Our industry-leading mentoring programme and technical and professional skills training and workshops are covered by our Career Development initiative.
Mentoring
Ultimately I think it was a shared experience that we all had going through those group mentoring sessions over the period of a couple of months and we all learned a lot and grew together so that was great.
Laali Vadlamani
Principal, KKR
Developing and growing your network is a core principle which runs through Level 20, from our members to our latest cohort of mentors and mentees. We recognise how crucial this is to success in private equity, from deal sourcing to fundraising and managing relationship
Our highly sought after mentoring programme has had a significant impact, with over 1,450 mentees across our one-to-one and group programmes over the past decade. Our international committees facilitate mentoring programmes across Europe, with both mentees and mentors reporting valuable takeaways from the relationship. We see this impact in our retention numbers as 85% of mentees remain in the industry.
OF MENTEES HAVE
SINCE BEEN PROMOTED
OF MENTEES STILL
REMAIN IN THE INDUSTRY
Peer-to-peer networking
The mentoring programme is supported by insight events covering a variety of topics including what it means to be a mentee, the art of effective speaking, networking and building your career.
Professional development
The most important thing you can do is build a constructive set of relationships with people who can grow with you as you progress in your career and who can in turn connect you with other people.
Jenny Dunstan
Partner, 3i Plc and Co-Founder, Level 20
Facilitated by external and industry experts, technical and professional skills training and workshops are also run throughout the year, encouraging members to develop long-standing and close support networks with other women at similar stages in their careers.
Topics include exit readiness, being an effective board member, building resilience, practical AI tips for PE & VC, negotiation skills, multi-generational management, media and communication, and mastering origination. A recent example was our ‘Being Heard’ workshop ran be Speaker Coach Cat Kipling, that you can find out more about here.
Careers portal
The concept of developing and growing your network came full circle in 2025 when we launched the Level 20 Careers Portal, a curated resource hub to support outreach activity across Europe.
Meet the voices of Level 20 mentoring
Ten years ago, I joined Level 20’s first mentoring programme. Since then, I’ve seen a network develop that supports hundreds of women, fosters a culture of collaboration, and has a real impact on the private equity industry. The most rewarding aspect is watching so many pay it forward, strengthening our community and industry as a whole.
NICOLA GRAY
Mentor, UK
The mentoring programme received great support from the French private equity industry, demonstrated by the number of senior men and women offering to become a mentor, and the number of young female professionals who wanted to join.
CAROLINE FOLLÉAS
France Committee Chair
I’ve really enjoyed being a mentor on the group mentoring scheme. We’ve held some really interesting discussions covering a range of topics, aiming to build key skills that will be useful in their future careers.
IMOGEN RICHARDS
Mentor and Former Mentee, UK
Starting the programme, I was looking to meet a senior role model in the private equity space. The number of women in this industry is scarce and meeting someone whose career I can relate to and think “this is someone I could be in five or ten years time” is very valuable. I was looking for technical and practical advice but I also connected on a personal level with my mentor.
ANNE-SOPHIE MOINADE
Mentee, France
Being a mentor has been a rewarding surprise, especially being able to meet such a great group of young women moving up in private equity. My mentee has been very candid and I was able to identify with the issues she brought up: as mentors we’ve gone through some of these challenges earlier in our careers and I could recall and share experiences from my past.
MAITE BALLESTER
Mentor, Spain
I’ve been involved with Level 20 since its inception, and that extends to my involvement in the mentoring programme. I was a mentee in the pilot programme, and the experience was transformational for me. I subsequently became a mentor and have been the Chair of the Level 20 Mentoring Programme since 2018.
ELEANOR MOUNTAIN
Chair Mentoring Programme, UK
I’ve been a mentor several times and I find it to be a valuable experience. It’s always a two-way process: it’s great to be able to help people advance but finding out about the issues that women face in the industry helps to inform our approach and move the work culture in the right direction. It’s highly rewarding and I believe makes you a better leader.
ANDREW SILLITOE
Mentor, UK