Impact Mentoring – Balance in Business

The Impact Mentoring programme for alumni by alumni

What are we trying to do?

One of the most effective ways of ensuring gender balance in tomorrow’s executive teams and Boards is by developing a gender balanced talent pipeline today. Our mentees, women mid-to-senior level positions, benefit tremendously from the support of more experienced INSEAD alumni as they shape their careers and navigate work issues.

Our mentors are CEOs and senior leaders from across many sectors and industries who volunteer their time and are passionate in supporting the leaders of tomorrow. Through Reverse Mentoring our mentors gain awareness of gender issues, and with this increased knowledge and understanding they implement policies promoting diversity and equality in their own organisations.

The mentoring relationship allows both mentees and mentors to gain new perspectives and fresh ideas.

How is this programme different?

The right match
Few things are as impactful in your career development as a great mentor. However, finding the right mentor can be difficult. The Impact Mentoring programme has an extensive network of carefully selected INSEAD alumni as mentors offering a diverse range of experiences. We also have a unique matching algorithm which connects mentees and mentors based on challenges faced and topics of importance as well as sector and functional experience. This reduces the often haphazard and subjective nature of most mentoring programmes.

A ‘gender bilingual’ perspective
We partner each mentee with two mentors: one male, one female. Each mentee therefore has access to double the experience and a unique dual perspective on their mentoring goals. Our mentors tend to work with a couple of mentees in tandem, broadening their insight into the challenges faced by high potential female talent and the changes they could make in their own organisations.

A safe environment
Essential to a good mentoring relationship is the creation of both trust and a space where both sides can speak openly and honestly. This is a central value of this programme. Our mentors listen without judgment and can be truly impartial. Our mentees have the confidence to be authentic and bold in terms of openness. Furthermore, our T&Cs and Mentoring Partnership Agreement set out clear boundaries for the mentoring relationship.

As a Mentee

Want support fulfilling a career aspiration?

Would like to benefit from the insight and advice of senior alumni?

Women INSEAD alumnae who are five years post-MBA or equivalent are welcome to apply

As a Mentor

Inspire the next generation of INSEAD leaders

Build your network with fellow mentors

All INSEAD alumni, male and female, with 15 years post-MBA or equivalent, are welcome to apply our growing and unique programme

Why join the impact mentoring programme?

Whether you need support with a career move, running a start-up, developing leadership skills, navigating company politics, building self-confidence, returning to work or negotiating a contract – our unique and growing network of over 220 mentors can support you.

Many successful men and women admit a great mentor was a key factor in their success. Our mentoring programme was developed with these advocates to ensure real impact. Mentoring through the INSEAD network can be an effective tool in fulfilling your aspirations from furthering your prospects and building a network to getting pragmatic professional advice and guidance on your next step.

Mentoring is not new. It can be traced back to Homer’s Odyssey: Odysseus matched an older, wiser, more experienced person (his name was Mentor) with a young less experienced one (his son Telemachus). Despite this history very few mentoring programmes are effective – the matching process is often subjective or haphazard and the environment not impartial. The Impact Mentoring programme has, in contrast, been specifically designed to ensure it is impartial, objective and valuable.

Why focus on women first?

There are many aspects to Balance is Business, but gender is an area where we feel we can make an immediate and visible difference. Supporting women in mid-to-senior positions will have a meaningful impact on the small numbers at the top; and importantly, these women become role models and mentors to others.

By engaging both men and women as mentors we are giving all senior leaders the opportunity, through reverse mentoring, to increase their awareness of what the real issues are. These insights are discussed and shared amongst mentors through our focused mentor-only events further broadening their knowledge and deepening their understanding on gender balance.

Our ambition is to expand the Impact Mentoring programme to other segments over time. Given that we believe impactful mentoring must be designed with the challenges faced and ‘areas to work on’ in mind this requires us to take the right time to adapt and tailor the programme.