Irish Executive Mentoring Program expands to global Irish community

Ireland’s Minister for Diaspora Affairs, Jimmy Deenihan, announced today at the IIBN OpportUnity Conference, in New York, that the Irish Executive Mentoring Program (IEMP) will expand its platform globally. The purpose of the program is to foster engagement and promote the development of new executive and entrepreneur talent in the Irish diaspora.

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The IEMP was launched by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, in New York City in 2012, as a collaboration between the Irish International Business Network (IIBN) and Irish Network NYC (IN-NYC). The increasing demand for program participation led the IIBN to seek out a technology solution allowing for scalability and to connect the global Irish business community.

To achieve their goal, IEMP partnered with Silicon Valley technology firm, Everwise, whose cloud-based technology helps organizations around the world engage and develop community members through mentoring. Partnerships are based on a multi-factor matching process, using data from more than 60,000 historic matches, ensuring they are optimized for success.

“Based on the overwhelming response to the pilot, it was clear that we needed to elevate the program to connect Irish mentors, protégés and entrepreneurs all around the world,” said Colman Lydon, Program Director at IEMP and Vice President at Everwise. “By leveraging modern technology, to promote community engagement, we can match knowledge with need in Ireland and globally, fostering the next generation Irish business leaders.”

Mentors are typically mid- to late-career executives and entrepreneurs, willing to share their experience and guide early- to mid-career counterparts towards accomplishing key professional goals. Protégés are people looking to advance their careers, learn from experience and work towards accomplishing meaningful professional goals to achieve greater success in business. This service is free of charge to Irish executives and entrepreneurs worldwide, including those with an affinity for their Irish ancestry.

The expansion is funded by the Irish Government’s Emigrant Support Program, which supports Irish communities overseas by funding non-profit organizations and projects. Information about the IEMP is available at www.iemp.org.