FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
UK contract caterer, Elior, has launched a mentoring programme aimed at helping female staff to fulfil their potential.
Inspiring growth and progression, Womentoring is a 12-month programme being led by Elior UK’s CFO, Leni Savva and is designed to boost female representation in senior roles across the business. Creating impact through connection, it will provide opportunities for talented employees to be supported and empowered by established Elior colleagues.
The first cohort of 10 female mentees have met with their mentors to discuss their development plans for the year. With a strong understanding of Elior’s structure and opportunities, mentors will help mentees work towards their career goals through establishing connections across the business. And because they have worked in senior positions at Elior, they will have the track record and experience to inspire mentees to succeed.
Alongside one-to-one mentoring, programme mentors and mentees will promote and champion gender diversity across the business. And through this, programme members will be able to identify further development opportunities that support internal mobility.
Leni Savva, CFO at Elior said: “We have an inclusive culture at Elior that celebrates equality. However, although we have a higher proportion of women than men working here, we noticed that there is still work to be done in reflecting this in leadership and management roles across the business.
“Earlier this year, we set targets to increase the number of women in our leadership team, middle and senior management, and the number of female chefs. This mentoring scheme was one of the initiatives designed to help us achieve these.
“We have an incredible pool of talent right here in the business – female and male. And as well as giving mentees opportunities for growth, we’re excited about the potential for mentors to gain experience and enjoyment from the experience.
“It’s important to note, however, that this isn’t just about making the numbers: it’s about inspiring confidence and helping employees to achieve their potential.”
Recruiting for soft FM services is proving more difficult in the post-Covid workplace. So, what can FMs do to overcome this?
Sara Bean, Editor of FMJ, and Jess Pritchard, Head of Corporate Sector at Moneypenny are joined by panellists:
- Mark Whittaker, General Manager, Thomson FM & Chair of IWFM
- Ian Wright, Soft Services Manager, University College London
- David Bauld, Group Facilities Manager, Paradigm Housing
- Nicola Lathbury, Managing Director, Hexagon FM
Together they will discuss the current skills shortage in a number of FM areas, ways to keep staff engaged in their job through brilliant culture, and how outsourcing could be a solution to the recruitment issue. Secure your place now for Thursday, 25th November at 11am.
To register click here.
