An opportunity to give back, invest in and grow the next generation of talent.
Launched in Vancouver in 2021 as a 6-month pilot, DNEG’s Global Mentorship Program aims to cultivate diversity, inclusion, and belonging within our studio, provide career advancement and growth opportunities at all levels, and develop strong community and school relations to encourage and attract upcoming talent from diverse backgrounds.
Training and sharing knowledge is part of DNEG’s DNA, so after a successful roll-out, the program is now expanding to our studios in Montreal and Toronto, London and India. To find out more we caught up with Lorie Corcuera – Head of HR, North America West and Kamyl Lizaso – HR Business Partner.
Hi both, thank you for joining us today! Let’s start from the beginning… What made you want to create a mentorship program at DNEG Vancouver?
The idea of a mentorship program came from our Head of Business Development, Alex LoCasale. We need more women in our industry, particularly at senior level. We got together with a few stakeholders and allies to discuss ways to achieve this, and creating a mentorship program sounded like the best way to go. From there we designed a pilot program for Vancouver and here we are, a bit more than a year or so later, launching our program in phases and globally!
Initially what was the main goal of this program, and has this goal evolved over time?
The initial intention for the program was to start small. So, we began with a pilot in Vancouver and paired team members that identified as women and non-binary with mentors. We believed that prioritising this underrepresented group would be a great way to accelerate these individuals’ career growth and development, and build the program. We’re now launching our program in other locations and opening up to other underrepresented groups including people who identify as women and non-binary; Indigenous people (North America), black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and ethnic minorities; neurodivergent individuals; LGBTQIA2S+; and people with disabilities.
Could you share some of the key takeaways or successes from the pilot program in Vancouver?
The key success stories from our pilot program were the promotion of two people to supervisor roles. One of them was actually considering leaving DNEG: they joined the program, worked with their mentor and ultimately decided to continue their career with us. Subsequently, the person has moved into a supervisor role. It’s also incredible to see how much the mentors have gained from mentoring their mentees, and how it has strengthened their leadership skills. Overall, all the mentorship pairs built stronger relationships between themselves and others.
Canada is celebrating Gender Equality this week, and the UK will be celebrating Inclusion next week – how does the Mentorship Program support both gender equality and inclusion?
The program really gives a chance to people who are underrepresented in our industry to build their confidence, learn from others, reach new heights and unlock their potential. It’s about supporting their personal and professional growth and giving them the tools to thrive.
DNEG also has a Career Coaching program in place, what’s the difference between coaching and mentorship? Do the two complement each other?
Both programs complement each other, yet have different approaches and methods. On one hand the mentorship program relies on the mentor’s expertise, knowledge, and experience. Meanwhile, in the coaching program, the coach helps the coachee to connect with their own inner wisdom, their skills and experience. We are very excited to offer both programs to our team members!
Meet some of our mentors and mentees in Vancouver
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| Stevie Stephens | Fred Chapman | Debbie Langford | David Andrews |
FIND OUT MORE
To learn about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at DNEG, our employee-led groups, programmes and partners, click here.
Read more about EDI at DNEG’s Global Mentorship Program in this article from AWN.
And if you are interested in joining our team and building your career at DNEG, check out our open positions.