One Common Thread: Great Mentors

All three young risk managers who spoke with NU cited a common influence on their careers: a mentor who helped to show them the ropes.

“I was fortunate to have a mentor at my job—the woman who was my supervisor at Turner,” says Jennifer Matthews, director of risk management at Home Box Office, who began her career at Turner Broadcasting.

After Turner Broadcasting purchased New Line Cinema and Castle Rock Entertainment, the company needed people in risk management to be on the West Coast.

“So I moved into entertainment and relocated,” Matthews recalls. “[My mentor] took me under her wing, and we moved out here at the same time and set up the office.”

Dequan Walker's mentor, Chris Oddy, the COO of Marsh's Global Employee Benefits Practice, has looked out for Walker since he joined Oddy's group, where he is assistant vice president and business analyst.

“He has taken a definite interest in my career and my development,” says Walker. “I can say that without out the mentorship I have received, I probably would not have been as successful in this position.”

Jessica Maldonado, director of ERM at Centerline Capital Group, adds: “I would not have gotten where I did in my insurance career had I not had the mentor that I did. It was somebody who saw opportunity for me from the day I started doing reception work and spent the time to give me guidance.

“When you start to see clients, you need constructive feedback and you need someone who is not afraid to give it.

“You don't always get that,” Maldonado observes. “People are afraid to say, 'you could have done a better job—let me help you understand how.'”