A community of ideas, mentoring, and support.
The Old Melburnians is a vibrant, diverse and thriving community of business leaders, professionals, and people with expertise to share. By actively maintaining connections with one another, Old Melburnians can expand and strengthen their professional networks which can help with career progression.
Building upon the success and growth of the Career Masterclass program which has been running since 2019, this exciting new program is both a continuation and evolution of the mentoring experience for Old Melburnians. The refreshed program will deliver more value, resources, and an enhanced experience for our participants.
Incorporating mentorship and career networking
- Give experienced Old Melburnians the opportunity to share their time and valuable expertise, and to make real contributions to the career progression of a younger Old Melburnian; and
- Support young Old Melburnians and those seeking to develop/grow/improve their own business venture to establish lifelong professional connections and build networking and career strategy skills, by connecting with a mentor in a relevant field.
Two streams
- One-to-One (1-2-1) Professional Mentoring – to participate in this stream, mentors can have a broad range of professional experiences and mentees should be seeking advice on building general career skills (0-5 years into their careers).
- Business-to-Business (B-2-B) Mentoring – to participate in this stream, the mentors will need to have business expertise, and the mentees should be seeking to develop/grow/improve their own business venture (this stream is not for someone who is trying to progress their career within an organisation).
New features of the OM Exchange
- Business Directory via OMlink
- Jobs Board via OMlink
- Networking events with other Old Melburnians
- Program resources and materials
Here's what some participants had to say about their experience in the program
"My mentor was a great role model and wealth of knowledge."
"It has been most enjoyable and fulfilling to meet, interact and hopefully assist some wonderful young OMs."
"Both of us had studied law and had questions about other career options. We were well aligned on challenges and opportunities."
"The information I gained in this program was very influential and helped me understand the broader picture of the marketing world."
"My mentor was super helpful and understanding! He had a lot of great tips about expanding my business and networking. He was also really helpful in giving me some general life and career advice and words of wisdom. I really enjoyed our meetings."
We thank our incredibly generous community of Old Melburnians who give up their valuable time to be mentors in the program. With your help, we can support the next generation of Old Melburnians to thrive.
The OM Exchange will be led by Charles Thompson (OM 1987), a Member of The Old Melburnians Council. Charles is a former M&A lawyer and management consultant and is the owner of an eco-tourism business.
This year, Charles will be supported by Carlo Santoro (OM 1987). Carlo is an entrepreneur, facilitator and coach and has participated as a mentor in this program for several years.