Many industries see a lack of equilibrium when it comes to the amount of men versus women in authoritative positions. To combat this issue a mentoring scheme is being designed to boost the number of women on boards.
The scheme, scheduled to launch in September, was created after a series of successful pilot programmes run by the 30% Club. A survey of pilot participants revealed that 95% of mentees saw an improvement in their development areas. Eighty-six percent of the participants said they believed it had increased their confidence as a leader.
Many of Britain’s top companies have been scrutinized for their lack of women in leadership roles. Glencore Xstrata has even had three years to address this very issue and has yet to “resolve it”.
This new scheme will work to balance the pyramid and help develop a pipeline of women throughout different organisations. The overall intention of the scheme is to enable talented women. Mentors and mentees will be paired up according to key criteria that include professional experience, competencies and sector.
Right now, the mentoring scheme will include mentors and mentees from businesses like BAT, BDO, EY, Centrica, Freshfields, GE, Marks & Spencer and more. The programme will run from September to June every year.