“Being mentored by someone outside of your organisation means you can focus on yourself.”

Mariam Shahbazuddin, senior scrum master at Fidelity Investments, and a mentee on Moving Ahead’s US 30% Club Mission Gender Equity programme, found her experience evoked childhood memories of the most important role model in her life.

I've been an IT professional for 15 years within the healthcare and financial markets. As a passionate advocate of coaching and mentoring, being on the US 30% Club Mission Gender Equity mentoring programme was a wonderful experience for me. I was nominated by my hiring manager as a reward for the work I did for my team; I was one of the few from Fidelity who were selected to participate, so I felt honoured and excited to be part of it.

Before I started the programme, I knew I would be paired with a senior industry leader from another company. When I found out it was Mary Yun, a senior vice president and head of data architect at Brown Brothers Harriman, I was thrilled to be learning from someone who is a woman from a different background. Our first meeting was very informal – we just got to know each other. After that, I would go to our meetings with any issues on my mind and she was great. I was surprised how Moving Ahead were able to find me such a perfect match. I'm sure they put in a lot of effort studying the algorithm and the participants to figure out what each of them are looking for.

The cross-company element of the programme is also important in the matching process as it meant I got to meet with someone from outside of my company, who has different perspectives. When you meet with work colleagues, you unintentionally bring up the topic of work, but with someone from outside, you know you can focus on yourself. That was the best thing for me. I also loved the mentee networking session; it was a good opportunity to network with other participants and hear from them. There was a lot to learn from everyone.

The importance of role models

As a child, I was very inspired by my maternal grandmother; I thought of her when I found out I had got a place on the mentoring programme. I’m from India and when my grandmother was young, girls were not allowed to continue their education; her father told her she couldn’t go to school after fourth grade, but she was so passionate about education that she used to hide herself away and learn.

Eventually, not only did my grandmother graduate, she also converted her two roomed house in India into a school for girls so that she could spread literacy, learning and education. Despite it being so hard for her to fulfil her dream to learn, she would always make it sound like it wasn’t that difficult when she told me her stories, as though to say, ‘I did it, so you can too’. She was a lovely human to learn from and very brave; she is my role model. I want to carry the baton she handed me and take it forward to pass on to my own daughter.

Inclusion, diversity, opportunity

What do inclusion and diversity mean? To me, they’re about bringing everyone together so that each individual feels like part of a solidified team structure. There are smart and talented people out there, who are different and looking for opportunity; I want to request that everyone in business takes thoughtful risks and gives them a chance, because they are all looking for an example to follow.

I learnt such a lot about different personal perspectives during the mentoring programme. For example, how to avoid unconscious bias, especially when giving opportunities to others. I also learnt how to value opportunity. If an opportunity comes to you, give it 100%. Don’t waste time wondering why the opportunity is there; what you do with it is your decision. I’ve chosen to make the most of every opportunity.

Be your authentic self

The three words I’d use to describe my experience as a participant on the US 30% Club Mission Gender Equity programme are excellent, exceptional and extraordinary. My advice for a mentee starting on their journey? Don’t stress about your first meeting with your mentor, just keep it informal and try to enjoy every bit of it. Most importantly, be your true authentic self.

If my grandmother had seen me going through Moving Ahead’s mentoring programme, I think she would say, “I'm super proud of you. Please continue carrying the baton. Pass it to your daughter”.

For more information click here or contact Maria.May@moving-ahead.org