Become a Digital4Business Mentor

The D4B Mentoring Programme is a structured, one-to-one professional development initiative that connects enrolled D4B students with experienced professionals. It consists of four core online sessions of around one hour each, held over approximately six months. You work with your mentor on the professional goals that matter most to you — whether that is entering the job market, growing in your current role, exploring entrepreneurship, or developing your leadership skills. The programme coordinators support you throughout and can be contacted through the Get in Touch section of the D4B website.

The programme is open to enrolled D4B students who have already passed the Digital Transformation module. This ensures all mentees share a common foundation when entering the programme. To participate, you must be willing to take an active role in the relationship — setting goals, preparing for sessions, and following through on what you discuss.

You can register on the mentoring platform at: https://d4bmentoring-platform.azurewebsites.net/signup. During registration you will be asked to create an account with your email address and a password, upload your CV, select up to three mentoring topics that reflect your current goals, and answer two short open questions about your background and motivation. Once submitted, your profile will be reviewed by the programme team. You will receive a confirmation once your registration has been processed.

skills profile, and your stated goals. You can then see the profiles of your top matches and select a mentor, sending them a request. The mentor reviews your profile and confirms or declines. Contact details are only shared once the match has been confirmed. If for any reason the match is not working, you can raise it with the programme coordinators at any point.

You can choose up to three topics from the following six areas: Entering the Job Market (job search strategy, CV, interview preparation); Career Transitions & Pivots (changing sector, function, or role); Entrepreneurship & Innovation (starting a business, intrapreneurship); Growing in Your Role (advancing, seeking a promotion, increasing visibility); Leadership & Executive Impact (team leadership, strategic thinking, senior credibility); Influencing & Networking (building relationships, personal branding, stakeholder management). Your topic selections are one of the inputs in the matching process. Your specific goals for the cycle are agreed with your mentor in the first session.

The programme includes four core sessions of approximately one hour each, arranged flexibly over around six months. Once the match is confirmed, your mentor will contact you and arrange Session 1 within two weeks. You then agree the channel and the timing of the remaining sessions between you — there is no fixed timetable imposed by the programme. An optional additional conversation may take place where both of you agree it would be useful, but mentors are not expected to provide continuous or unlimited support.

Contact the programme coordinators through the Get in Touch section of the D4B website as soon as possible. Do not wait until the end of the cycle to raise concerns — the earlier you flag an issue, the more options are available to resolve it. Concerns about the match, missed meetings, conduct or data protection are handled confidentially, and you are not expected to resolve them on your own.

D4B is looking for experienced professionals with relevant experience in one or more of the six programme topic areas: Entering the Job Market, Career Transitions & Pivots, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Growing in Your Role, Leadership & Executive Impact, or Influencing & Networking. There is no requirement to have a background specifically in digital transformation or technology. What matters is that you have enough professional experience to offer meaningful, practical perspective in your chosen topic area. Strong interpersonal skills and a genuine interest in supporting others' professional growth are essential. Prior mentoring experience is not required.

Four core online sessions of around one hour each, arranged flexibly with your mentee over approximately six months, plus limited preparation and brief notes. You are asked to respond to your mentee within three business days where possible, and to give at least 24 hours' notice if you need to reschedule. Before your first session you also complete the Mentor Onboarding Masterclass and read the Mentor Handbook.

Your role is to listen, ask thoughtful questions, share relevant professional experience without prescribing decisions, and help your mentee clarify goals, options and practical next steps. In the first session you help them agree one to three realistic goals for the cycle. Mentoring does not include technical training, consultancy, careers services, recruitment, job placement or guaranteed introductions. The handbook includes optional session guides you can use to prepare — you do not need to prepare a curriculum.

Mentoring gives you access to the D4B professional network across European universities and industry partners, and regular updates on D4B events and initiatives. Many mentors also report reverse mentoring benefits — D4B mentees are often working professionals, career changers, managers or entrepreneurs, and the exchange frequently offers fresh perspectives in both directions.

You can register on the mentoring platform at: https://d4bmentoring-platform.azurewebsites.net/signup. During registration you will be asked to create an account, upload your CV, select the topic areas where you feel best placed to offer guidance, and answer two short open questions. Your application is reviewed by the programme team and, where required, by the D4B selection committee. You will be notified of the outcome by email.

Once your application is approved you will receive a confirmation email with the next steps. Before you can be matched, you read the Mentor Handbook and complete the Mentor Onboarding Masterclass. A match is then proposed on the platform based on topics, skills and goals, and mentees can send a request to the mentor they select. You review the proposed profile and confirm or decline — contact details are only shared after you confirm. Once confirmed, you contact your mentee and arrange Session 1 within two weeks.

Yes. Record your sessions on the platform so that the programme can see that mentoring is taking place. Include only basic information: the session date, whether the meeting took place, and the overall objective or agreed next step. Do not record detailed confidential discussion, sensitive personal or health information, allegations, or unnecessary information about your mentee's employer. Where a concern needs to be escalated, contact the programme coordinators separately rather than putting it in a session record.

Contact the programme coordinators through the Get in Touch section of the D4B website. Do so if your mentee does not respond after one follow-up, if meetings are repeatedly missed or the match is not working, if a conflict of interest, conduct, data or safety concern arises, if either of you wishes to close the relationship early, or simply if you are unsure how to handle a situation. You are not expected to resolve welfare, conduct or data-protection issues alone.