Mentoring Programme: from concept to success with just five volunteers |
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Definition of a Working Group: A group tasked with a key deliverable in a fixed period of time.
This is how Mentoring became a reality in CFA UK.
Anna Salim, Brad Beardsell, Chris Whitcombe, Laurence Beard and Jane Coffey, five CFA UK Members came together to develop and deliver something they truly believed CFA UK Members would benefit from. Together they created a working group and their enthusiasm and passion has resulted in the delivery of a CFA UK mentoring programme.
As well as developing how the programme would work, they created the web and social media content to advertise the programme, helped circulate word through their networks, matched applicants, and developed and delivered a launch event incorporating essential training for mentors and mentees. And they managed all this around their day jobs.
Applications closed in March with interest in the programme in excess of the application targets that the working group had set themselves. The programme launched in April with the working group deciding to keep the number of mentoring pairs to the initial targets to keep the programme manageable and quality of experience high for all participants involved in its inaugural year. They aim to increase the number of CFA UK members involved in future years.
“There was a great buzz in the room at the launch event when all the Mentors and Mentees met together for the first time.” said Chris Whitcombe. “We are hopeful that there will be some great mentoring experiences for CFA UK Members over the course of the programme.”
There are now 13 mentees receiving advice and guidance from 12 senior investment professionals – all of whom are CFA UK Members.
We will be watching them to see the successes of their relationships over the course of 2018.
It’s the drive and determination of our members to make a difference to our profession that has brought mentoring to CFA UK.