July 2023 – Martin Fiddaman

Martin Fiddaman is a senior banker and business executive with over 30 years’ experience in commercial, investment and transaction banking in the City of London, leading teams covering local, regional, and international financial institutions of all sizes. Martin recently launching his own bespoke management consultancy to champion smaller FIs, like overseas Bank branches, Challengers and Fintechs, who he believes are often ignored, misunderstood, or simply not covered well by the larger FI or generic consultancies.

Martin was nominated for the Mentor of the year award at WIBF’s Awards for Achievement. Our judges found that his good reputation is founded on his strong long-term relationships, sound market knowledge, great experience, consistent execution and a good sense of humour.

In his nomination, it was clear that Martin is an engaged and supportive mentor for the WIBF programme since early 2021 and elsewhere.

He may not have won our award last year, but we are delighted to be able to celebrate him  as a mentor of the month! We asked Martin a few questions about mentoring. We also spoke to one of his mentees in the WIBF programme.

How did you get involved with WIBF and what prompted you to become a mentor?

I have mentored throughout my career, both informally and via internal company schemes. My involvement with WIBF dates back a few years when I first learnt of the Association whilst in my last role at NatWest. I encouraged the senior women on my leadership team to join WIBF, get involved in their programmes, and take an external mentor. I think it’s very important to get a diversity of inputs and ideas.

When I decided to leave big corporate and set up my own bespoke FI consultancy, I became the master of my own time, and I wanted to use some of it to give back.

I also believe that women should be better recognised for their contributions, and there should be more women in senior roles. It’s about growing their competence and confidence to get them recognised and into more pools for selection. I know I can help my mentees progress.

Can you explain how the WIBF mentoring process works from the perspective of a mentor?

Typically, it’s a 6 monthly rotation, and after an initial 1:2:1 over coffee to establish some rapport, ground rules and desire to work together, there will be a further 4/5/6 sessions depending upon agreed objectives. I normally spend approximately 2 hours per month – half an hour prep, an hour for the meeting, and half an hour follow-up. The mentee does all the planning and organising and any homework or thinking.

I always tell my Mentees, “I don’t have any answers. All the answers are in your head. I’m here to give you some structure and help tease all the answers out of your head, and get them down onto paper so that we may make a plan.” Once equipped, the Mentee implements the plan on her own, whatever the topic of conversation e.g. career development. And so far, all Mentees have welcomed staying in touch informally, with a couple reaching out with new challenges.

It must be rewarding, to see your mentees grow…

Very much so. I’m a people person, and enjoy meeting new Mentees, helping them with their challenges, seeing them grow and watching their careers develop. I’ve witnessed a variety of successes, whether that’s settling into a new role, pay rises, promotions, new jobs or just a better work-life balance.

What other benefits are there to having a mentor?

I prefer mentoring over coaching because you could share life experiences, offer ideas, things that have happened in my career that may be applicable to the Mentee’s, or which may prompt current discussions. Also, I believe mentoring allows for much more authentic conversations.

What advice would you give someone who was considering mentoring?

Get involved! It’s fun! Speak to someone you know who is already mentoring, and if you don’t know anyone, reach out to WIBF and they will put you in touch with a mentor informally if you are thinking about signing up. And if you manage your time and your Mentee well, it’s not as time consuming as you may think .

Have you had a mentor yourself?

Yes, I have had mentors in the past. These have all been old line managers from previous companies with whom I have good rapport already. I’ve had some invaluable help over the years, and wish I’d got started sooner.

I’m not a fan of ‘internal’ mentoring programmes and have never see one done well yet. Complete independence is the key which leads to much healthier conversations.

Finally, when not working or mentoring, how do you like to relax?

I enjoy spending time with loved ones, close friends, and family. I keep myself fit and active to balance the good food and good wine that I enjoy. I’m a keen golfer and love my rugby – #COYQ.

Magda Meier is a senior manager at Moore Kingston Smith LLP, she is currently mentored by Martin, and had this to say:

I joined WIBF in early 2023 and was initially attracted by the programme of both virtual and in person events. I wanted to explore mentoring as a way of developing my skills and exchanging ideas with someone with a wealth of experience in the finance/banking sector

Martin has been a great help to understand my career goals, the skills I have and the skills I should still develop. Our meetings are very well structured but there is also flexibility to discuss any pressing issues outside of the “main agenda”. Martin is a very good listener and helped me explore my skill set and provide tools to develop skills required in the step in my career.

To anyone who is considering joining the mentoring programme, I would say that mentoring is a very powerful tool to reflect on the career goals and skills and provides access to individuals with a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Do you have what it takes to become a mentor? We believe our six-month mentoring programme will match you with a mentee who could benefit from your skills – whether emotional or professional – while offering you the chance to gain insights from the different perspective your mentee has on life, as well as help you develop your management approach.

Click here to find out more.