written by Gina Buckle

Myth-busting through Mentoring with HSBC UK

HSBC UK are sponsoring the Medium Organisation Award category at the Northern Power Women Awards 2022 for the third year in a row as keen advocates of gender equality. This award celebrates the organisation which has shown a significant commitment to gender equality and inclusive workplace culture with a forward-thinking approach to recruitment, development and retention of talent. With their commitment to creating a working environment accessible to all, HSBC UK stands out as the perfect organisation to sponsor this category.

Through its CMB North Development programme focused on mentorship and myth busting what it takes to succeed within the organisation, HSBC UK creates a work culture of support and shared knowledge. Over six months, 14 colleagues gained theoretical and practical knowledge of different roles and departments, with the ultimate aim of realising their potential and aspirations. We spoke to Mushtaq, who recently participated in a mentorship programme, to find out how he benefited from the experience and the myths he busted along the way.

From his mentoring relationship, Mushtaq gained impartial advice from his mentor, allowing him to “have a sounding board about careers, ideas, understanding my strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and being more open to different roles”. Additionally, the visibility of and access to role models within the organisation enabled Mushtaq to better understand the different routes to success, saying that “it’s about understanding other people’s backgrounds, what challenges have they faced and howthey overcame them”.

Understanding how to navigate different departments in order to progress in your career can be challenging but Mushtaq explained that through HSBC UK’s internal mentoring programme he was given practical and actionable advice to do just that. The support offered by senior leaders within his organisation showed him how senior managers “can help and encourage people to raise profiles and go for jobs […] they can add value to a person”.

This expansion of his professional network boosted his access to different opportunities within the bank, and that “showed that by speaking to different people from different departments, you find out about different opportunities within the bank […] the more people you know, the more you become aware of other opportunities”.

Alongside formal mentoring schemes, HSBC UK also offers a diverse range of support structures and programmes to facilitate career progression. These include programmes such as interest groups, and coaching circles, which focus on the softer skills required to advance your career.

Committed to making large organisations accessible to all, HSBC UK’s programme of activity also reaches beyond the bank itself, in part, through its external schools programme, aimed at supporting young adults into their future careers. These “Investing in your Future” webinars were held in October of 2021, giving GCSE students the chance to hear from HSBC UK colleagues on their personal and career journeys, further educating people about how to access a career in banking.

A programme of activity as wide ranging and impactful as HSBC UK’s sets the standard for other organisations when it comes to creating accessible and inclusive workplaces. HSBC UK stands out as the perfect organisation to facilitate the spotlighting of similarly forward thinking and inclusive organisations by sponsoring the medium organisation award category at the Northern Power Women Awards 2022.