There are external suppliers providing services such as support, networking opportunities, speed mentoring etc. Some are free and some come with fees attached. Some are very targeted (e.g. black women or LGBTQ+) or open to all such as NABS. Occasionally, you have to be a member to access the resources.
The free mentoring programme gives the next generation of rising stars the skills to grow and achieve their career goals by connecting them with inspirational experienced women. It is open to women with 2-6 years of work experience (up to 7 years) in any discipline in the marketing and communications industry. Do bear in mind that if you miss their annual deadline for applicants you may have to wait a while…
"You will also be part of a supportive and like-minded community and have access to:
The Bloom Mentoring Programme is completely free, but we ask mentees to play an active role and commit to a monthly 1-hour session with their mentor. Once assigned a mentor, mentees are responsible for communicating directly with their mentor regularly."
Bloom is also incredibly active in research (e.g. work/life balance report The Juggle) and have produced a helpful Allyship Code, for those who are not sure how to be an ally. They are incredibly ahead of the curve, for example, The Bloom Menofesto.
In 2019 they launched a cross-mentoring project called The Exchange, which pairs industry-leading men with Bloom members, described as an honest exchange between the genders.
Since 2017 the Booth of Truth invited women to anonymously share stories of barriers to their success in the industry.
Finally, they have Bloom in Colour, "it is a safe space for Bloom women to discuss the challenges they face when it comes to diversity, and provide support."
London was the first chapter, starting in 2007, "it's also the biggest with over 7000 members. We host regular events, workshops, network opportunities, and campaign for equal parental leave".
Their mentoring programme is appropriately called Whose Your Momma? running this programme for women who have at least two years of experience working in the UK advertising and design industry.
They have a career tool called BOOM.
"At MEFA, our mission is to help Black, Asian, mixed race and ethnic minority talent thrive in the media and advertising industry, and ultimately, increase the ethnic diversity of the media and advertising industry in the UK. Over the past three years, we have built a strong community of diverse talent at all levels. Through our work, our events and our forums, we have built a safe environment for connecting, sharing, learning, and for driving change. We focus on the recruitment of diverse talent, the retention of diverse talent, and the career development of our members. Recruit. Retain. Rise." It is very popular so both their role model and mentoring activities are often full.
Lollipop Mentoring is for black women in advertising and marketing. Started by a black female in our industry who was fed up with being seen as ‘angry’. And based on horrible stats such as that black women earn on average £20k less than white men – £38k vs white males who earn £58k despite similar education levels. They run mentoring events.
Your senior people could mentor on D&AD Shift to meet non-university educated creative people, but this is more to do with a recruitment pipeline.
"The mentoring programme harnesses the knowledge and skills of inspiring senior mentors from across Leo Burnett UK to support disabled advertising talent. Mentors and mentees have been matched and are working together one-on-one throughout the six-month virtual programme. The experience provides both mentees and mentors with personal and professional development opportunities. Mentees and mentors will come together for monthly mentoring circles including webinars, panels, and skill-enhancement workshops." This is open to both disabled and neurodivergent entrants.
Outvertising exists to make UK marketing and advertising completely LGBTQ+ inclusive. The programme helps LGBTQ+ talent, either new to or looking to join the industry, thrive. We believe that with the right infrastructure of support in place a new generation of talent can come through, bringing with them enormous value, diversity and creativity to an industry where senior LGBTQ+ visibility is low.
The programme’s mentors are all Outvertising volunteers, senior leaders in the industry with a wealth of knowledge, and are either from the LGBTQ+ community themselves or allies. All mentors will have gone through mentor training in preparation for the programme’s launch.
The programme runs over a 6-month period and you can expect anywhere between 6-12 sessions with your partner in addition to Outvertising run sessions and check-ins.
They have a raft of events and training – many free – to attend in the meantime, for example, Role Model Training; plus useful guides.
"WYK was created with a simple mission to help underrepresented young people launch careers in digital while at the same time supporting businesses in widening their talent pool." As such it is more of an opportunity to mentor than be mentored.
