I signed up to be both a Mentor and Mentee and was delighted to be matched well both ways. As a mentee, I was researching whether a horizontal move, to a slightly different role would be right for me. It was extremely useful that my Mentor was in the role I was considering and had ample experience. This significantly reduced the time I’d have spent researching and more quickly led me to the decision that the move I had in mind, wouldn’t be the right path for me. I gained so much in terms of clarity! As a Mentor, it was a pleasure to help where I can and extremely rewarding to see my Mentee grow in confidence and realise their value. I look forward to offering more help in future cohorts.

Mentoring Jessica has been such a wonderful experience. We spent our sessions discussing how to navigate an amazing position she was in where was interviewing with two incredible companies. Jessica's energy and relentless work ethic was inspiring to witness and it was such a great feeling when she managed to get what she wanted in the end after a long period of difficulty and tense moments. The whole experience has been very rewarding!

The highlight of my mentoring experience was having someone truly believe in me and support me 100% in my career change to data. This is through words of encouragement, sending me jobs adverts, reviewing my CV and guiding me through different projects. I have learnt the power of a mentor. I have learnt that learning a new skill takes time, and it takes consistency and positivity to persevere. I have learnt that there is so much support out there and it's very important that I reach out. This has been the best thing that has ever happened in my career. Thank you so much for all the support and this opportunity. This opportunity has jumpstarted my career in a pivotal and empowered way. Thank you so much BiD team. You are literally the best.

I had a little challenge at the beginning of the mentorship programme, challenges with my first mentor, however I was given a new mentor straight after. During my BiD mentoring programme, I learnt to be consistent, taking necessary actions and never to back down regardless of my conditions. I gained so much from my mentor during the 3 months period, I wish we can continue regardless of the programme coming to an end. The main things I have taken away from my mentoring experience is to be deliberate, be consistent with my work, you can't know it all and it's ok to seek for help. My mentor was ready to put me through my work at every point in time and that I am grateful for. Special thanks to Kim Yen Nguyen for coming through for me during those time of challenges.