Women@Dior is an international mentoring and educational programme that coaches and encourages thousands of young women across the world to reach for their career destiny.
The programme is built on five core values: self-awareness, autonomy, inclusion, creativity and sustainable development. Over 200 participants are selected from the best business, engineering, art and fashion schools spanning more than 25 different countries such as France, China, Kenya, Brazil, Iran and the United Kingdom to name a few.
Throughout the year-long educational agenda, the mentees are trained by inspiring Dior leaders and stakeholders on several key themes such as gender equality and women’s leadership for a sustainable future – all focused on developing the talented female leaders of tomorrow.
Joining the programme
Prior to joining the MSc Strategic Marketing programme at Imperial College Business School, I became aware of the Women@Dior programme and was eager to join the upcoming cohort. I discovered the programme via the Business School’s online blog, I read stories by previous participants and was inspired by the experiences they shared.
The opportunity to be mentored by a Dior leader (individually paired based on common and complementary strengths), who would guide me throughout the year, alongside the chance to network with like-minded women from across the world, Women@Dior was a programme I wanted to be a part of. Not to mention the exclusive opportunity to attend an event with Dior in Paris at the conclusion of the programme.
An invitation-only programme, Women@Dior participants are selected based on three criteria: talent, ambition and generosity. To apply, students are first asked to submit applications directly to their university – lucky for us, Imperial College Business School is a Dior Partner University.
The Careers team at the Business School invited students to send an initial CV and cover letter outlining our motivations for joining the programme. Preliminary selection was then carried out by the university and successful applicants’ details were forwarded to Dior’s HR team.
Next, a 20-minute video interview was held with two team members at Dior. A week later, I was formally invited to join the programme – I was elated! A milestone achieved; I am excited for the year ahead.
This year, eight Imperial College Business School students were selected across a range of programmes – the largest group to be selected in a single year!
Check more details at official website
