I started my career in finance at JPMorgan Fleming asset management, and have since worked at Morgan Stanley, Shell, Brunei Shell Petroleum and Shell Trading in the UK. I am currently deputy group treasurer of Smith & Nephew. I have completed my CIMA, AMCT and FCT qualifications.
I decided to join the ACT Mentor Me scheme as I have been the beneficiary of both formal and informal coaching and mentoring throughout my career. Given the help and support I have received, I felt it’s important to support others in their career journey.
I have been a mentor at Morgan Stanley, Shell, Smith & Nephew and the Prince’s Trust, as well as for the Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT). Although I have no ‘set’ format and tailor the mentoring relationship to the individual, I do use some key parameters that I set out for every mentee.
The first is to ensure that the mentee has the time to commit and that they are clear about what they want to achieve. Setting aside a specific time to focus on this is a good starting point.
I also think it’s critical to set goals at the outset and then to break these down into smaller ‘milestones’ so that the overall goal is not too overwhelming. This helps both parties clarify what they want to achieve. Another key parameter for me is to ensure that both the mentor and mentee actively listen to each other – this is essential to a good relationship.
Finally, I think mentors should come into every relationship with no set preconceptions. Every relationship is different and everyone’s goals, aspirations and objectives are unique to their situation.
The ACT scheme matches ACT members to enable you to speak to someone who has ‘been there and done that’. As treasury teams tend to be quite small, it may be difficult to get this perspective from your own team.
Joseph was talking to Louise Tatham of the ACT
To find out more about the ACT’s Mentor Me scheme, visit treasurers.org/mentoring
