Volunteer Story - Mo Massoud

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Mo Massoud, CFA
Senior Associate, BMCE Bank International

 

Volunteer Group: CFA UK Mentoring Programme 2020 - Mentor
The Mentoring Programme 2020 saw 85 pairs of mentors and mentees matched during lockdown and continue to thrive and support each other for 6 months.

Why did you choose to step forward as a mentor in 2020?
First, to expand my network within the society. Second, as I'm currently in the middle management stage in my career, I thought that the mentorship programme is going to be crucial in harnessing my leadership and mentoring skills to further progress my career.

What have you learned from being a mentor?
A mentor doesn't have to always have a say or a decisive opinion on everything. The mentor's role could be just to listen and help in the thinking process. Steering the conversation to help the mentee find his/her Eureka moment or to set his/her own objectives is sometimes the most rewarding achievement.

How did you help your mentee in their career?
My mentee was at a stagnant phase in his job. He was complaining that his job became quite mundane and repetitive, with limited or no growth prospects. We managed to set three main objectives and broke them down into smaller sub-objectives with a timely, achievable and measurable set of KPIs. The ultimate aim was to increase his profile visibility in the market and increase his prospects into finding a more fulfilling job (either internally or externally). This had worked very well, that in the middle of the mentorship programme, the mentee was going through three different hiring processes and eventually accepted a very exciting job role with a steep learning curve.

What would you say to encourage others to step forward as a mentor?
It's certainly a very rewarding experience for the mentor. Not only you do help mentees to achieve their goals or aspirations, but you also get the opportunity to connect with amazing professionals, reflect on your own growth and leadership prospects, and you may as well end up with friendships that would last beyond the mentorship programme. 

Do you want to help a Mentee find their Eureka moment?