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At Hastings we are committed to building and fostering a culture of inclusion where all Colleagues can contribute, thrive and be who they are. As part of this focus, we participate in the mentoring programme of the 30% Club, which believes that companies with a good balance of men and women in senior roles have better insights into their customers and market opportunities, perform better and make better decisions, along with better serving their communities.

As part of the mentoring programme, ten of our female colleagues and ten of our leaders were matched with individuals from other organisations across the UK to create mentor/mentee relationships. In this week’s blog, four colleagues involved share their experiences of the 30% Club mentoring initiative. 

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Kay – Mentee 
“I felt honoured and privileged to be asked and be part of a Community supporting women – it really has meant a great deal to me. I’ve gained confidence in myself and a drive and ambition to be simply the best version of myself. For a number of years I have wanted to gain fellowship status at the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply. I have put it off for various reasons including being nervous and not having the time. The 30% Club has made me look at things differently and push myself. I applied, went through various assessments and committees and was successful. This has given me a huge boost and I’m particularly proud I did this whilst home schooling and working full time. It’s about prioritising and making time for yourself to succeed. I have also felt extremely proud when colleagues have said this has been an inspiring moment for them – what more could you ask for when you receive this kind of feedback! I’ve since become a mentor myself outside of work, via a LinkedIn group for procurement professionals.”

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Gareth – Mentor 
“It’s a very enlightening and inspiring experience. I can offer opinion and a view from a longer career where I have seen, done, succeeded or failed, and can share that experience and ideas around why something did or didn’t work. But I also find out about other business segments, get views and challenge from those looking at an issue through different eyes and experience, and get the opportunity to challenge my own thinking and approach. Involvement in this mentoring programme brings an added dimension in diversity of industry background, perspective from those with different issues and ultimately the benefit of working with some very talented, motivated and focused individuals.” 

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Serena – Mentee
“I only joined Hastings in February 2020 so to have been selected after being with the company for only a short time made me feel honoured. Being part of this programme is a privilege and I want to make the most of it. I’m a true believer that you get out of a programme what you put it into it; not only do I have a trusted relationship with my mentor, but I have connected with other mentees to share my own experiences and seek advice / guidance from them too. Being involved in this process has reinforced to me that protecting your time is very important, so saying ‘no’ is OK and building your network is key as it is one of the most valuable assets you have.”

  



Adam Malcolm.jpgAdam – Mentor 
“Throughout my own career, I have always been fortunate enough to have mentors who have helped me to grow and develop as a person. I  am now at a point where I can add value to other people’s careers, whether that be through sharing my knowledge, networks, experience or simply being an independent sounding board for them.   Ultimately I am doing this to provide support to the talent of the future and give them the same opportunities that people afforded me. I am a great believer of what diversity brings to the workplace and the 30% Club focuses in on one of those segments, specifically on creating gender balance.”


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