly no shortcuts: success requires that you put in hours and hours of hard work and preparation, so that when opportunities come your way, you’re prepared to take them on. Finally, Dominic shared that one of the keys to being a successful interviewer is that he embraces his own ignorance: “I ask questions so that the expert, my guest, can answer with his or her expertise and the audience, who shares my questions, can hear their answer.” 

Kate Mackie spoke about her journey from working in advertising to becoming a prominent running influencer across digital media platforms. Kate spoke about how “the power of the pivot,” the ability to adapt to new situations and circumstances and to strategically leverage your strengths, has been the key to her success. After suffering repeated injuries which precluded her from pursuing a Division I Lacrosse career, Kate leveraged her painting abilities to build an art portfolio which distinguished her application and helped her to secure admission into Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business. After graduation, Kate applied her artistic eye to the industry of advertising, where she worked for a few years and built a base of knowledge in marketing and content creation before launching her overnight success, “The Running Interview Show.” Kate underscored that from captivating interviews to engaging content creation, storytelling through media is a powerful tool for shaping narratives and inspiring audiences.

Ms. April Wirtz highlighted Accenture’s pioneering role in shaping digital strategies for leading communication, media, and technology clients. April explained how it is often her company’s role to come into an organization that is struggling with two opposing views and needs a third party to help them to choose a path forward. April also shared her own unlikely journey of growing up in rural Wyoming to becoming an executive in New York. April explained that she worked hard, was persistent, and was not afraid to fail and take risks. She also advised Cathedral High School students that when she is hiring new staff, April looks for candidates who have vision and talent. 

The Distinguished Speaker Series provided invaluable insights to an eager audience about navigating change, embracing humility, and fostering impactful leadership to lead a successful personal and professional life. We are so grateful to our guests for sharing their time and talents with us, and to Mr. Doyle, Director of Cathedral High Schools Business, Finance, and Law Academy, for coordinating and moderating such a great event!

If you are interested in learning more about the Distinguished Speaker Series, please email tdoyle@cathedralhs.org.