Introducing Scottish Leaders Mentoring Scheme
What is the Scottish Leaders Mentoring Scheme?
A key element of the Scottish Leaders Mentoring Scheme is to pair the most senior leaders and opinion formers in Scottish Industry with female professionals who are aspiring to move into senior leadership positions within the next 5 years or so.
Business Leaders from across Scotland will each mentor up to 2 women for a period of 12 months, meeting 3 to 4 times during the year. Leaders will offer career advice and share their insights and experiences, as well as providing professional and personal guidance.
How does the scheme work?
Put very simply, the experience of one person is matched with the potential of another.
Mentees of the scheme will identify the areas of their career progression and personal development they wish to work on with a mentor. We will then match people based on a range of factors, for example specialism and areas of expertise as well as the particular issues that participants would like to work on or develop.
Who are the mentors?
Leaders from all over Scottish Industry - both women and men - who are concerned about diversity in businesses across Scotland have signed up to offer their expertise to help support their goal of increasing the number of women in Senior Executive roles. Mentors include CEOs, Board Members and non-Executive Directors.
Who is eligible to be a mentee?
Each business participating in the mentoring scheme will be able to nominate up to 2 women to become mentees. Mentees should already have significant work experience and aspire to move into senior leadership roles in the next few years. Mentors will work closely with business colleagues and HR to identify those females in their organisation who they feel would benefit most from the scheme.
How will people be matched?
Our mentors have each agreed to support up to 2 mentees, with all mentees being external to their company or organisation. In matching mentor and mentee we will take account of the business sector and division in which they both operate, the areas the mentee would like to work on / develop, and the experiences of the mentor and mentee.
How will the scheme be able to help?
Mentees will be provided with a confidential environment where they can discuss particular career challenges they are facing, their aspirations, and learn how best to develop their skills and experience to fulfil their potential. We envisage discussions around the mentees achievements, what they consider to be any gaps in their development, what areas of leadership they need to develop, and their career goals.
Pass it on
As part of the scheme, we expect mentees to make an undertaking to, in turn, mentor at least one female in a partner organisation within 12 months of completing the programme.