Strengthening culture, wellbeing, and growth through mentorship
From candid conversations to career-defining encouragement, mentoring helps people feel seen, supported, and ready to grow.
“Sometimes people just need someone in their corner who will listen, ask good questions, and remind them that they're more capable than they think they are.”
Senior HR Business Partner
At Ramboll, we know that our people are the heart of sustainable change. While technical expertise, innovation, and business performance are critical, an organization’s lasting success depends on something more fundamental: human connection. Mentorship helps create connections by bringing people together across teams, disciplines, locations, and career stages. Whether through a formal program or an informal conversation, mentoring relationships can foster knowledge sharing, build confidence, and create a stronger sense of belonging.
Creating connections across the organization
One of the biggest benefits of mentorship is the ability to connect with people who might not otherwise cross paths. Through these relationships, employees gain exposure to different perspectives, experiences, and parts of the business, helping to break down silos and strengthen collaboration across the organization.
“Mentoring naturally creates connections that might not happen otherwise. Just by bringing two people together, you start to build a broader network,” says Andy Clevenger, Director of Water Americas. “And it’s not just the mentees who benefit. Mentors often gain just as much through exposure to fresh perspectives, cultural insights, and a better understanding of how different generations experience work.”
Supporting wellbeing through trust and guidance
Beyond career development, mentoring can play a significant role in employee wellbeing. Having a trusted person to turn to for advice, encouragement, or perspective can make employees feel supported during periods of uncertainty or change.
Sarah Schwartz, Senior HR Business Partner, notes that in her role, she’s often heard employees talk about the importance of having someone they can go to for advice or perspective. Mentorship is just one way to create those connections, and she’s seen it have a positive impact on employee wellbeing.
“Sometimes people just need someone in their corner who will listen, ask good questions, and remind them that they're more capable than they think they are,” Sarah said. “I've seen employees go from questioning whether they're ready for a new challenge to confidently stepping into opportunities they might have passed up before.”
Mentorship also helps to create a psychologically safe space where people can discuss challenges openly. For employees navigating difficult situations or important career decisions, having someone invested in their success can make work feel less isolating and less stressful. Andy added that formal mentoring can provide a forum for asking difficult questions, receiving honest advice, and developing confidence through guided problem-solving.
Mary Helen Wise, Project Engineer and co-lead of Ramboll’s Developing Professional ENG, has had a mentoring relationship for the past several years that she has found not only strengthened her professional relationship with her mentor, but also provided the opportunity to look at her career with a long lens on a regular basis.
“Having a leader in Ramboll who is willing to mentor me has increased my feeling of psychological safety at work and has inspired me to be more active within Ramboll and to feel more confident about my own leadership potential,” says Mary Helen.
When employees feel supported, they are often more engaged, more willing to contribute ideas, and more connected to the organization as a whole.
"It’s not just the mentees who benefit. Mentors often gain just as much through exposure to fresh perspectives, cultural insights, and a better understanding of how different generations experience work."
Director, Water Americas
Driving growth for mentors and mentees
Mentorship is often viewed through the lens of supporting early-career professionals, but its benefits extend across all stages of a career.
Mary Helen added: “Mentorship allows you to get out of the day-to-day and to picture your larger role within the organization. In both sides of the relationship, it allows you to get out of your own shoes, and for the mentor to understand the future of the company and for the mentee to what they can aspire to within the company.”
For mentors, the experience can be equally rewarding. It provides an opportunity to develop coaching and leadership skills while gaining insight into the perspectives and priorities of different generations and career stages. And, perhaps most importantly, it gives leaders the chance to help shape the careers of the next generation.
“When I think back on mentoring relationships from 10-15 years ago, I don't remember the quarterly profits or order book from that time. What I remember are the relationships I built and the careers I had the opportunity to support,” said Andy.
At Ramboll, this connection between mentoring and leadership development is also reflected in structured programs such as Horizon, which are designed to accelerate growth for emerging leaders, directors, and executives. Mentoring is built into the learning journey alongside coaching, leadership assessments, peer learning groups, and real strategic challenges. Through regular conversations with experienced Ramboll leaders, participants can strengthen self-awareness, broaden their perspective on the business, build confidence navigating ambiguity, and expand their networks across markets and geographies. Mentoring is not treated as a standalone activity, but as a practical leadership behavior that helps current and future leaders learn how to listen, challenge, guide, and support others more effectively.
Principal Juliane Baquiran was one of the Horizon program graduates and through the program found a mentor who she says has had profound impact on her life both professionally and personally.
“My mentor gave me confidence when I doubted myself, direction when I felt uncertain, support when I struggled, and honest feedback when I needed to hear difficult truths,” Juliane said. “She became a trusted sounding board, an advocate, and a source of steady encouragement through some of the most pivotal moments in my career.”
Building a culture of belonging
Fostering professional relationships through informal and formal mentoring programs helps create a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow. By fostering meaningful relationships, encouraging knowledge sharing, and creating opportunities for personal and professional development, mentoring strengthens both individual wellbeing and organizational culture.
When organizations create space for those connections to flourish, they do more than develop future leaders. They build stronger teams, more resilient cultures, and workplaces where people can thrive together.
