Toni Hawkins
CFO and former Mentee
I was first introduced to FEI through the mentoring program in 2019, sponsored by my employer and supported by my leader - the Group CFO. As I had not been through a mentoring program before, FEI was extremely helpful in providing great recommendations in setting up a successful mentor-mentee relationship.
The FEI mentoring program was pivotal in providing me with confidence and invaluable insights to deal with a range of issues from day-to-day operational challenges to leading high performing teams to strategic input. Every time I approach key decision points, I sit down and ponder how my mentor would approach them! I have also been provided with opportunities to reach out to other FEI members to challenge my thinking to achieve the best outcome.
Beyond the FEI mentoring program, I have been hugely impressed by the FEI events that the Executive team at FEI seamlessly organise. The FEI events assist with personal career development and provide networking opportunities via peer2peer introductions.
Having benefited greatly from the FEI mentoring program, I look to give back to the Finance community by paying it forward and helping aspiring finance professionals in achieving their goals. It has been a privilege being mentored by finance leaders and in turn, I hope to pass my knowledge and the perspective that I have acquired on to others.
Keith Leung
CFO and former Mentee
Anjelin Thotakura
Group Financial Controller and former PAVE Mentee
I joined FEI at a point in my career where my role had become BAU and, as someone who always aspires to higher goals, I wanted to understand my 'what’s next?' and to explore how others build on their careers at this point. Hearing from likeminded people was something that I was looking forward to.
My Mentor's success stories were really valuable. Through open and honest conversations I learnt a lot about stretching and challenging myself, especially how important it is to invest in networking.
With the FEI program I was able to dedicate time to assess where I am in my career and articulate what I want to focus on for my personal development. I felt comfortable sharing my thoughts and perspectives. The program is not always about making the next big move - for me, it was about exploring where I see myself on my professional journey. The opportunity for reflection was so valuable in the context of a busy daily 'to do' list.
My first experience of FEI was when I was invited to a lunch while working in an organisation that valued development and had the foresight to integrate FEI into the professional development of the team. I recall some valuable insights from a presentation and Q&A session with an experienced CFO.
Over time my interactions with FEI increased as I took personal responsibility for my development. I had the opportunity to become an FEI mentee and the learnings from that experience help me to this day. Now, as a CFO and FEI Mentor, I know the importance of mentoring to focus individual development. Having an independent and experienced CFO mentor high potential and/or high performance team members is a huge benefit to both the team member and the company.
During my career, I have chosen to work in organisations that value development. As CFO, I prioritise that for my team and FEI has been a great resource to assist. I value learning from the experience of others. As a mentee, I learned from an experienced CFO, as a mentor, I have learned from my mentees. FEI is an opportunity to help people in their professional and personal development.
