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Enthusiastic female high school students filled the ballroom of the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort this summer to celebrate another successful year of accomplishments in the GirlForce100 youth mentoring programme.

The afternoon event featured an interactive panel on career interviewing skills and highlighted the importance of authenticity, personal brand and effective preparedness. The panel was moderated by CEO of Ramp'd Consulting and Co-Chair of GirlForce 100, Kelly Sage and included local HR experts Jacqueline Terry, VP Human Resources, Butterfield Bank (Cayman) and Co-Chair of GirlForce100; Anjuli Muttoo, Senior HR Business Partner – Early Careers, Maples Group; and DeAnn Blackman, Manager Local Talent Development and Corporate Citizenship, KPMG.

With over 125 mentor and mentee pairings in the 2022/23 career-mentoring year, GirlForce100 has elevated from strength to strength. The past year brought new milestones for programme mentees, with many who joined GirlForce100 in Year 7 now receiving scholarships and/or local internships in their chosen fields.

Earlier this year, the programme also received a visit from Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who serves as 100 Women in Finance's Global Ambassador for the Investing in the Next Generation Initiatives. The Duchess was guest of honour at the inaugural Cayman Islands First Impressions dinner hosted by 100 Women in Finance at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, which invited Girlforce100 mentees to bring their parent figures to a career-focused panel and dinner.

The mentees were recognised for their participation in the GirlForce100's virtual webinars, offered in partnership with Connect by Nova, which addressed topics like coping with burnout and resume preparation. The mentees also attended motivational workshops and enjoyed a visit from International Women's Rugby Superstar Shaunagh Brown, at the screening of acclaimed documentary No Woman No Try, which highlights the field of women's international rugby and the excellence of female players.

Christina Bodden, Partner at the Maples Group and a global board member of 100 Women in Finance, notes that these programmes are crucial for female students, both in and beyond the finance industry. "GirlForce100 develops confidence, provides career opportunities and builds powerful peer networks. This academic year saw our original mentees achieve career goals they originally set for themselves. The volunteer operating committee uses a holistic approach to help female students gain exposure to careers in finance and to offer much-needed support through career mentorship."

GirlForce100 will be recruiting new mentees for the 2023/2024 career-mentoring year as of 1 September 2023.

If you or someone you know is interested in participating in GirlForce100, or for more information, please email Florence Jones at florence@100women.org or follow us @girlforce100cayman on Instagram.