WBS hosts Global Mentoring Programme event in Singapore

Energised, keen to connect and engage is how Donna Curtis, Global Mentoring and Engagement Manager at WBS, describes alumni and students on her recent trip to Singapore.

What a real buzz! You know an evening is good when the room is filled with conversations and the presenter needs to hush the crowd … and this was before ‘things’ got started! To say conversations amongst WBS alumni, DLMBA students, prospective students, and Warwick alumni, filled the air in the iconic Fullerton Hotel in Singapore is an understatement.

Dr Ashley Roberts, Assistant Dean (Internationalisation), kicked off the evening in his fantastic style. He had everyone up on their feet experiencing 'Team Psychological Safety.' Who knew that counting to three could be so tricky and so much fun! Even though we had a group of alumni keen to catch up and re-connect, it was clear the dynamic in the room stepped up a gear.

The evening gave the award-winning WBS Global Mentoring Programme the opportunity to share more information about the scheme and how it can help both alumni and students. Attendees heard from existing WBS mentor Wee Teck Tan, and Mentoring Steering Committee member and former mentee Claire Scott-Bardwell, who shared their experiences. 

All in all, from previous activity in Singapore, the Global Mentoring Programme has a group of 19 WBS mentors, many of whom joined the evening and are based in or in surrounding areas of Singapore. However, the programme is keen to support more mentees locally and is eager grow both numbers of mentor and mentees in the region.

During the evening, WBS alumni also learnt more about the fantastic services available to them, including the free Career Management Module, which is open to all WBS students and alumni. This brilliant resource created by industry experts for the WBS community contains information on anything from CV, cover letter writing and assessment centres, through to marketing yourself (personal branding), negotiation skills, and working in a global environment.

“I am now completely convinced and inspired to take on the Warwick DLMBA journey” commented one prospective new student.

Both alumni and students were left in no doubt of WBS commitment to strengthen the alumni network in Singapore, with the help of local alumni.

“Alumni are definitely keen in Singapore to connect and engage. There is a real energy for mentoring and general alumni engagement but we also need local alumni to help organise and support activity. We feel energised after this visit but now it is time to gain that commitment locally, to keep connections going” said Sanjiv Patel, Co-Chair Mentoring Steering Committee and WBS Associate Fellow.

During this trip, those who registered their interest in becoming a mentor, joined the mentoring team for an evening to share, learn and discuss best mentoring practices at The Fullerton Bay Hotel floating pod. This was another brilliant evening filled with deeper conversations.

 If you are interested in the WBS Global Mentoring Programme or wish to help out with local alumni activity, please contact Donna Curtis, Global Mentoring and Engagement Manager, at donna.curtis@wbs.ac.uk.

Following on from Singapore, WBS will be hosting two Global Mentoring and Alumni networking events in India. Join us in Mumbai on Sunday 1 December 2019 and New Delhi on Friday 6 December 2019. Please register your interest here.