Lasting relationships form at ‘Speed Dating’ event
By Matt Minty
Business Consultant
Bruce Power
NAYGN Bruce Power chapter’s fourth quarter mentoring event Experience Talks had all of the right ingredients to be successful – eager participants, personable and knowledgeable mentors, ‘speed dating,’ and a great venue.
“I truthfully didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for Experience Talks, but I saw the names on the mentoring list and thought it would a great opportunity to network and learn a few things about different career paths,” said Jeniece Reid, Business Support Representative and NAYGN Member. “I was blown away by the event and I had a really great time – sign me up for the next one!”
The event was hosted on Wednesday, November 6, at the Kincardine Pavilion and ran from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The set up was similar to speed dating, where Bruce Power mentors sat down with three mentees at a time and spoke about their careers and answered questions during twenty minute sessions. There were three sessions in total – each mentor met with a total of nine mentees during the event.
- Greg Thede, Division Manager, Business Management, talks about his career with three mentees during the NAYGN Experience Talks event.
Keynote speaker and mentor Cathy Sprague, EVP of Human Resources, kicked the event off by sharing some of her workplace experiences, stressing the importance of developing strong relationships, and being proactive in the approach to career development.
“I always tell people that when it comes to your career, you need to manage it like every other facet of your life,” she said. “Be proactive in networking and understanding the different paths that may be before you… you can’t leave your career planning to anyone else.”
The list of mentors included a variety of senior leaders in a number of different positions across the company. Along with Cathy, the list included: Sarah Shortreed, VP and CIO, IT; Greg Thede, Division Manager, Business Management; Dan Playfair, Business Planning Manager; Paul Clark, Operations Department Manager; Jennifer Tuer, Senior Legal Counsel; Wendy Huys, ANO; Kristyn Zorzi, HR Section Manager; Ian Rowley, Plant Integration Department Manager; Mark Nagus, Maintenance Section Manager; and Vicky Skinner, Department Manager of Chemistry and Environment Programs.
Most of the mentees were NAYGN members, but the rostering was opened to all Bruce Power employees and the response was great.
“So far the feedback has been positive, and we had a waiting list of employees who wanted to take part in this event – another mentoring event is something we might look at in the future,” said Shayne Shewfelt, one of the event organizers and NAYGN Board