MENTORS and mentees should strive to do their best and be dedicated in everything they do.
This was said by Bank Windhoek’s executive: marketing and corporate communication services Jacquiline Pack when she addressed 46 mentors and mentees who participated in the first training sessions of the 2023 Katuka Mentorship Programme in Windhoek last week.
According to a statement issued by the bank, Bank Windhoek has sponsored the training sessions, which were held on 2 and 3 February, for the past four years.
Pack also shared her journey since joining Bank Windhoek six years ago.
“It was overwhelming at first. Later, I realised I needed a mentor to guide me through this journey. I believe that everyone needs a mentor at some stage of their lives,” she told her audience.
Mentors Abena Tambrescu and Simone Malumata, as well as mentees Jeanine Teega and Kristofina Uushona said they were happy to be part of the programme.
Corporate communication, marketing and human resources specialist Tambrescu said she joined the mentorship programme in 2019 as a mentor and she believes in bringing out the best in every woman she meets because she understands the importance of mentorship.
“I did not have a mentor, but I would like to hold another woman’s hand through their challenges as they climb the corporate ladder,” she said.
Marketing and communication officers Teega and Uushona said they joined the programme for personal development and career improvement.
Malumata, a public health specialist, said she joined the programme to share the knowledge and skills she acquired over the years.
“I want to transform the lives of young Namibians coming up in their professions in different industries and prepare them through thought leadership,” she said.
The organiser of the Economist Businesswoman Projects, Desèré Lundon-Muller, said the programme empowers and encourages business and professional women to achieve their goals.
“Katuka is about matching a mentee and mentor with similar professional and personal interests in a supportive learning environment. It aims to help young and ambitious women entrepreneurs and businesswomen to reach their ultimate potential and live purpose-driven lives,” she said.
The Katuka Mentorship Programme has been running for the past 22 years and has benefited 459 entrepreneurs and businesswomen.