‘Mentoring is not a one-way street’

Christiane Vollerthun-Kunst and Tina Gold

The mentoring programme for women has been an important part of ERGO's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Management since 2011. The 13th edition of the programme came to an end at the beginning of May.

Not every career follows a straight line. And not every step in your development is loud. Mentoring helps you recognise your personal strengths – and make them visible. Christiane Vollerthun-Kunst was a mentee this year. ‘I have been with ERGO for 32 years, five of them in a management position. At first, I was sceptical as to whether we really still need a women's mentoring programme today. From today's perspective, I can say: yes, we do. The programme makes women visible in the company. And for me personally, it was great to have a sparring partner with whom I could discuss very specific issues.’

The discussions took place regularly, sometimes digitally, sometimes over coffee. Sometimes they were about specific projects, sometimes about the right CV. ‘I was allowed to ask anything. And I was listened to – not judged,’ says Christiane Vollerthun-Kunst.

Expanding the network

‘I was once a mentee in a cross-mentoring programme myself. It was incredibly beneficial – other perspectives are immensely enriching,’ says Tina Gold, Division Manager at ERGO Technology & Services and mentor to Christiane Vollerthun-Kunst. ’This is my second time participating in the ERGO Women's Mentoring Programme. The programme also benefits me enormously as a mentor; it's not a one-way street – it gives me the space to reflect on myself and my own work. And mentoring is fun! You expand your network and gain valuable insights into other areas of the company.’

Anja-Christina Schwenck, programme manager for ERGO's mentoring programmes, confirms this: ‘This is precisely why mentoring programmes are firmly anchored in ERGO's culture: mentoring stands for trust, diversity and growing together – across hierarchical boundaries.’

Participants from three different generations

The Women's Mentoring Programme has been running very successfully for thirteen years. Around 240 female employees of all ages (from mid-20s to mid-50s) have taken part so far, and there is a constantly growing pool of mentors. The programme thus makes an important contribution to ‘Gender Ambition’ and the goals set therein. ERGO had set itself the goal of achieving a 40 per cent share of women in management positions by 2025, which was already achieved in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Mentoring programmefor women is sustainable

The fact that the mentoring programme for women is sustainable is now also very clear in other areas: ‘In the 14th round, three former participants will already be involved as mentors,’ says Anja-Christina Schwenck. ‘The group of mentees is also becoming increasingly diverse. It is now a wonderfully colourful mix, both in terms of age and function within ERGO.’

Christiane Vollerthun-Kunst and Tina Gold want to continue meeting in the future. ‘It's nice to know that there is someone who believes in you, even after the programme has officially ended,’ says Christiane Vollerthun-Kunst.

More about mentoring at ERGO

//radar magazine: Interview with diversity, equity & inclusion manager Anja-Christina Schwenck

//radar magazine: Article on Reverse Mentoring