April, 2022

Back in April 2022, ExxonMobil and FedEx co-hosted a webinar on coaching, mentorship, and sponsorship – and over 120 people from Synpact partner companies and beyond tuned in. The session broke down the real differences: coaches help you set goals, mentors guide your career, and sponsors literally talk you up when you’re not in the room.

What struck us most? A live poll found that 25% of the attendees didn’t really know what these terms meant, and nearly half had only a fuzzy idea. That’s exactly why cross-industry conversations are so valuable – they help us learn from each other’s experiences and strategies.

During the session, FedEx representatives shared how their company rolled out large-scale mentoring programs across the Asia-Pacific region, pairing hundreds of mentors with mentees. An ExxonMobil leader pointed out that even though half their workforce is women, leadership numbers still lag – so the journey isn’t over. Another senior manager spoke candidly about how sponsorship helped her move across different roles over the years.

Breakout rooms and polls kept things interactive, and participants walked away with fresh ideas to bring back to their own teams. The bottom line? No single company has all the answers, but when we share openly across industries, we all move faster toward real equity.