Celebrating National Mentoring Day
Through the SPP Alumni Mentorship Programme, alumni volunteer their time to share their experience, insights and advice with current students. Mentors and mentees are matched according to their experience, shared interests and goals, and are encouraged to meet at least three times during the academic year, either in person or remotely.
To mark National Mentoring Day, we caught up with two mentor and mentee pairs from the SPP Alumni Mentorship Programme to explore how sharing experience, advice and different perspectives can support the professional development of students and alumni:
Will (Executive MPP, Class of 2017) and Charlotte (MPP/MPA Double Degree – Sciences Po/LSE, Class of 2025)
With a career spanning marine biology and senior roles at Defra and the Home Office, Will sees being a SPP mentor as an opportunity to provide the kind of support he benefited from earlier in his own career. Will’s mentee Charlotte, a recent graduate of the MPP/MPA Double Degree programme with Sciences Po, found the mentorship particularly valuable as she moved from her final year at LSE into the workplace:
“As a mentee, the scheme gave me a space to discuss challenges I faced during my final year at LSE, as a recent graduate, and in my new position, and my mentor’s guidance helped me navigate these different stages more confidently. It also provided me with opportunities to connect with different professionals, exposing me to a variety of career paths and roles and helping me refine my professional goals.”
While the programme is designed primarily to support students, Will highlights how mentors can also benefit from the relationship:
“For mentors, the scheme provides an opportunity to reflect on our own careers, develop coaching and leadership skills, and gain fresh perspectives from the next generation of policy professionals. Every mentoring conversation teaches me something new.”
Dhanusha (Executive MPA, Class of 2025) and Clancy (MPP, Class of 2026)
Dhanusha joined the mentorship programme after graduating from the Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) in 2025. With years of experience in public policy and strategy within Canada’s financial sector, she saw becoming an SPP alumni mentor as a way to give back to the community and support the next generation of policy professionals:
“My EMPA experience with the SPP at LSE was incredibly invaluable, both professionally and personally. It is important to me to ensure that I give back to the SPP community and contribute to the success of new cohorts. Having experience in both the public and private sector, I know that making decisions can sometimes be challenging, specifically when exploring opportunities outside your subject matter or industry. I believe sharing my experiences can provide the insights to help a mentee better engage with their own options and make decisions that work for them.”
Having spent his career in the Australian Public Service, Dhanusha’s mentee Clancy joined SPP’s one-year Master of Public Policy (MPP) programme to sharpen his skills and broaden his perspectives alongside a global cohort. He saw the SPP mentorship scheme as an important complement to his academic and professional development at LSE:
“I saw the mentoring scheme as the third pillar of my SPP experience, sitting alongside the academic theory of the classroom and the practical training of the Professional Skills Accelerator courses.”
“The highlight of the mentorship scheme for me was having a thoughtful and open sounding board for the bigger-picture workplace questions that don’t get covered in class, and can be hard to raise with colleagues.”
Getting involved
The SPP Alumni Mentorship Programme is one of the ways students and graduates can benefit from being a part of LSE’s lifelong alumni community, connecting policy professionals from around the world.
Reflecting on her experience as a mentor, Dhanusha encourages fellow alumni to make the most of those connections:
“One of the best things about the LSE alumni community is the diversity of experiences, perspectives, and career paths it brings together. My advice is to be proactive in building connections, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. Be curious and look for ways to learn from others.”
Learn more about LSE SPP alumni and the SPP mentorship scheme