Beyond Mentorship: The Power of Sponsorship

Good advice can help you prepare for an opportunity. Sponsorship can change whether you are considered for it.

Thursday, 5 November 2026
12:00 to 13:30 CET
Live on Zoom

Register through here to receive your Zoom joining details or get the replay if you can not make it for the live session.

When appointments, promotions and strategic assignments are discussed, whose name enters the conversation? Who makes the case for someone’s readiness? And who remains overlooked, despite having the capability to contribute?

Beyond Mentorship: The Power of Sponsorship brings together executives, HR decision makers and current or prospective sponsors to explore how advocacy translates into access, visibility and career progression.

Hosted by Global Wo.Men Hub and moderated by executive advisor Helena Demuynck, this live panel brings together three perspectives: the sponsor who uses their influence, the person whose career has been shaped by sponsorship, and the HR decision maker concerned with talent, succession and organisational practice.

Together, we will explore:

• What distinguishes sponsorship from mentorship, encouragement and informal support.
•  What sponsors actually do, including opening doors, advocating for appointments and putting their credibility behind someone.
• How trust and readiness develop within a sponsorship relationship.
• How organisations can broaden access to sponsorship without reproducing familiar networks or favouritism.
•  What executives and HR decision makers can do to turn good intentions into meaningful opportunities.

The discussion will consider the barriers leaders can encounter while keeping the wider question in view: how do we recognise and advocate for talent beyond the people already closest to power?

Join us for practical experience, honest discussion and audience questions. Whether you influence succession decisions, lead a team or want to become a more intentional sponsor, you will leave with clearer ways to use your influence.