This group was co-founded by Lisa Thompson of Wavemaker. As an industry, we have acknowledged that diversity is vital for creativity and to reach all parts of the nation. However, only 12% of the ad industry is ‘working class’, while 29% of the nation is – a big disparity. They have links to the 93% Club (the percentage of people who did not attend private school). Anyone who wants mentoring, or to mentor should get in touch via their newsletter.
BYP Mentoring is for black, young professionals, from any industry but some of their jobs partners are from major creative industries companies like TikTok. Demand is high so be prepared to wait. But once you are matched to a mentor ‘you will be required to dedicate at least 1 hour per month over a period of 6 months to the mentoring sessions. Additional sessions can be mutually agreed upon with your mentor.’
‘We support 16-25 year olds from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to help them develop their creative careers through mentoring, education, and opportunities.’ Apply to become a mentee and they will match you with a mentor who can help you with your creative career via skills/experience/knowledge development and building your network.
WACL have around 100 WACL members volunteer their time to mentor on this programme. Past mentors have included Kate Waters, Fiona Parashar, Lisa Thomas, Rania Robinson, Amelia Torode and many other high-profile women working in advertising and communication. It costs £100 but all profits go to charity. There are generally two series of mentoring each year, one from September to December and the other from March to June. If successful you will be matched with four mentors, and you will see each of them for an hour over four months.
In addition, they often have group mentoring at the annual WACL Gather – but nothing listed for that at time of writing.
You can pay to consult with Creative Equals to help you set up a mentoring programme which aids your diversity and inclusion policies and culture. However, they have such a myriad of offerings it is difficult to tell if this would be stand-alone.
Creative Mentor Network will train your mid-senior people to mentor (and sometimes also coach) underrepresented creative talent, thus creating a pipeline for recruitment and retention. They want to break the class ceiling! There seems to be several ways you can do this e.g. a bespoke 8 hour programme or as an individual take part in a 16 week experience. They have a nice case study of working with the Advertising Producers Association (APA).
APG Young Planner’s mentoring is open to planners with 0-3 years of work experience. It seems to be in hiatus at present but you can sign up to receive information.
"No single marketer is quite the same. Registering as a mentee will give you access to mentors who are experienced and specialised in every aspect of marketing. Regardless of your level, learn from our mentors who vary from management level through to CEOs and directors at the very peak of their careers. Guidance is available to experienced marketers through coaching on senior management subjects, whether you need advice on an upcoming campaign or are progressing towards a more senior management position. Exclusively available for Affiliate Professional and graded (ACIM, MCIM and FCIM) members.
We know marketers are busy by nature and that’s why our mentoring scheme is designed to work around you. Whether mentor or mentee, it’s your decision as to how you wish for your relationship to work. Search for a mentor in your region or offer your services as a mentor to the global marketing community through online or call-based mentoring". We include this in the cost as you are required to be a member.
BIMA Mentoring (British Interactive Media Association) is an initiative that helps aspiring digital professionals get ahead, a six-month programme for BIMA Members only, that supports all levels. Mentees are matched with a compatible mentor from another organisation, based on experience and interest area and no more than two ‘levels’ higher up. Although it is £395 we have received good reports on its efficacy and they train the mentors.
You can book either half an hour or an hour for a virtual mentoring session with “Dr Samantha Hiew…a storyteller trained in medical science PhD, specialising in demystifying ADHD & neurodiversity. Sam’s work bridges two worlds –those with lived experiences of neurodivergence & those who don’t – so we work towards integration within society.
Off the back of her ADHD diagnosis at 40, and identifying as an autistic, dyspraxic and Touretter, Sam founded ADHD Girls to empower girls and women with ADHD to thrive in society; and improve Neurodiversity understanding via intersectional lens.” Half an hour is £125 and a full hour £250.
"The IAA aims to help brands grow, collaborate and forge new paths around the world, as well as providing career development and networking opportunities for individuals." They seem to run speed mentoring events with mentors, from really well-known agencies, occasionally. However, it looks like these may not be free, even for people who work for member organisations.