As a cornerstone of the Advance program, the Cross-Company Mentoring has entered it’s 6th cycle. This format is unique in Switzerland as it offers senior female talent the opportunity to work for a year with a top executive mentor from a cross-industry Advance company to turn aspirations into reality, supporting them to face bold challenges and making concrete steps in advancing towards their personal and professional goals.

Steep growth

Since its launch in 2014 starting with 11 mentee-mentor couples, a total of 220 female managers have absolved this program. Approximately 5% have become mentors in the Advance Mentoring Program themselves and over 30% of former and current Advance mentees are also acting as mentors within their own company. A stable number of 60% of the mentors are staying with Advance over 3-4 mentoring cycles. Numbers which prove that the program is equally valued by mentees and mentors alike.

Becoming one’s best self

The unique strength of the Advance mentoring programs derives from the outstanding personalities who make it all happen. The mentors are experienced business leaders with a strong professional background and fostering personality who are able to bring out the best in people and who can guide others on the journey to becoming their best self. With openness and trust as foundation of the mentoring relationship, mentee and mentor create an inspiring and highly supportive dialogue, which allows the mentees to go beyond their comfort zone and find the courage allowing for creativity, innovation and brave leadership.

This is especially enhanced by the unique cross-company and cross-industry setting which opens up new perspectives and encourages the mentees to take up challenges which would not have been addressed within the boundaries of the own corporate environment. Vice versa, the high profile of the Advance mentees allows for the mentors to benefit from inspiring “reverse mentoring” through insights into new challenges, requirements in different industries and regarding new technologies, business models and client relationships

Cross-company peer-to-peer empowerment

The third pillar of the mentoring powerhouse is the mentee peer group. It offers 1-to-1 (an x-fold) access to all kinds of business functions, market areas, success strategies and personal exchange on development topics among the mentees. It is key to give high-talented business ladies the opportunity to connect to each other already in the preparatory phase of the program starting to build trust and the energy to fully engage in all activities of the mentoring year. Regular self- and Advance-organized get-togethers ensure that the vibrant energy will be taken ahead and that momentum is kept up over the whole year.

The high profile of the Advance mentees allows for the mentors to benefit from inspiring “reverse mentoring” through insights into new challenges, requirements in different industries and regarding new technologies, business models and client relationships.

More about the Advance cross-company mentoring program.

Author: Anne Halbritter