Women in Aviation International Singapore (WAI SG) announced the launch of its Mentorship Programme dedicated to the encouragement and advancement of women in all career fields and interests in aviation. With support from key aviation stakeholders such as Changi Airport Group (CAG) and Association of Aerospace Industries Singapore (AAIS), the programme aims to bridge the gender and career gap in aviation.
The initiative, called the “Women in Aviation Mentorship Programme”, is designed in collaboration with leadership consulting firm Korn Ferry International. It will cover areas of personal development, career progression and leadership for women. Some 100 women mentees from the aviation industry will participate and be mentored by top industry professionals. The mentorship programme is expected to help mentees who successfully complete the programme to progress in their career.
“We all have a responsibility to promote inclusion and diversity at work, and especially in aviation where women represent only 3 percent in C-Suite positions,” said Marie-Louise Philippe, president of WAI SG. “Our vision for the programme is to see more women taking up leadership roles and we are excited to see a great level of support by key Singapore Aviation stakeholders.”
The programme takes off with a Mentor Training Programme delivered through Korn Ferry’s “The Power of Choice Programme”. It is designed to equip mentors with the skills to help mentees identify the obstacles and opportunities to their career and development, and implement strategies to increase contribution and personal growth. “In a Korn Ferry study on women leadership in the aviation sector, only 34 percent of the respondents felt that they were treated equally to men, with almost half citing the lack of opportunities for advancement as a critical inhibitor to attracting more women into the sector,” said Chin Lee Yen, Partner at Korn Ferry. That is why a programme like this is timely and important.”
Changi Airport Group, one of the supporters of Women in Aviation Mentorship Programme, is a proponent of workplace diversity and encourages a diverse exchange of ideas that foster innovation. “At Changi Airport Group (CAG), we place a great emphasis on workplace diversity as it not only encourages a diverse exchange of ideas but also fosters innovation that helps us stay ahead of the competition,” said Justina Tan, CAG Managing Director, People Team. “Through this partnership with WAI SG, we hope to encourage fellow women in aviation not to shy away from bringing their talents and ideas to the forefront to help lead the aviation industry to emerge from this pandemic stronger than before.”
With the Singapore aerospace industry supporting more than 22,000 people, industry experts are seeing companies invest in new capabilities and building their pipeline of talent. WAI SG’s collaboration with the Association of Aerospace Industries (Singapore) includes mentoring and career promotion, talent acquisition and retention. “Talent development is a top priority for the aerospace industry and AAIS is pleased to collaborate with Women in Aviation Singapore Chapter on this Mentorship Programme. This will provide a valuable avenue for our members and the industry to nurture and pursue human capital development, as well as promote organisational diversity,” said AAIS President Wong Yue Jeen.
The Women in Aviation Mentorship Programme is open to members of WAI SG, its partner companies and corporate members. Among the first group of mentors that signed up for the programme are aviation leaders like Chris Carter, Director, Asia Pacific of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Zarina Piperdi, founding member of WAI SG and retired SIA Engineering Company executive, and Sarah Samuel, Head of Airport IT, APAC, Amadeus. Interested mentors, mentees and companies may contact contact@wai.sg for details.
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