How Bloom UK is Supporting Junior Women of Adland

Bloom UK, the professional network for women in communications, is to launch its 2014 mentoring programme with an event at Facebook in London on the evening of Wednesday 9th April. The event will feature an introduction by Soraya Shaw, Consultant Head of Careers at NABS and Managing Director at Springboard Coaching, followed by a speed networking session for mentors and mentees.

The mentoring scheme, now in its fourth year, offers women with up to three years of experience in the communications industry the chance to be mentored by one of Bloom’s members – senior women who come from a diverse range of companies including VCCP, Karmarama, Virgin Media, Tesco, Pearl & Dean and DigitasLBi. 

Last year, women from companies like Channel 4, Ogilvy, Vizeum and Kindred benefitted from the mentoring programme, taking part in regular sessions with their mentors and attending in Bloom training events throughout the year. At least 25% of last year’s participants got promoted within 6 months of beginning their mentoring with a Bloom UK member.

The event on Wednesday 9th April will kick off this year’s programme and help potential mentees find their perfect mentoring partner. Attendees will see a short presentation outlining the programme and then take part in a speed meet-and-greet session where they can meet Bloom members and create a shortlist of potential mentors. 

There is no fee to take part in the mentoring programme, but participants are asked to make a small donation to Bloom UK’s partner charity Eaves, which works to help women who are vulnerable through experiences of violence.

Women who are interested in being mentored and attending the event should contact bloommentoring@gmail.com 

Bloom UK is a professional network for women in communications that exists to help them fulfil their potential through mentoring, networking events and fundraising. More information on Bloom UK and its programme of events can be found on the Bloom UK Facebook page.

Felicity Ive, Deputy Agency Principal C4 and Head of Mentoring at Bloom said: “With at least 25% of participants in our 2013 mentoring scheme getting promoted within 6 months, it’s clear that having a mentor can really help women in our industry to achieve their potential. Bloom UK members come from a diverse range of backgrounds and have varied specialisms, so anyone who wants to take part in the scheme this year should be able to find their perfect mentoring partner.”

Nina Dohmel, Account Manager, Kindred said: “The scheme really gave me confidence! My mentor helped me to see outside the box and has also given me a whole range of resources to refer back to. I know some of things she's taught me will stay with me throughout my career.”

Sarah O’Kane, Partnerships Manager, C4 said: “I recently got a promotion and pay increase - something which I’m really proud of. I’m one of the youngest people to get to this level at Channel 4 Partnerships and being part of the programme made a huge difference in believing that I could actually do it.”