Women need mentors!

In general, women are not skilled at using their networks purposefully. They feel they need to be 110% qualified before taking on a new challenge. They dislike organisational politics and can lack self-confidence. For all these reasons, women benefit enormously from mentoring. With this in mind a group of like-minded Sydney women saw the opportunity for a mentor program for women in the marketing profession. And so it was that Marketing Women was born in 1997.

Since then, Marketing Women has attracted, trained and provided mentor relationships for over 600 marketing professionals who hold a wide range of positions in the industry.

In 2010 Marketing Women is running a mentoring program that incorporates more focus on career and leadership capability development, combining one-on-one mentoring with workshop sessions and guest speaker sessions.

Participants can also opt to have some profiling assessment conducted.

The new program will help mentees with their career planning, help them identify development needs, and provide them with industry leading role models.

Who can benefit?

Women who are currently working in a marketing role (minimum of 3 years experience is required) and are interested in career development as well as personal development would benefit from the mentoring program.

Women who have participated in our program have reported benefits such as:

• growth in confidence
• access to networking opportunities
• improved relationships with managers, peers and direct reports
• promotion to higher levels
• enhanced self-promotion
• a better understanding of the corporate landscape and politics

What do I need to do to be a part of the mentoring program?

The process starts with the application form on the website – you will need to complete details about yourself, your career so far and what you want to get out of the program. We will use this information to match you with a mentor who has relevant experience and skills.

There will be 4 meetings held from May to November, these will be held in the city and will mostly be evening sessions. Some will be workshop sessions and some will have an inspirational and interesting guest speaker. Either way they will be time well spent.

Once the program has started you will meet independently with your mentor throughout the program – the frequency and duration of these meetings is up to you and your mentor. We generally recommend a catch up every 2-3 weeks to keep the momentum up.

The participation fee for this program is $650. This fee covers participation in this program and 2010 membership of Marketing Women. Payment is required once a match has been confirmed.

The Marketing Women's Career Development Mentor Program is run by consultant and coach Melissa Richardson of Horizons Unlimited. For more information about Melissa, go to www.horizonsunlimited.com.au

The 2010 program commences on 4th May. Applications for the 2010 program close on 16th April 2010, and participants must be members of Marketing Women. Click here for information on how to join Marketing Women and participate in this program.

To register your interest in the program, complete the mentor or mentee application form and send to us. You will be notified at the end of April 2010 if we have found a suitable match for you.

Guest Speakers will be confirmed closer to the dates.

All meetings will be held at the offices of:
Michael Page
Level 7
1 Margaret Street
Sydney, NSW 2000