Mentoring for success
Mentoring for success
The three-month program - targeted at empowering young Monash alumnae to achieve
personal and professional growth while encouraging contribution to the communities - is an
initiative by Monash Malaysia Business Alumni Chapter (MMBAC).
Joelle Chew, Co-Chair, Women Who Thrive 2.0 shared that this year’s program sees several
improvements from 2017, with the introduction of masterclasses as well as a wider selection of
younger mentors available to support participants.
Chew and Lim Huei Ying, also a Co-Chair of Thrive 2.0, were participants in the first Thrive program. “Some of the things that we learned as mentees in the first Thrive is that it’s easier to
relate to mentors who are younger,” she said.
The previous program saw many C-Suite leaders as mentors who offered mentees diverse
insights for their personal and professional growth. However, Thrive 2.0 taps into the expertise
of individuals beyond the corporate food chain to include leaders within the startup scene to
widen mentees perspectives from those outside their industry bubble.
There have been many success stories from the first Thrive program, including a mentee who
scored an internship and later a full-time job with her mentor, while many mentors and mentees
have continued their relationship to date.
During the launch at Monash, Dr Jane Terpstra Tong, Associate Professor, Deputy Head of
School (Education), Monash Malaysia highlighted the relevance of Thrive in her welcome
speech, adding that mentorships are essential for one’s development.
Dr Tong explained that as life expectancy increases, extending one’s working life - most likely in non-linear career paths - will be the new norm in ensuring one has the financial resources to
support themselves. However, factors such as having the right psychological and social
resources, in addition to enjoying good health, are needed to enjoy a fulfilling life as lifespan
increases.
“Having a long career means that you’ll need more information on other industries, which is why networking is important. You’ll have to build your network over the next few decades,” she said.“And that’s why we’re all here. We want you to network, to share information and provide
psychosocial support to each other.”
A panel discussion saw Thrive 1.0 mentor T.P. Pun, Principal / Founder, TPPun Advisory;
Thrive 1.0 mentee Wong Mei Hwa, Head of Lean In Masterclass, Lean In Malaysia; and Charis
Wong, Co-President, MMBAC sharing some nuggets of wisdom to Thrive 2.0 mentors and
participants on how to make the best of their experience. Lim Huei Ying, Co-Chair, Women
Who Thrive 2.0, moderated the discussion.
Following this, a Match and Mentor session was held where mentees shared their goals for the
program and what they would like their mentor to help them with during the speed mentoring
screening process.
Participant Rekha Shankar shared that she was excited about the program. The 27-year-old
was recently thrust into a leadership role at work and was looking forward to gaining new
perspectives from her Thrive 2.0 mentor to help her develop both personally and professionally.
“The panel discussion was super insightful. One of my long-term goals is to become a mentor,
so it’s nice to see women who are around my age becoming mentors,” she explained. Having
never had a mentor outside of work before, Rekha was looking forward to gaining new
perspectives to help complement her professional growth.
Thrive participants will be mentored by prominent industry leaders for three months. By the end
of the program, participants will gain valuable insights, knowledge and experiences via a series
of workshops, masterclasses, networking nights, mentor and mentee meet-ups as well as
community events.
This year’s mentors include: Alain Boey, CTO, Media Prima; Alan Cheah, CEO, GoCar
Malaysia; Ashley Chew, Head of Marketing, GoCar Malaysia; Cheah Kar Fei, Founder and Lead Coach, Life Redesigned Co; Cher Ruey-Huat, Branding Manager, Shell Malaysia; Farlina Said, Analyst, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia; Hanie Razaif-Bohlender, General Manager/Executive Director, Dragonfire Corporate Solutions; Jan Wong, Founder and Online Strategist, OpenMinds Resources; Karen Puah, Head of PR and Communications, Razer Fintech; Kim Lim, Co-Founder and CEO, PichaEats; Ling Ming Choo, HR Director (Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos), Unilever; Tai Zikang, Founder, FITGEAR and OXWHITE; Ulrika Brunner, Country Director, Inspire Group; Vijayam Nadarajah, Independent Director, Manulife InsuranceBerhad; and Wong Chun Wai, Head of Digital Learning, PwC.
The program will culminate with a finale and closing ceremony in October.