Mentorship is a two-way street, offering both mentors and mentees the chance to learn and grow together. It’s a relationship grounded in mutual respect, trust, and a shared commitment to personal and professional development.

On October 24, 2024, we hosted an incredible virtual speed mentoring session with 12 mentors (Beyza Ari, Deborah Sgro, Itai Yaffe, Kasia Stoltmann, Kendy Rannenberg, Milyana Mcirdi, Naima Hassan, Neil Metzler, Nik Kraft, Rosanna Sibora, Veronica Forton, Yvette E) and over 30 mentees from around the world. Mentors from the U.S., Switzerland, and Germany joined to support our mentees and share their expertise.

The session opened with presentations from Women in Big Data Global, Women in Big Data Berlin, Women in Big Data Munich, Women in Big Data Geneva, and Women in Big Data NRW.

Following these introductions, our special guest, Naima Hassan, delivered a powerful keynote on the topic “How to Find Your WHY?” Inspired by Simon Sinek’s insights, she highlighted that the most successful organizations and individuals are those who not only know what they do and how they do it but, more importantly, why they do it.

After this inspiring start, mentees had the opportunity to participate in speed mentoring sessions, where they engaged with some of the best leaders in data science, AI, big data-driven solutions, sales, business development, data engineering, partnerships, and more.

The event concluded with an insightful keynote from Neil Metzler, who shared five principles for career development.

A special thanks goes out to:

• Maria Beiner, the product owner of this excellent initiative

• Aliya Boranbayeva, for the great marketing

• Kasia Stoltmann, for bringing together all the speakers, mentors, and orga team

• Alina Florentia Popa, Ann-Katrin B, and Milyana Mcirdi, for their amazing teamwork and support

Without their hard work, this event wouldn’t have been possible.

We’re grateful to the entire team, mentors, and keynote speakers who helped bring this impactful event to life.