New talent needs the benefit of experience. And old hands benefit from fresh challenges. At NextGen, we developed the first industry-wide mentoring programme to support people at all levels.

We’ve run our mentoring programme for the last-3-years and have seen over 250 people paired!

When we open our programme each year, dozens of mentees and mentors across the full spectrum of roles within pensions and investments sign up. From Actuaries to Marketeers, and C-suite to fresh-faced graduates. It’s free to both mentees and mentors!

I benefitted immensely from the monthly catch-ups I had with my mentor who helped coach me through a transition from pensions consultancy to trusteeship and was able to support me in building my technical skills around investments specifically. I was also invited to investment seminars with further enhance my knowledge and give my the opportunity to expand my network.

Shay Owode
Senior Trustee Consultant

You set a regular frequency to meet – quarterly is the minimum for developing a meaningful mentoring foundation, monthly works for many.

You’ll set some goals together, no matter how loose they are, to provide some direction to sessions

Being open with your experience, your knowledge and, where appropriate, your network makes the experience work best for all

You’ll meet for around a year, or longer if you spark a friendship!

Our mentoring is based on the relationship built between mentor and mentee, not on a formal prescribed coaching method or training programme. We hope (and many past mentors and mentees tell us!) that you’ll develop a meaningful relationship with your partner, in a mutually supportive and trusting environment. It’s this relationship, alongside the skills, experience, network and advice, that our mentees find most helpful.

We connect NextGen members with hand-picked Mentors to provide support on specific projects, aspirations or areas to develop your career. Our aim is to match mentors and mentees based on individual experiences and the areas you’re looking to receive (or offer) support. 

Mentors can often provide extra guidance on your approach, specific scenarios or situations, particular development areas, information about other courses, networks or people which might help you.

Our mentors are very positive about the relationships they’ve built, and are often surprised by the value they receive too. Gaining insight from a different organisational level, often with a generational difference, provides a lens which is not often available to them. Mentees sometimes know of new techniques or tools borrowed from other industries. All this sharing of skills and knowledge further contributes to innovations and advancements in pensions.

Check back soon for the launch of next round of mentoring, to express your interest to be a mentor and/or mentee!

Having a mentor to help me navigate through the last 18 months has been invaluable.

Martin Wigfield
Partner at Zatori Consulting