Cross-industry Mentor Initiative

The European Chamber launched the initial cycle of its Cross-industry Mentor Initiative (CIMI) in late 2019 and the second cycle in late 2020.

The CIMI partnered mid- to senior-level managers in China with C-suite leaders of European business in China, who helped to impart the additional skills and knowledge required for managers to take the next step in their careers, from senior management to board-level positions. Each cycle of the CIMI is a part-time course lasting approximately six months.

Both cycles focused on improving female representation at senior management and board level in China. The European Chamber have chosen this as the focal point for the programme due to the lack of gender diversity among top leadership within the Chamber’s member companies. The Chamber believes this initiative will have an instant impact on those future female leaders involved whilst also act as a platform for future diversity and inclusion, as well as leadership development programmes.

Mentors involved in the initiative so far include:

Mentoring Sessions, Workshop and Training:

Both mentors and mentees committed to dedicating five hours of their personal time for one-on-one mentoring sessions during the course for each cycle.

On 15^th January 2020, Gabor Holch from Campanile Management Consulting delivered leadership training for all mentees, preparing them for the challenge of the century – working with others across continents and cultures.

On 13^th August 2020, Aaron Leow from Deloitte delivered the financial analysis and management workshop for all mentees, which examined how to use key financial results obtained from analysis before decision-making and for management purposes.

On 31^st August 2020, Charlotte Roule, CEO of ENGIE China and vice president of the European Chamber, and Rachel Morarjee, director of the Economist Corporate Network and former board member of the European Chamber, spoke about the impact of mentoring, values of the CIMI and how this programme can facilitate female leadership development in the European Chamber community.

On 18^th September 2020, mentor Joerg Wuttke and his mentee Gloria Zhou, Head of Strategy and Business Portfolio at BP China, shared what they learned and achieved from the initial cycle of the programme. They also discussed the difference between the CIMI and other in-house mentoring programmes, and how to integrate global thinking into local actions through the mentoring sessions when dealing with the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 25^th September 2020, mentors from the initial cycle of the programme, Charlotte Roule and Denis Depoux, shared their views on the importance of women’s representation in leadership teams and how the CIMI can facilitate female leadership development.

On 17^th December 2020, Laurie O’Donnell, managing director of Cornerstone International Group, conducted separate mentoring induction webinars for the mentors and the mentees. In these webinars, Laurie shared her views on the difference between coaching and mentoring, the skills essential in mentoring and how to manage mentoring sessions.