About the Programme
Since 2009, over 1500 women have participated in TWF’s highly acclaimed Mentoring Programme for Women Leaders. The Programme aims to provide participants with tools to advance their skills and knowledge in diversity, equity, and inclusion (D, E & I) and foster holistic growth and leadership development. Ultimately, the Mentoring Programme seeks to develop inclusive leaders and build an ecosystem of gender advocates to affect change at both an institutional and personal level. This year, we are looking for 50 high-potential aspiring female leaders (protégés) and 50 senior executive women (mentors) to join this cross-sector, inclusively-led year-long programme. Participants are not only joining a cohort of 100 programme participants, but they are also joining a thriving and growing community of 1400 alumni.
It aims to:
- Provide the tools necessary to advance D, E & I skills & knowledge
- Enhance holistic growth and leadership development
- Provide a platform to build professional networks
- Assist individuals towards giving back to the Hong Kong community
Impact
| Mentors who participated in the Programme felt they have... | Protégés who participated in the Programme were able to... |
|
|
|
Inclusive Leadership Development Curriculum
At the core of the Mentoring Programme is the one-to-one cross-industry Mentoring Relationship, a hallmark of TWF’s Mentoring Programme. The mentor/protégé pairing is supplemented by the Inclusive Leadership curriculum, Group Mentoring, and Peer Mentoring, all aiming towards holistic growth and development.
One-to-One Mentoring
Mentors and protégés are matched according to their preferences on goals, motivations, interests and professions. Each mentoring pair is responsible for managing their own meetings with the onus on protégés to drive the engagement. Mentoring pairs typically meet once a month throughout the Programme year. TWF provides ongoing support and guidance on discussion topics and effective communication to ensure both protégés and mentors maximise the benefits of their relationship.
Inclusive Leadership Curriculum Sessions
TWF provides participants with the opportunity to participate in tailored workshops on topics such as communication skills, developing resilience, conflict management and empathetic leadership. Participants will be better equipped to cater for a more inclusive workplace in their organisations and become gender advocates in the broader Hong Kong community.
Group Mentoring
Protégés and mentors share their challenges and expertise in 10 groups of 5 pairs each. Group Mentoring aims to provide a safe space to learn from each other and voice opinions openly. It also aims to help participants expand their network and learn from women in different roles and industries and to dive deeper into some of the Inclusive Leadership Curriculum topics, including “Finding Your Allies,” “Your Leadership Roadmap” and “Vulnerabilities”.
Peer Mentoring
Participants will be given the chance to connect and engage with a wide network of women from different industries within the Mentoring Programme. Peer learning, in the form of both formal and informal activities, allows participants to form a robust professional network as well as long-lasting friendships. Such activities include:
Peer Panel: The Peer Panel is a highly interactive component of the Mentoring Programme that explores topics chosen by the protégés and relating to inclusive leadership, that are either not covered by the current curriculum or which could be further explored. Organised by protégés, the Peer Panel allows protégés to develop their organisation and leadership skills and be more engaged in the Programme content.
Peer Mentoring: The focus of the Peer Mentoring Groups is for protégés and mentors to share and learn from each other in their respective groups. It offers a safe space for groups of either mentors or protégés to discuss their mentoring relationships and to learn from the challenges and successes of their peers.
Social Events: Participants also enjoy social and networking events that bring together Programme participants in relaxed and convivial settings.
Partnership
Corporate Partners
We are grateful to all our corporate partners for their generous support of the programme. To find out more about how to become a Corporate Partner, please contact us at Development@twfhk.org.
TWF Mentoring Corporate Partners have the opportunity to:
- Support a best-in-class cross-industry mentoring programme that promotes women's leadership in Hong Kong.
- Access a reserved position for one participant on the Programme, to be selected by TWF, to both benefit and cascade learnings to colleagues in their organisation.
- Strengthen internal women's networks and internal gender-focused initiatives through engagement with the Programme.
- Enhance their visibility and market recognition through logo placement at MP events and on The Women’s Foundation’s website, social media, communications, publications and resources.
- Access to TWF's Mentoring Guidelines provided to all Programme participants at the start of the Programme.
Testimonials
“The Mentoring Programme was a game changer for me. While the year-long programme itself will always be a treasured time in my heart, the real impact is growing the fruits that were seeded from the Programme in my every day, including bringing back industry best practices and integrating them within my workplace.” - Nancy Wang, ANZ
“I cannot praise the TWF Mentoring Programme enough. When people say it is life changing, they are not exaggerating. It’s helped provide me with key skills for my career through the amazing workshops and professional network partners they use as well as given me a wonderful network of supportive women. Thank you so much TWF for all that you do for the women of Hong Kong.” - Lani Tao, Steelcase
“Bloomberg has been participating in and supporting this best-in-class Mentoring Programme now for many years because it is one of the few opportunities out there to strengthen a women's network and have a precious one-to-one advising experience for our high potential employees.” - Sandi Liu, Bloomberg
“The Mentoring Programme has empowered our MP Alumni and our current participant to lead, sponsor and support gender initiatives internally, in particular, The Women at Linklaters network. We have also brought some of the TWF Mentoring Programme in house for our people. I personally enjoy hearing stories from our participants about the impact the programme has made on them.” - Rochelle Kwok, Linklaters
TWF Mentoring Knowledge Partners
Our Knowledge Partners have the opportunity to:
- Enjoy public recognition through bio and contact detail distribution, and through our social media and widely distributed TWF newsletter.
- Opportunity to raise awareness of their organisations and relevant services when delivering a session.
"BRIDGE is very proud to be a supporter of TWF and the Mentoring Programme. We are passionate about making a difference with the work we do and aligning with partners and organisations who have similar intentions. TWF offers us the chance to engage and support a wonderful, varied and important group of women in Hong Kong." - Abigail Croft, Managing Director, BRIDGE Partnership
If you’d like to contribute your expertise and knowledge to our Mentoring community as a Knowledge Partner, please contact us at mentoring@twfhk.org.
