AXA Me Anything: I mentor the CEO

Our reverse mentoring scheme gives our colleagues the opportunity to mentor some of our senior leaders and share their skills or experiences. In this edition of AXA Me Anything, we spoke to Mary and Heather about how the reverse mentoring experience has been and how it’s benefitted them both. 

What is your role at AXA, and how long have you been at the company? 
Mary: I’m a Release Coordinator and I’ve been with AXA for 1 year and 9 months. 

Heather: I’m the CEO of AXA Health and I joined in January 2024. I’m very much a newbie! 

What do you do in your current role? 
Mary: I manage the smooth transition of updated and new systems, applications, or services to production environments. 

Heather: I’m accountable for the performance of AXA Health. I set strategy and ensure that our teams effectively deliver our plans. As CEO, I also work to set the right tone and culture to make AXA Health a great place to work. 

You’ve been taking part in our reverse mentoring programme. Why did you want to get involved? 
Mary: I wanted to challenge myself (as I’ve never done anything like this before), put myself out there and discuss my unique and diverse experience at AXA. 

Heather: I want AXA Health to be a great place to work, where people feel they can be themselves in an inclusive and diverse organisation. Reverse mentoring lets me see other people’s perspectives and experiences to make sure I’m in touch with how things really are and see where I can affect the right change. 

What have you learned from forming this mentor relationship? 
Mary: I’ve learned the importance of using my voice, and knowing I have insight to offer people in senior positions because my story is worth telling. There’s so much value in speaking to people who you may not always get the chance to and making sure you’re always checking your own biases. 

Heather: I’ve learned about what Mary faces on a day-to-day basis being a black woman at work, and how her career has been influenced by her background. I’ve also learned what I can focus on as a senior leader to help and support. We also spoke about her perspective on social issues, the media, the recent racism and unrest in the UK and how it’s impacted her life. 

What’s one thing that has surprised you about your mentoring experience? 
Mary: How relatable Heather is! I thought our contrasting experience and levels of seniority wouldn't leave much common ground, but she’s really down to earth.  

Heather: How open and honest people are willing to be when you create an environment of trust. It’s made the experience truly valuable. 

Has reverse mentoring impacted your approach to your work? 
Mary: Taking initiative is key and I’ve continued putting myself out there by taking opportunities as they come, because I never know who I’ll meet or what I’ll gain from it. 

Heather: It has made me much more aware of what our black colleagues face. I’m now proud to be sponsoring our Black Professionals Network and lending them my support as we focus on creating change in retaining and attracting black talent. 
 

What advice would you give to someone considering participating in a reverse mentoring programme? 
Mary: Embrace the butterfly effect, go for opportunities like this, and observe how your path can change course. Be bold and authentic to yourself and, in the same vein, accept people for their authentic self. With authentic interactions there is a lot of social equity to be had. 

Heather: It is really rewarding and insightful. You really start to understand someone else’s lived experience. You see the same situation through an entirely different lens, and this allows you to make change and be mindful. 

If you’d like to join a company where everyone is supported to learn and thrive, keep an eye on our latest vacancies to find a role that’s right for you. Or follow us on LinkedIn to find out more about life at AXA.