The International Organisation of Employers (IOE), Deloitte, and the EU organised on Wednesday a webinar to celebrate the success of their joint Mentorship Programme and to spotlight the power of such initiatives resulting in positive, tangible outcomes for advancing gender equality in the workplace. The webinar brought together participants of the IOE-Deloitte-EU Mentorship Programme 2022, as well as representatives of their employer organisations and partner companies to share their experiences. IOE, Deloitte, and the EU launched their Mentorship Programme 2022, which supported women throughout IOE, Deloitte, and EU global network in their professional development. The programme is part of IOE's effort to boost the number of women in senior management positions worldwide. The programme started a year ago, and supported by the EU. It had witnessed the participation of 14 women; including seven mentors and seven mentees from every region, such as Kenya, Uganda, Philippines, Venezuela, Malaysia, the United States. Women leaders in IOE's extensive network had partnered with up-and-coming professional women. The mentees received valuable professional coaching from a group of experienced leaders on what it takes to succeed in an organisation, profession, or industry, grow their network and develop a new set of skills. Mentors served as trusted advisors and role models and contributed to bridging the global gap for gender equality. One of the key requirements of the mentorship programme was that both mentors and mentees must have the time and commitment to pursue the programme and set realistic goals for the partnership. Roberto Suárez Santos, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of. Employers (IOE), highlighted that the gender agenda is a priority for the EU, describing the mentorship programme as being not just a female programme but a gender equality programme. Shubhra Saxena Kabra,Senior Manager at Deloitte, described the mentorship programme as a continuous learning journey that can be a mere reflection of every women's own strengths. Mohira Kurbanova, External Consultant at International Organisation of Employers (IOE), said: "Mentoring experience is enriching for mentors as well. It allows mentor to self-reflect while sharing their experience. We all need a me-time, and for me mentoring can be part of my me time." Asked about a possible collaboration with Egypt-based TOP 50 Women Forum, Akustina Morni, IOE Senior Adviser and moderator of this panel discussion, said yes, there is a possibility and is a top of line and may have a special meeting with IOE's Secretary-General and Deloitte President. From Kenya, Grace Kaome, Manager, Human Resource & Administration at the Federation of Kenya Employers, shared her experience about the programme by saying: "My name is Grace from Kenya and I was a mentor to Resty from Uganda. We had a great experience in this program which brought us together, she was clear on the areas of growth – Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Corporate governance and how to multitask. I applaud Resty's commitment during this period. One this we learnt is the importance of sharing experiences and helping others deal/ eliminate barriers, real or created that often hinder them from achieving their goals. I also noted that through this program, younger women can learn from their colleagues who have been there and sharpen their approach to issues and life in general. This is a great initiative."
