Catalyst for Change – mentoring at the ODA

The London 2012 Games are a catalyst for change, and one such example is the Olympic Delivery Authority’s (ODA's) participation in the National Mentoring Consortium (NMC).

This scheme enables corporate organisations to provide mentoring to undergraduates from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, and for disabled and dyslexic undergraduates from a number of universities around the country.

This year was ODA’s first as part of the consortium and to our surprise and delight, we were awarded the 'Best New Employer' for both ethnic minority undergraduates and disabled or dyslexic undergraduates.

Me (second left) and other colleagues at the ODA after receiving the award:

Loraine and colleagues at the ODA

My mentee Azad was 'Mentee of the Year' for the University of Westminster, where he is a second year IT Systems student. What Azad wanted was to develop his leadership skills and be better able to influence people.

Clearly that Azad was awarded 'Mentee of the Year' is proof that the partnership worked, but it wasn’t until we had our own ceremony at the ODA, that I actually got to see the results. Azad’s speech about the benefits of the NMC, his palpable astonishment and pleasure at winning Mentee of the Year, and his confidence in addressing an audience were on display for all to see.

I'm a keen advocate of the NMC and look forward to mentoring next year - congratulations to all involved.

Some words from Azad:

'An amazing experience. That is how I would describe my time on the NMC mentoring scheme at the ODA. When I was introduced to the scheme, I thought it would simply increase my current understanding of the business environment. However, the scheme has helped me improve personal attributes beyond my initial expectations.

'I was extremely lucky to be mentored by Loraine. As she used to live in the same area that I currently do and the fact that we supported the same football club, helped us to quickly develop a close Mentor-Mentee relationship.

'Loraine's advice and techniques helped me during my university degree, as well as in job applications. I was surprised to learn that I had been awarded the 'Mentee of the Year' and I was extremely privileged to attend the award ceremony but and to receive my award from Angie Le Mar, a British comedian, writer, director and actor:

Azad receiving his award from Angie Le Mar