Council Dawson ’13 was back in her old history classroom in Clinton Hall on September 24. Only this time, she stood at the front of the room. Students listened closely as she talked about the hustle and opportunities that have carried her through her business career.

Council returned to Blair as the first speaker in this year’s Alumni Roundtables, a series that brings graduates from a wide range of industries back to campus to share their professional and life experiences with current students.
During her time at Blair, Council was a familiar face on campus, serving as a prefect and a member of the Senior Class Council while also playing on the girls’ varsity lacrosse and soccer team. After Blair, Council attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 2017. 

Following an internship in Beijing, Council landed a job at Procter & Gamble (P&G), where, living in Seattle and then Boston, she worked on best-selling brands including Tide, Gain, Bounce and Downy. Marketing those products to retailers such as Costco and CVS taught her about sales. A subsequent move to P&G’s headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio, exposed her more deeply to branding.

She then went on to build a brand, 9 Elements, in New York and joined an ad-tech verification company before joining Olivia. For the past two years, Council has served as Olivia’s global general manager and executive vice president. The company makes continuous-mist oil sprayers and kitchen misters powered by patented Dutch Flairosol technology.

When Council took over the Olivia brand, she told students, it was bringing in $3 million in revenue. She has since grown it to $9 million and helped the company reach profitability. She urged students to think beyond a job’s salary when considering where to begin their careers.

“Find the places that will develop you,” she said. “They invest in your learning. Forget money, forget salary. Find the place where you do real work and get coached.”

Council also spoke about a lesson that took her longer to learn: The effort you put in doesn’t guarantee the outcome. For years, she believed that she could overcome any obstacle by working harder, finding a better idea or “outplaying” the competition.

“Life is unfair. Most of life is not in your control. I wish I learned that earlier,” she said. People may tell students they are too young or too inexperienced, she added. Her advice was to hear them—and then prove them wrong.

Council compared her career to a boxing match, recalling one mentor’s warning: “Council, you will win the first round, but you aren’t going to last 12.” Taking that lesson to heart, she has learned to choose where to spend her energy, especially when a decision is out of her hands.

“Don’t waste precious energy on things you cannot change,” she told students.

Council said she spent much of her 20s trying to prove herself. Now, she is trying to enjoy what she has built. She still wants people around her who will tell her how to get better, and she encouraged students to seek out the same. “Feedback is a gift,” she told them. “Feedback is a gift.”