Video, above, shown at the event: Mowgli mentee Lubna explains how her mentor helped her.
On the evening of 21 February 2012, the Mowgli Foundation, a Bristol-based charity, held an ‘Entrepreneur’s Jam’ event for the local business leaders who took part in Mowgli’s flagship South West business mentoring programme. The event saw an evening of networking, sharing and learning, kindly hosted by the Radisson Blu hotel at Broad Quay, Bristol.
The evening event was held to celebrate the first month of a year-long mentoring programme for 24 participating South West businessmen and women, who took part in the Mowgli pilot programme in January 2012. The Mowgli Foundation CEO, Ian McKay, also announced at the event the dates of the next Mowgli programme in the South West region, which will be from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 March 2012.
Keynote speaker and inspirational Bristol entrepreneur Jon Penn, who chairs two local ACE (Academy for Chief Executives) groups as well as being MD of Caption Data Ltd, entertained attendees with an account of his own journey and challenges as an entrepreneur as the MD of several successful enterprises. The evening continued with informal networking and drinks. Attendees included present and future Mowgli entrepreneurs and mentors, and representatives of other local organisations such as GWE Business West and UWE Ventures.
Ian McKay, CEO of the Mowgli Foundation, opened the event by thanking the 12 mentors for giving their time to the 12 entrepreneurs who were selected to take part in January. He also announced that the Mowgli Foundation is now screening applicants for the next programme in March 2012, both mentors and entrepreneurs, and encouraged attendees to spread the word of the opportunity to be involved. Christopher Peach, General Manager of the Radisson Blu, was also on hand to welcome the guests and lend his support to the Mowgli South West initiative. Ian Lawry, Mowgli mentee and CEO of the Wellspring Health Centre (see photograph below) said, “My mentor is already helping to shape and guide my thinking about how our charity develops. I feel very confident that the time that I spend with my mentor over the next year will enable the charity to grow and become more efficient- now I have someone outside the organisation.”
Jon Penn, keynote speaker, Academy for Chief Executives and MD of Caption Data, said:
“It was a privilege to talk to the Mowgli guests and alumni. Entrepreneurship has such a vital role to play in society and is so very important to the people involved, and yet is such a high risk endeavour. The mentoring partnerships created by Mowgli undoubtedly reduce the risks for the entrepreneurs and increase the probabilities of their success.”
Christopher Peach, General Manager of the Radisson Blu, said:
“We are delighted to help support this exciting event with the Mowgli Foundation at the hotel and are really pleased to be involved with such a great project to support mentors and entrepreneurs in the South West. These people are our future and we should encourage these visions and enthusiasm to succeed, particularly through these difficult times. We wish every success to those chosen to take part with this scheme and to the future of the Mowgli Foundation.”
Ian McKay, Mowgli Foundation CEO said:
“We’re extremely pleased with the high quality of entrepreneurs from Bristol, Bath and Somerset who took the opportunity to take part in the Mowgli Mentoring Experience, and hope that we can get an equally good group of mentors and entrepreneurs together in March. We’d like to thank all our participants for their commitment and enthusiasm for the Mowgli South West project, as well as the Radisson Blu for their generous support for this event.”
Alicja Turner- Mowgli, and Ian Lawry, Wellspring Health Centre and Mowgli mentee
