October 2023 – Ras Gohil

Usually when we decide on our mentor of the month, we let them know in advance and ask them for a quick interview. This month we are doing it a little differently and surprising our mentor of the month for October.

Ras Gohil who not only volunteers for the WIBF London mentoring team has also mentored 9 people in the last 15 months who have so much to say about her…

As well as being a busy mentor, Ras has also organised group mentoring sessions across the regions, supplied other regions with event material and hosted or organised many other mentoring events. That’s as well as her job as a coach and her new found passion of voiceovers! AND hosting our mentoring project team day at her house.

Victoria Pringle adds, “I can’t think of a more fitting individual. Ras has also been supporting me with the Scotland mentoring event, having supplied the materials and is taking me through some top tips on how to facilitate the sessions. Ras continuously goes above and beyond for the WIBF mentoring team & all her mentees. Amazing!”

Gwen Faure, WIBF Not only is she our super mentor – taking on anyone who hasn’t been able to find mentors at any time, the number and the length of her mentoring pairings are testament to her mentoring. She has also been instrumental in developing the programmes we are offering as part of the mentoring programme this year. She has developed the full 6 months mentor curriculum, providing resources to support our mentor community in how to support their mentees.

She has also developed the 4 Group mentoring topics and materials to enable the groups to have a productive group mentoring discussion. She has also supported the mentoring team wherever required – in addition to the communications with our mentoring community, she also helps with the matching when required. Ras is such an integral part of the mentoring team, we couldn’t do all the things we offer without her. Thank you Ras!

Lucinda Davis, one of Ras’s mentees told us, “Being mentored by Ras has been a fantastic help for me both personally and professionally.  I’ve really valued having an external perspective to help me navigate challenging situations, and she creates a space of psychological safety which makes it easy to open up, and share thoughts candidly with her.  She is flexible, informal, highly authentic, and genuinely cares about the people she mentors.”

Caroline Rutland agreed and said, “Ras is an amazing mentor. She takes time to understand the mentee and, in my case, the individuals and characters I interact with. She listens and works with me to devise practical strategies I can apply to the situations we discuss, using her massive industry experience. She’s become quite a friend in the progress!”

Sharmistha Banik who has also been mentored by Ras added, “She is very hard working and passionate mentor. She boosts the confidence in her mentees and doesn’t care about how much time she is devoting. She goes above and beyond to understand the needs of her mentees and guides accordingly. Every time I speak with her, I am filled with happiness, confidence and dreams.

I highly recommend Ras as a mentor and strongly believe she deserves to be recognised.

Earlier this year, when celebrating National Volunteers Week, Ras told us –

“For me the satisfaction of seeing somebody more onward and upwards in their career can’t be beaten. Working with ambitious and driven women is so reaffirming and a great reminder of how many fantastic women work within our industry.”

More recently Ras told Sam Carnley, “I find that mentoring is a truly rewarding experience that allows individuals to share their knowledge and insights. It helps us to guide someone who is eager to grow but not only in a professional capacity but also help them with their personal development too.

Through mentoring we empower others to reach their full potential and help them accomplish their goals and successes. However, the key impact is how much the mentors learn from mentoring. Ultimately, mentoring is a wonderful way of creating positive steps towards shaping a brighter future for both the mentor and mentee”

Thank you Ras! We appreciate your time, energy, and commitment to WIBF, not just as a mentor, but all you do for WIBF.

The WIBF mentoring programme is available to our access-all-areas members. Our programme gives you access to some of the UK’s most talented financial services’ professionals. Our cross sector scheme enables you to access advice beyond your company, from different perspectives, as well as help you understand new career opportunities. To find out more about finding a mentor click here.

Mentors are able to access the WIBF programme without becoming a member. 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 and to sign up.