Fusion mentoring
Written by Jo Cooney, Community Development Project Manager, BIG Alliance
The Fusion Mentoring programme has successfully concluded its second year of operation. The programme is a collaboration between BIG Alliance and Macquarie Group’s Fusion network, an employee network group committed to empowering colleagues from diverse races, ethnicities, cultures, and faiths. The initiative matches ethnically diverse young adults aged 18-25 from Islington and across London with volunteers from Fusion for a six-month period. This year, 13 mentors and mentees successfully completed the programme, with over 78 hours volunteered from our mentors. The volunteers provide a comprehensive personal, educational, and professional support system to mentees, fostering their skill set and offering guidance and motivation as they chart their career paths. It’s focused around developing abilities that mentees have previously indicated they were keen on acquiring, such as interview and application preparation, networking, leadership skills, data analysis, and initial steps to enter the finance industry.
“Macquarie’s Fusion employee network group seeks to connect and empower colleagues of different races, ethnicities, cultures and faiths. It is a volunteer-run collective that provides training and education as well as opportunities to network and celebrate throughout the year, and is an integral partner to Macquarie’s journey towards an equitable and inclusive workplace. Fusion is delighted that we could successfully support this leading program and that our members were able to create a significant and lasting positive impact for the mentees and local community.”
– Anand Goel, Vice President – MAM (Macquarie Asset Management), Fusion Community Engagement Lead
October 2022 marked the launch of the programme, whereby both mentees and mentors had the opportunity to network and meet their match. The room was buzzing with excitement for the next 6 months. Fast forward to April 2023 and the same faces were back in the same room, reflecting on the programme. We heard from a mentee and mentor match about their experience, what they had learned and some of their highlights. Finally, we heard from a mentee Micky Meckell Dete, who had successfully landed a job at Macquarie – it was truly an inspiration to hear from him! This highlighted the importance of these types of programmes and the successes that can be achieved from taking part:
“My experience with my mentor was very welcoming, informative and supportive. Having the support of someone with experience and knowledge was invaluable. My mentor made me feel comfortable to ask questions and for advice on how I could best place myself to land an investment banking role. A highlight for me was being offered a role and joining Macquarie Group.”
– Micky Meckell Dete – Fusion Mentee 2022-23
BIG Alliance want to thank all volunteers from Macquarie who volunteered their time to mentor over the past 6 months and look forward to partnering with the Fusion Network at Macquarie in the future.
You can read more about the programme impact in the full report here.
We are encouraging community organisations to reach out if there is a need for volunteers for particular events and activities for the rest of 2023. If you need any support, please do email us at info@thebigalliance.org.uk.
To stay up to date with the latest news, opportunities and success stories, please sign up to receive our monthly newsletter, here.
