In spring 2021, our Northern Europe operations launched a mentoring programme to promote networking and transfer of skills, expertise, knowledge and experience. All Nordkalk employees from all countries could apply for the programme. The only prerequisite was English language skills. Altogether 15 mentor-mentee pairs were selected to the programme according to applications sent.

The programme consists of two joint meetings with all the participants at the beginning and at the end of the programme period of one year. In between, the mentoring pairs have been meeting and having mentoring sessions together, a minimum of 2 times per quarter. Our cooperation partner supports the participants during the whole programme and provides education, theory and inspiration.

By the end of the year 2021, the experience has been very positive both for the mentors and the mentees. Participants appreciate the structured way of organising the programme and the opportunity to learn new things and reflect on their own career and wishes from a new perspective.

One of the mentees participating in the programme is Legal Counsel Laura Lehtikunnas from Finland. Through participation, she wanted to recognise her own strengths and challenges even better and reinforce her professional confidence.

“When applying for the programme, I had the desire to more clearly recognise, nurture and value my own strengths, resources, and competencies. Through these wishes, I wanted to be able to look at my own goals and objectives from a new perspective and in relation to the company’s interests and goals. I had a pattern of understating and minimising my accomplishments”, Laura says.

During the process she has been provided with tools and means to support her personal goals. Monthly meetings with her mentor have been useful and she has also appreciated the tasks between the sessions.

“From my perspective, the programme has been an excellent two-way dialogue. My mentor has helped me reflect on my own thinking and actions through questions, tasks and different options and sparred me on work-related matters”, tells Laura. “The mentoring programme has also given me loads of professional confidence and inspiration. The increased confidence also enabled and encouraged me to accept a new role in the company and take a new leap in my career“, she concludes.

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