Your EDGE program
Providing women with at least two years’ work experience with mentoring, advocacy and skills development to break into investment management
Let’s launch your dream investing career!
Congratulations on seizing this incredible opportunity to invest in yourself and your career.
Over the next six months, you’ll meet monthly with your mentor, building a strong relationship that will be the cornerstone of your growth. Below, you’ll find themes, resources and conversation starters carefully curated to guide these sessions.
Think of this program portal as your virtual workbook, where you’ll find everything you need to guide you each month. Below are the content and resources you need to prepare for your monthly mentoring session, as well as conversation starters designed to get the conversation going.
Under the heading ‘Monthly mentoring sessions,’ you’ll find an overview of each mentoring session topic. If you scroll a bit further by clicking the arrows under the heading ‘Your EDGE session topics‘, you’ll find all the material you’ll need for each mentoring session.
The Future IM/Pact team is also here to provide ongoing support through regular check-ins and on-demand assistance. Never hesitate to reach out – we’re here to champion you every step of the way.
The go-to program for career women who want the support, access and development opportunities needed to strengthen their appeal as future investment talent as they pursue their dream career in front-office investing.
Monthly mentoring sessions
In this first session, all mentorship pairs will come together in a collective virtual session with Future IM/Pact founder Yolanda Beattie to set the scene for a meaningful and productive program.
Now that you’ve established a solid foundation, it’s time to dive into the heart of this mentoring program: constructing an investment thesis.
In this session, you’ll explore the power of curiosity, its role in understanding markets, and how to harness it to fuel your passion for investing.
In this session, you’ll explore risk management strategies andlearnhow to mitigate potential pitfalls in your investment approach.
In this session, you’ll hone your communication skills, learn to craft compelling narratives, and overcome common hurdles like public speaking fear and imposter syndrome.
In this session, you’ll explore the inner game of investing, focusing on resilience, adaptability, and the mindset needed to thrive in a dynamic market environment.
Monthly mentoring session topics and reading material
In this first session, all mentorship pairs will come together in a collective virtual session with Future IM/Pact founder, Yolanda Beattie, to set the scene for a meaningful and productive program. You and your mentor will also have a chance to break off on your own to get to know each other, sharing stories, backgrounds, and interests. By building strong rapport early on and understanding the expectations of the program, you’ll lay the groundwork for a trusting and mutually beneficial relationship.
Preparing for your session
To ensure a great first session, please consider what you’d like to get out of this program and complete any preparatory work.
Below are a few great tools, resources and conversation starters to get your head in the game.
Resources
- Career strategy workbook: This hands-on workbook offers insights and practical exercises to help you craft a 5-year career strategy. You’ll be guided to explore your purpose, reflecting on work you enjoyed or didn’t in the past, and connecting to your present and future vision. We highly recommend you complete this workbook before your first mentoring session to gain more clarity on the career you want, the impact you wish to have and how to achieve it.
- Keystone conversations: Here’s another great tool to get you thinking about how you and your mentor can best work together. By both parties reflecting on past work or mentoring relationships through the 5 key questions in this document, you’ll be prepared to discuss expectations from the get go.
- The three big myths of mentoring: This is a great episode of Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast that covers the science of what makes a great mentoring relationship and how to build a strong bond.
- How to build a great relationship with a mentor: This Harvard Business Review article provides tips and ideas for establishing a strong and mutually rewarding mentoring relationship.
- Review investment case studies: At the heart of this program, you’ll select an investment case study and build an investment thesis around it. You’ll start working with your chosen case study in your second mentoring session, but it would be worth reviewing the options so you have an idea of the kind of investment you’d like to focus on.
- Financial modelling: An essential skill for all aspiring investors is strong financial modelling, and you’ll need these skills when developing your investment thesis throughout this program. Read this article on the Future IM/Pact website for a good overview of what financial modelling is, and ways you can hone your skills if they are not quite up to scratch.
Conversation starters
Here are a few questions to get you thinking about what you’d like to discuss in your first session:
- What inspired you to pursue a career in investment management?
- What has been your career journey to date? What’s the next step for you?
- What are some of the highs and lows of your career so far?
- Was there a pivotal moment or mentor that shaped your approach to investing?
- Have you ever made a bad call and how did you deal with that?
- How do you maintain work-life balance in such a demanding industry?
- What are your interests or hobbies outside of work
- I’m interested in the x case study, do you have experience in that sector or investment class?
- Do you have any suggestions for courses or content to help me upskill in the areas of <financial modelling, analysis, understanding markets, presentation skills, etc>?
