Our Volunteers in Action: Getting to Know Our Mentoring Committee with Philippe Masin, CFA

Philippe Masin decided to join the CFA Montréal Mentoring Committee after being a mentee himself and experiencing the program’s benefits first-hand. He felt compelled to do his part to provide the financial industry leaders of tomorrow with the same opportunity to jump-start their career.

Read on to learn more about his experience and how the Mentoring Committee is contributing to the professional development of CFA charterholders.

 

Tell us a little more about CFA Montréal’s Mentoring Committee.

The Mentoring Committee oversees the mentoring program, which pairs seasoned financial professionals with CFA charterholders who are comparatively new to the industry. More than a hundred dyads have been created in the 12 years since the program was set up.

To be considered for the program, prospective mentees must be members of CFA Montréal, have between 5 and 15 years of financial experience and be employed in a full-time job. Most mentees enrol in the program with the goal of working toward a more senior position in their organization or pivoting to another segment of the financial industry.

Even after they have a few years under their belt, many financial professionals start to re-examine their career path and wonder what their next step should be. When you reach a certain level, it’s time to start fine-tuning your communication, management and leadership skills, which you may not have had a chance to polish in your junior years. And the transition can be a challenging one. The year-long mentoring program aims to address these aspects and help mentees make the most of their potential.

What prompted you to volunteer with the Mentoring Committee?

Well, I was a mentee myself a few years ago, as were committee vice-chairs Catherine Lévesque-Roussel and Ludovic Duquette Dépatie. Back then, we were all grateful to be able to bounce ideas off someone whose career trajectory was aligned with our aspirations and whose professional affinities resembled our own. Our mentors could put themselves in our shoes and advise us accordingly. Personally, I found a lot of answers to the career-related questions I had through this program.

After my experience as a mentee, an opportunity arose to volunteer with the Mentoring Committee. Since I was appreciative of everything I had gotten out of the program, I thought it’d be a great way to give back and get more involved in the financial community, which I wanted to do anyway.

As the leaders of this committee, our role is very gratifying. From one year to the next, we work to come up with new ways to make the program more responsive to the needs of mentors and mentees, so everyone can get the most out of the experience.

How would you describe the role your committee plays in the professional development of CFA charterholders?

The mentoring program helps mentees learn and advance professionally, but it is also a great experience for the participating mentors — something many people tend to overlook. That explains why we have so many mentors. A few are already in their fifth year.

By bringing experienced professionals and aspiring leaders together and exposing the latter to the incredible financial ecosystem we have in Montreal, we are doing our part to keep our homegrown talent here. The program shows them that they don’t have to go work in New York or London to rub shoulders with world-class industry professionals. We have an incredible pool of experts based in Montreal, and there are plenty of opportunities to pursue right here. It’s important that the next generation of financial industry leaders be made aware of this.

What is one of the initiatives you are particularly proud of?

There is a general sense of pride that runs through our entire committee at the thought of having helped over a hundred young professionals become more self-confident and prepare to embark on the next chapter of their career in the Montreal financial industry.

This is made possible because of the hard work of our Pairing Committee. They invest a great deal of time and energy into putting the right people together, which is what makes our program so special. Not to mention the quality of our mentors, which is next to none. Our mentors are higher-ups at their respective organizations who believe in the value of our program and who agree to lend their time and expertise to making it a success. We also work with a mentoring specialist to host two training sessions a year for our dyads to ensure they have the tools they need and food for thought to guide them along the way. These sessions are vital in making the experience for our mentees and mentors everything it can be.

What would you say to anyone who would like to join the Mentoring Committee?

There are actually two levels of involvement.

First, there’s the Management Committee that oversees the program. Current members have previous experience as mentees, which they can draw on to put forward ideas to keep the program fresh and innovative.

Then, there’s the Pairing Committee, which is made up of professionals with an extensive network of contacts in the financial world. The peak period for Pairing Committee members is September and October, when candidate applications are evaluated, mentees are interviewed and potential mentors are approached to meet the specific needs of the incoming cohort. This is an extremely important process and one that plays a central role in the overall success of the program. Members of the Pairing Committee have been known to snap their fingers and say things like, “I know just the person to mentor that candidate!”

In both cases, the diversity of the educational and professional backgrounds of our volunteers only adds to the quality of the experience and contributes to creating a cohesive whole.

 

Interested in getting involved with a dynamic, forward-looking association? There are lots of ways you can contribute to CFA Montréal. Be sure to let us know how you’d like to make a difference by filling out this form: https://www.cfamontreal.org/en/get-involved.