Our industry leading mentoring programme supports the progression of women working in private equity and venture capital and is highly sought after.
Being a mentor Ella Mountain & Andrew Sillitoe talk through their experience of mentorship
Sharing experience
Level 20 mentoring creates a powerful two-way relationship. For mentees, both 1-to-1 and group programmes offer a vital space beyond their daily work environment to explore career development with seasoned mentors who bring real-world insights across professional and personal dimensions.
For mentors – our diverse mix of female and male industry leaders — the programme provides equally valuable perspectives on the unique challenges faced by women in the industry, enhancing their leadership capabilities and creating genuine opportunities for mutual growth.
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.
Structure
The programme runs for 12 months, and mentees and mentors meet every six to eight weeks. Programme participation prioritises deal professionals, with opportunities in some chapters for investor relations, value creation, ESG and portfolio management roles.
Careers portal
In 2025, we also launched a careers portal to support outreach activity across Europe.
Measuring our impact
Aggregated analysis across 1-to-1 mentoring programmes in DACH, France, Italy, Netherlands, Nordics, Spain and the UK, 2015-2023, reveals that:
125
FIRMS HAVE PROVIDED MENTORS
9
PROGRAMMES
1450 +
mentees across Level 20’s
mentoring programmes
OF MENTEES HAVE
SINCE BEEN PROMOTED
OF MENTEES STILL
REMAIN IN THE INDUSTRY
Growing to meet demand
The programme currently operates across all chapters in Europe with 366 participants in mentoring programmes 2024/25.
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