This year’s mentoring programme got off to a glamorous start with a kick-off event held at The Soho Residence to allow the Class of ’21 to celebrate their selection and get to know each other. Mentee Amy Skelding talked to us about what she hopes to gain from the experience…

“This group is as much about your connections with your fellow mentees as it is about your mentor” is what Women in PR president Anna Geffert told the assembled intake from the 2021 Mentoring Programme. And how right she was.

My first real-life networking event in a couple of years, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the kick-off event and I definitely took a very deep breath before entering the room. From a bit of LinkedIn stalking, my fellow mentees looked startlingly impressive and frankly terrifying. But what greeted me in the room for our first get-together was a warm, inviting and dynamic group of women who were all delighted to be there as well as interested to know more about each other.

Within minutes of arriving a WhatsApp group had been started and numbers were swapped, Covid related PR horror stories were shared and sympathised with and most importantly a bond was formed that felt collaborative and productive. We established who were friendly competitors and who might be able to work together, as well as who preferred white wine and who preferred prosecco – a real mix of business and pleasure and the evening whizzed by in a blur as we all met, laughed and realised how fortunate we all were to have this opportunity.

I mentioned to Anna, a former mentee herself, that I would be meeting with my mentor, Molly Hooper Aldridge the following week and she gave me some great advice that has really helped me focus my mind. Essentially, it is this – what do I want to get out of this opportunity and what help do I need?  This sounds very obvious, but I think often we (by ‘we’ I am generalising about women) tend to put clients and others first and then our own wishes and needs take a back seat.  I realised that I really needed to prepare for this meeting as I would for a client meeting; a quick introduction, a review of what I have achieved to date, what the ideal plan is for the future, plus any barriers and solutions I could foresee. It really helped me make the most of my time with Molly and she has given me excellent insight already that I can put into action. A fresh and seasoned perspective really does help and I am already seeing the results less than one month later.

I had hoped that the mentor/mentee relationship would turn out like this but hadn’t dared to expect it, however what I hadn’t expected was the camaraderie between my fellow mentees. There are plans afoot for another meet up, lots of off the record conversations going on and I am really looking forward to a glorious relationship with them for many years to come. That initial kick-off event has set us all on a course for something seriously kick-ass. And I am honoured to be part of it and promise to make the most of it.