North America - Women in Asset Management - Mentorship Program

The North America Women in Asset Management (NA-WiAM) is proud to announce the 2024 Asset Management Mentorship Program. The program application period starts March 1, 2024 and will run through March 17, 2024. The 6-month program helps promote asset management practice and encourages involvement in the Institute of Asset Management (IAM).

What is the Asset Management Mentorship Program all about?

The Women in Asset Management North America aims to develop and enhance asset management competencies through a mentoring partnership where leading asset management practitioners share advice, knowledge, and experiences with up-and-coming asset management professionals - resulting in a mutually beneficial professional relationship. The Mentorship Program also provides a venue to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in Asset Management, promotes the practice across different industries and sectors, and encourages involvement in the Institute of Asset Management.

The WIAM Mentorship Program provides a forum for women interested in developing the skills necessary to achieve professional success and personal goals. The program also offers support from experienced mentors, peer networking and candid conversations with successful Asset management leaders.

Why should you join?

Participating in the Mentorship Program not only develops and sustains a professional career in Asset Management moreover facilitates the realization of several benefits for both mentees and mentors such as confidence building, career direction, better interpersonal skills, improved management, communications, and leadership skills.

Benefits of the Mentorship Program

As a Mentee

• Learn and improve asset management skills and competencies through a structured approach to learning asset management
• Experience guidance and support in your profession
• Receive professional feedback
• Identify professional and leadership development
• Participate in networking opportunities

As a Mentor

• Energize seasoned asset management professionals by sharing knowledge, passion, and experience
• Learn from a mentee’s perspective
• Foster leadership and improve management skills
• Contribute to the overall development of the asset management body of knowledge
• Encourage others to help pave the path for asset management

For the Organization or Company

• Provide an opportunity for the employee’s professional development
• Enhance the employee’s asset management, leadership, and interpersonal skills
• Cultivate new ideas for continuous improvement
• Promote diversity and inclusion
• Improve employee satisfaction and retention as the employee feels valued
• Strengthens employee engagement and transfer of knowledge from subject matter experts

Who is this for?

For mentees, the mentorship program is open to everyone in North America regardless of their status in their asset management journey.

For mentors, in terms of expertise level, you should be a leading practitioner in asset management. A leading practitioner is someone who holds senior responsibility in an asset management role and typically be, or has been, one of more of the following:

• leader of a team responsible for developing/delivering an organization’s asset management plan, the operational performance of assets under their control, risk management, or managing asset knowledge
• project leader responsible for the technical and commercial delivery of asset management consultancy projects to clients
• senior consultant or academic responsible for specific research and development projects or the creation and delivery of structured training in asset management in a company or educational establishment

Before applying for the mentorship program, we recommend that you ask yourself the following questions:

For the mentee:

- Are you ready to commit approximately 45-56 hours for the duration of the six-month program?

- Are you willing to prepare before the start of each session?

- Are you ready to listen and participate even if it’s not what you want to hear?

- Are you clear on what help you need in your asset management journey?

- Are your expectations for your mentor flexible?

- Are you willing to look at situations from all angles?

- Are you willing to be open, honest, and trust a mentor?

For the mentor:

- Are you ready to commit to 18 contact hours for the duration of the six-month program?

- Do you have the time and energy to commit to mentoring?

- Do you have the drive to help assist, advise, and motivate the next generation of asset management professionals?

- Are you open, and willing to support, and challenge your mentee?

- Are you ready to learn more about yourself? Mentors often experience indirect learning benefits from reflecting on how they got to their current position and articulating the vision of what they want next from their careers.

If you answered yes to the questions, you are ready to apply for the mentorship program!

How am I paired with my mentor or mentee?

Through an application process, the mentors and mentees are matched based on a combination of their mutual professional interests. With assistance from the WiAM Mentorship Committee mentor-mentee teams develop a series of goals and objectives to achieve during the course of the six-month Mentorship Program.

What is the commitment?

Mentor-mentee teams meet on a monthly basis to work towards their mutually agreed upon goals and objectives. Teams will attend “group sessions” where the mentor-mentee teams can interact with other teams, participate in group learning & development, meet the WiAM Board, share experiences and provide feedback in an informal setting. Mentor-mentee teams provide formal feedback on their progress via evaluation forms at the mid-way point and prior to mentee-graduation and program close.

When does the mentorship program start?

Application opens March 1 to March 17, 2024. The program runs from April to September. Graduation is held in October.

Where do I sign up?

For mentees - apply here or copy paste this URL to your browser: https://forms.office.com/e/zm2UtxDxpv

For mentors - apply here or copy paste this URL to your browser: https://forms.office.com/e/V9xi5eXfYx