Now that you’ve established a solid foundation, it’s time to dive into the heart of this mentoring program: constructing an investment thesis. It’s likely your mentor won’t be familiar with your chosen case study so you need to drive this work and ask them for pointed feedback.
Preparing for your session
To ensure you make the most of this time, use the resources below to familiarise yourself with the basics of an investment thesis. If you don’t have any experience with financial modelling, it’s time to teach yourself by completing an online course.
Resources
- What on earth is an investment thesis? This article provides a good overview of the components of an investment thesis and ideas to inform your recommendations.
- How to prepare an investment thesis: Read this article on the Future IM/Pact website for tips and steps involved in developing an investment thesis.
- What is an investment thesis: 3-part podcast series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3: This great series from Equity Mates will talk you through what an investment thesis is, why it matters, how to develop one and mistakes and pitfalls to avoid.
- Best news and social media sites to follow: Staying up to date with the latest market news and insights is crucial for all aspiring investors and will spark ideas for your own investment thesis. Here’s a list of recommended news outlets, social media accounts and insightful blogs to inspire and inform you.
Conversation starters
- What are the key factors you consider when developing an investment thesis?
- How do you identify promising investment opportunities?
- Can you share specific strategies for researching and analysing investments?
- What are some common mistakes to avoid when developing an investment thesis?
- How do you assess the risks associated with an investment opportunity?
- What criteria do you use to evaluate the potential return on investment?
Curiosity drives innovation and discovery in the world of investment management, and it’s one of the top qualities hiring managers look for when interviewing candidates. In this session, you’ll explore the power of curiosity, its role in understanding markets, and how to harness it to fuel your passion for investing.
Preparing for your session
This is a great session to throw around interesting ideas and different perspectives you’ve come across in relation to your investment thesis. Being curious about markets, companies, and emerging trends can help you identify opportunities that others might overlook. Have fun with it – the more left field, the better! Do your own research and tap into the resources below for more inspiration.
Resources
- Skills that separate you as an investment manager: Curiosity: Read this great blog from CFA on the benefits of curiosity for investors and how to cultivate more curiosity.
- Curiosity – Bad for cats. Good for workers: Listen to this interesting podcast episode from This Working Life all about the science and research into curiosity and ways you can be and feel more curious in your career and life.
- Eight top female fundies share their best investment advice: Read this AFR article to learn from top female investors who are passionate and curious about markets and the industry, including Kellie Wood from our partner firm Schroders.
- How to demonstrate your curiosity and passion for markets: Read this Future IM/Pact article for tips and practical ideas on how to impress investors and potential employers with your passion and deep curiosity about markets.
Conversation starters
- What topic are you most curious about right now? How do you satisfy that curiosity?
- What’s your learning process or habit? How do you constantly feed your mind to stay curious and continuously learn about markets and investment opportunities?
- When has curiosity led you to a significant investment insight or opportunity?
- What role does passion play in your investment approach, and how do you ensure it doesn’t cloud your judgement?
- What specific qualities or behaviours do you/organisations look for as indicators of genuine passion and curiosity in candidates for investment roles?
- Who are your investing heroes, and why?
Every investment carries inherent risks; effective risk management is essential for long-term success. In this session, you’ll explore risk management strategies and learn how to mitigate potential pitfalls in your investment approach.
Preparing for your session
When preparing for this session, consider all the potential risks associated with your investment recommendations. Consider market volatility, company-related risks, ESG, compliance with regulatory regulations, and global impacts. This is your opportunity to explore potential risks you can foresee and learn a little more about your mentor’s risk profile and your own appetite for risk.
Resources
- What is risk management in finance, and why is it important? This Investopedia article provides a great overview of risk management, including different types, techniques, and the psychology of risk mitigation.
- How to minimise risk when investing: This great episode from Equity Mates: You’re in Good Company podcast explores risk and risk tolerance and how they impact investment decisions with guest investor Sarah King from Stockpot.
- Common methods of measurement for investment risk management: Another good Investopedia article explaining common measurements and categories of risk.
- A practical guide to risk management: This comprehensive risk management guide from the Research Foundation of CFA Institute covers everything you need to know about risk management and measurement.
Conversation starters:
- What specific risk are you currently alert to within one of your investments?
- How are you managing that risk?
- Can you share a time when proactive risk management saved an investment from losing money or reduced the decline in returns?
- How do you or your fund balance risk and reward in your investment decisions or across the portfolio?
