Women's Mentoring: “Sustainability is of Central Importance”

Helena Biewer, Head of Accident Insurance Departement at ERGO

As part of the ERGO Women's Mentoring Programme, former mentees are sharing their experiences and demonstrating how they are supporting other talents as mentors. In this interview with Helena Biewer – former mentee, and mentor for several years – discover what the programme means for your career and how important sustainability is in this context.

What does the ERGO Women's Mentoring Programme mean to you, and how has it helped you in your career?

The mentoring programme plays a crucial role in identifying motivated talents and giving them visibility within the company. During my own mentoring year, I formed valuable friendships with other mentees that continue to this day. These networks have been a great support for my career, as I had the opportunity to quickly and easily test ideas in projects and achieve success.

As a former mentee, why are you now working as a mentor?

The programme helped me enormously, and I now want to offer the same support to other mentees. I enjoy sharing my network with the mentees and place great importance on celebrating their successes to date. This teaches them to take pride in their achievements and present themselves confidently, for example, in future job interviews. All of my mentees have been extremely committed and motivated – it is a real pleasure for me to support these colleagues with advice and assistance.

What role does sustainability play for you in the Women's Mentoring Programme, and how can it be ensured?

Sustainability is of central importance to me in the Women's Mentoring Programme. It's not just about achieving short-term goals, but also about building long-term relationships. I strive to discuss not only professional topics with my mentees but also to work together to create a positive corporate culture. In this way, we contribute to fostering an environment where everyone enjoys coming to work and gives their best every day. The mentees are our most valuable potential future leaders, whether as project managers or in other leadership roles. This makes the programme sustainably valuable not only for the individual participants but for the entire company.

Ms. Biewer, thank you very much for speaking with us.

Interview: Bärbel Naberbäumer

Successful Mid-Term Celebration

On 10 November, the mid-term celebration for the 14th round of the ERGO Women's Mentoring Programme took place at the ERGO Campus. Five mentees organized the mid-term celebration and chose ‘networking’ as its theme – and put this concept into practice directly in a speed networking event on-site. The 15 tandems had the opportunity to network beyond their own pairs. It was a successful event that promoted exchange and networking among the participants!