Royal Bank of Scotland has
partnered with online mentoring platform Digital Boost Upskilling to launch a
new, free to use, mentor matchmaking service designed for the needs of the next
generation of Scottish women in business.
Known as MentorMatch, the
new service is being developed in response to research which has revealed that
more than half (53%) of female business owners in Scotland feel that a lack of
opportunities to be mentored has prevented them from progressing in their
career, holding back the Scottish
and UK economy.
The latest findings follow
the Rose Review, conducted by NatWest Group CEO Alison Rose which identified
that a potential £250 billion of new value could be added to the UK economy if
women started and scaled new businesses at the same rate as men.
The demand for effective
mentoring programs to empower tomorrow's leaders to reach their full potential
is clear as the study showed that more than eight in ten (82%) of female
business leaders are likely to ask for mentoring support.
Digital Boost analysis
indicates that the most in-demand areas of support focus on digital skill
development as the top three most common topics of support
requested by female founders are “Business Strategy”,
“Content Creation and Strategy” and
“Digital Marketing Strategy”.
However, there are
significant barriers in place when it comes to effective mentoring in a modern
environment. Almost half (47%) of female business leaders feel that mentoring
is too formal a process, while another 49% reported that finding the right
mentor is too difficult.
Royal Bank MentorMatch is
designed to break the formality around mentoring and help women overcome the
difficulty of both finding the right mentor for them and becoming a mentor to
others by facilitating instant connections. The online platform will provide
access to personalised guidance tailored to specific business challenges
through its easy-to-use online & mobile service.
The platform will launch
during a first-of-its-kind event taking place at one of Glasgow's freshest new
venues, The Haberdashery hosted by Scottish media personality, Amy Irons. Amy
will be joined on stage
by a collective of Scotland’s most exciting and inspirational entrepreneurs and
women in business for a morning of networking, connection, and open
conversation. To take action and supercharge your career or business, sign up
for your free ticket to the event by clicking
here.
On the opposite side of
the issue, the research also found that while there is a lack of
mentoring options available for the next generation, current
Scottish women business leaders are finding it difficult to view themselves as
mentors for others, despite starting and scaling successful organisations. More
than a quarter of female business leaders (29%) have a fear of advising
incorrectly, whilst almost one in five (18%) aren't mentoring due to imposter
syndrome.
As part of its ‘Tomorrow
Begins Today’ campaign which encourages people to take the first small
actionable steps towards their future today, Royal Bank is committed to
supporting the next generation of Scottish women in business and making
mentorship and personalised support easily available to all.
Judith Cruickshank, Chair
of the Scotland Board at Royal Bank of Scotland, said:
"Royal Bank of Scotland has a long and proud tradition of
supporting women in business. Today’s launch will provide another important
offering within our solutions to empower women to unleash their full potential
and achieve their goals.
We are deeply committed to
Scotland and its vibrant business community. When one of us succeeds, we all
do. We recognise the unique challenges that women in Scotland face, and we are
determined to be part of the solution, helping to build a more equitable,
prosperous, and sustainable future for Scotland."
Karen Licurse, Managing
Director, Digital Boost Upskilling said:
“We know that mentorship has the power to unlock the
potential of countless women in business, helping them to grow and ultimately,
thrive. But the reality is that old school
approaches to mentorship can be outdated, and often not suitable
to the modern workforce.
“Our purpose is simple –
we want to strip mentorship back to its core and easily connect people to the
personalised support they need, while also encouraging more people to become
mentors. This new platform will reshape what mentoring means to Scotland’s female
business community and Royal Bank of Scotland, with its marked experience of
supporting women in enterprise, is the perfect partner to make it happen.”