- How are you or the fund currently adapting risk management strategies in response to evolving global market conditions and geopolitical developments?
Effective communication is key to conveying your investment thesis with clarity and conviction. In this session, you’ll hone your communication skills, learn to craft compelling narratives and overcome common hurdles like public speaking fears and imposter syndrome.
Preparing for your session:
By this session you’ll have a good handle on your investment thesis and will now be preparing your presentation to industry. This is likely both exciting and daunting as you’ll be promoting your recommendations and your potential as an investor. Use this session to practice your presentation with your mentor. And then practice it again after the session, over and over.
Resources:
- Communicating with impact workbook: This hands-on workbook offers insights and practical exercises to help you communicate with confidence and clarity. You’ll be guided to explore your mindset and negative thought patterns, better understand cues and signalling, and how to prepare for a high stakes communication.
- To overcome your fear of public speaking, stop thinking about yourself: This Harvard Business Review article looks at the evolutionary science of why most of us hate public speaking and how a perspective shift and working with our brain chemistry will help us overcome our fears.
- Presentation skills for investment professionals: Watch this recorded CFA Institute presentation that provides great tips for preparing and executing impactful investment presentations.
- Investor pitching: How to communicate with more confidence: This article and embedded video has some great tips for preparing a presentation, knowing your audience, overcoming imposter syndrome, and anticipating the curly questions.
- Nine ways women can overcome imposter syndrome: Read this Forbes article to help you overcome any lingering doubts that you’re not up to the challenge of presenting your investment thesis. You can do it. You’re amazing!
Conversation starters:
- What do you believe the key is to great communication?
- How do you structure your investment thesis presentations to ensure clarity and audience engagement?
- How do you handle challenging questions or objections during presentations or pitches?
- Can you share a time when you messed up an important presentation? What did you learn, and how did you recover?
- What about a time when you nailed a presentation? What made it great, and how do you repeat your success?
- What strategies do you use to maintain confidence and composure during high-stakes presentations or pitches?
- What advice do you have for navigating the nuances of communication in the male-dominated investment industry?
- Have you experienced imposter syndrome? How did you overcome it?
Beyond technical skills, cultivating the right mindset is crucial for success in investment management. In this session, you’ll explore the inner game of investing, focusing on resilience, adaptability, and the mindset needed to thrive in a dynamic market environment.
Preparing for your session:
In your last monthly mentoring session of the program, you’ll get to dive into the juicy questions around ego, mindset and the impact our personality and thought processes can have on our investment decision-making and stakeholder interactions. Be sure to review and engage with the resources below so you can expand your mind and master your inner game.
Resources:
- Mastering your inner game: This jam-packed article from Future IM/Pact founder Yolanda Beattie delves into the inner game of investing and how our ego, mindset, and identity shape who we are and how we show up in the world. Explore the different theories of personality, internal trust and reward systems, and tools to help us dig deep and unlock our greatest potential.
- Clarity 4D quiz: Take the 20-minute quiz on the Clarity 4D website to learn a little more about yourself and your personality preferences. Clarity 4D generates insights based on your preferences for gathering information, making decisions, and responding to situations, which are then translated into four ‘colour energies’. Once you’ve done the quiz, you can explore what your colour energies mean in the Inner Game Workbook below. It’s fascinating stuff—give it a go.
- Your Inner Game Workbook: This hands-on workbook will help you explore your inner game and shift self-limiting beliefs that may hold you back. The practical exercises prompt you to think deeply about your thoughts, behaviours, and identity and open up different perspectives about yourself and your worldview. It can be challenging and confronting, but it is absolutely worth it for the insights and personal growth it offers.
- Leading above the line: Listen to this great episode from The Knowledge Project podcast where Jim Dethmer, founder of The Conscious Leadership Group, shares practical advice about becoming more self-aware, leading from above the line, trust and connection in work and life.
Conversation starters
- What role does mindset play in your career?
- What practices, routines or tools do you use to become more self-aware and nurture a skilful investor mindset?
- How do you maintain focus and discipline during periods of market volatility or uncertainty?
- How do you overcome failure and setbacks? Do you have any examples?
- How do you recognise when your ego or unconscious beliefs influence your investment decisions, and what steps do you take to mitigate this?
- How do you navigate and diffuse interpersonal conflicts or drama at work?
- What strategies do you and your team employ to identify and manage issues such as cognitive bias or groupthink when making investment decisions?
Mentors provided by the following organisations
Have questions about your mentoring experience?
If you need to chat with us about your program experience, mentor or investment case, book a call with Laila.