Alex Griffiths, Managing Director and Head of EMEA Corporate Ratings at Fitch tells about how mentoring provided him with both an opportunity to help our society and a great opportunity for learning and growth.

Why do you volunteer?
I am senior sponsor of Fitch’s Working Parents and Caregivers Employee Resource Group, and in prior roles at Fitch have been involved in recruiting and managing graduate joiners – so I have a keen interest in supporting young people to progress from school into the world of work, and sharing what skills I have to help them ensure they achieve their best. I’m also very aware that living outside London and working in Canary Wharf I am very much a consumer of local resource, and welcome opportunities to give something back the communities on whose support we rely.

What have you gained from your volunteering experience?
Volunteering as a mentor on the Mentoring Works Year 10 programme last academic year, I’ve got so much more from the experience than I was expecting. It forced me to think critically about my career, and the resources supplied by ELBA helped me structure my experiences into specific skills and knowledge that could be related to my mentee’s needs. I in turn got a privileged insight into the experiences and challenges faced by a Year 10 pupil, and a foretaste of what might face my children as they move through secondary school. Most importantly, getting to know and support an intelligent, enthusiastic, driven individual was an uplifting and life-affirming experience.

Would you recommend volunteering to a colleague and, if so, why?
I would thoroughly recommend ELBA’s Mentoring Works programme to anyone. The programme is professionally organised with clear safeguarding ground-rules and numerous resources to inspire meaningful sessions. It provides a way to both make a real difference and to learn and develop.