The Mentorship is one of the four pillars of the 40u40 program, where each Fellow is paired
with one Mentor to share reflections, challenges, and advice to boost their leadership and societal impact. With regular meetings over a year, it is a two-way exchange to learn from each other and to encourage personal and professional growth for both Mentors and Mentees.
The 40u40 Mentors are accomplished leaders. Once the journey of a new Cohort starts in September, each Fellow is paired with one Mentor. Together, they meet up to learn from each other and thus connect with leaders of the other generation. Camille Claeys was a Fellow of Cohort 2022; a typical meet-up with her Mentor Taoufik Amzile, the president of LEAD Belgium, would be a get-together somewhere in Brussels in a café. Camille describes their meetings as “relaxed and authentic, I could talk with him about everything. For example, I became a first-time mom last year, so parenthood was a topic we discussed, the combination of professional life with being a parent. Or we discussed aspects of education of the vulnerable youth in Brussels, so topics we were both interested or invested in. Being able to discuss all these different themes was something I really appreciated.” Nico Huybrechts and his Mentor Francis Deprez, CEO of D’Ieteren Group, also met up on a monthly basis in person and kept in touch in-between meetings via email. Nico remembers their first encounter being in a restaurant: “We had a great first dinner and afterwards, we met up regularly throughout the year. He also visited our offices at Datashift, which was very nice.”
The Mentorship part of the program encourages professional and personal growth. Camille shares how Taoufik helped her gain confidence: “Before I participated in the 40u40 program, I had imposter syndrome, Taoufik played a role in diminishing it.” Francis also provided some enriching insights to Nico. “I am an action-oriented person, one thing Francis showed me is that sometimes you do not need to decide now, sometimes, you can just wait, and it will get cleared by itself. The second thing I learned is the value of being flexible: Francis showed me his agenda and in three weeks from now, it was open and flexible. I try to do this now as well, which makes me more productive.” The Mentees also discussed the Field Work projects with their Mentors, gaining insightful advice from them. “Taoufik was so interested and enthusiastic, he helped me and my group a lot with our Field Work project”, Camille points out. Nico and Francis also discussed the Field Work projects, as well as other “thoughts, ideas, private things, or society. We could talk about everything, which is something I liked: the topics are not carved in stone,” Nico noted. The strong point of the 40u40 Mentorship is that it focuses on personal growth, development, and impact, rather than on business aspects.
Belgium’s 40 under 40 Supporter Taoufik Amzile started his role as a Mentor last year, with Camille being his first Mentee in the program. This year, he continues his efforts by taking Cohort 2023 Fellow Louis Wouters as a second Mentee.
“My main motivation to step up as a Mentor was the transmission of knowledge and support to the younger generation,” Taoufik says. “What is rewarding about the relationship is that it does go in two ways: Both sides can learn from each other, and I learned a lot from Camille. She opened me to new perspectives and topics I did not know before. It is a bilateral relationship where you support and exchange.”
Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO of UCB, is also a valued 40u40 Supporter who has participated in the Mentorship program since the first year. He shares Taoufik’s sentiment about his part as a Mentor, emphasizing that “very quickly, I realized that mentoring was not just about giving but also about growing myself. I do not even remember one hour of mentoring when I did not feel grateful for the richness of the dialogue and the experience.”
Martine Van den Poel, who is an Executive Leadership Coach at INSEAD, appreciates the two-way road of the Mentorship: “As a Mentor I can share my life and professional experiences and be a ‘sounding’ board for the Mentee who can test his or her ideas and projects. Good Mentors ask a lot of questions to truly understand the Mentee’s context and engage in a co-sharing relationship. There is ‘reverse’ mentoring as the Mentors also learn about the challenges of the younger generation. As an example, I learned a lot about the world of social media from my Mentee, who works in that sector. During the sessions with your Mentee, spread over a year, you will experience a mutual beneficiary and rewarding relationship. You do not need special competences to be a Mentor except an open and non-judgmental mind and your leadership experience.”
Throughout the 40u40 journey, Mentors and Mentees form strong bonds, and these relationships often last beyond the program. Taoufik and Camille are still in contact, as are Nico and Francis. Ismaël Ben-Al-Lal, Alumnus of Cohort 2021 Spring, still meets up regularly with his Mentor, Chris Peeters, the CEO of Elia at the time and now CEO of Bpost Group. When they were paired as Mentor and Mentee in 2021, they immediately connected due to their shared interests and views. Ismaël remembers, “It started with monthly meetings that became more and more open, and it ended up developing into a real friendship. Chris helped me a lot. I find it impressive how he manages his company; he is an incredible person from whom I’ve learned a lot, and I’m still learning from him today.” Chris and Ismaël have become close friends; three years have passed since the Mentorship pair was matched, and the monthly meetings continue to this day. “Chris and I developed a great relationship; we are still in contact, and we even ran a marathon together last month! We both enjoy running and have participated in marathons before. When I told Chris I was doing one in Valencia, he decided to join me,” Ismaël shares.
With 40u40, the Supporters have a unique opportunity to meet young talents who are committed to shaping the future of society, and to connect with other top leaders who share the same drive. Through the 40u40 activities, bridges are built between individuals from different sectors, backgrounds, geographies, and companies in Belgium. Those who join as Supporters at 40u40 can take different roles in the initiative, such as taking part in the selection process of the Cohorts, exchanging ideas during special activities, and sharing a one-on-one Mentorship journey with one of the Fellows. Taoufik Amzile shares his appreciations for the Mentorship aspect, recommending to other Supporters to do it as well: “I highly recommend it, it also does not matter if the Mentee is in the same field as the Mentor, I even recommend getting paired with someone who works in an area one is not familiar with to learn something new, to gain another perspective and to overcome possible biases. Take advantage of this opportunity to engage with someone new. For me, the Mentorship is a rewarding experience I appreciate.” After mentoring five Fellows over the years, Jean-Christophe Tellier lays out where he finds the value of being a Mentor: “For me it is linked to few elements which are unique: it is a safe space where there is no judgment nor bias created by hierarchy or interest, it is an experience of diversity, it is an experience of expressing vulnerability, it is a chance to be surprised and to get other perspectives. And most of all it is about people. 40u40 offers a wonderful opportunity to build a better future by bringing different people together. For the Supporters, engaging actively in this experience will give us some unique insights.”
My Mentor was Francis Blake and I had a great Mentorship experience with him. We became friends very quickly. Francis was very open, he even invited me to his home, and it was also him who often initiated our meetings, which was very thoughtful. We went for walks or had some food somewhere. As a Mentor and Mentee, we discovered each other’s worlds. Francis visited projects or mine, I visited his and learned about what he is doing. He also encouraged me a lot to write my first book. I wasn’t sure about writing it and he played a strong role in reminding me that I do have a voice that deserves to be heard. Once during a walk, he asked about my book and I told him that I’m unsure, he proceeded to encourage me, it helped a lot and the book would not be here without him.
Francis and I are still in contact today, I know his daughter and wife, he met my husband. For me, Francis was a great Mentor because he supported and helped me with my endeavors. This makes a good Mentor, not instructing you on what to do, but helping to find your own path, supporting you in your missions and goals.
