THE HEROES OF TODAY - MENTORS
"Not all heroes wear capes" - one perfect example of such heroes are our program's mentors. Who are those mysterious people, who guide and help young girls to achieve their goals and run successful projects? Keep on reading to find out!
Piret Luts
|Who are you and what is your superpower?
My name is Piret Luts, and I am the Head of Talent Acquisition @Nortal. My everyday job is to support our organization's growth. My team and I focus on bringing in new talented employees and keeping our talent brand attractive through our day-to-day activities.
Recruitment is my passion and has already been for several years.
It's not just the job of finding the right people, but also helping people find the perfect fit for them. Would it be the mission in their life, changing careers, meeting the best team fit, or something else.
|What is the role of a mentor in the Future Heroes program?
As a mentor, you help the young people to understand themselves- show them that everything is possible through hard work and others' support if you want to achieve something.
As the program is quite intensive, it is also important to pay close attention to mental health. It is the first time they go through this kind of topics for lots of girls and build collaboration with a bigger group. It can feel intimidating, and everything is not clear from the first explanation, so the mentor's role here is crucial. So it's not only on the group level but also building personal relationships with each team member.
It will also give so much back to you as a mentor to see those young minds grow and build something that is important for them. It is once in a lifetime opportunity to see them blossom through this program, build lifelong friendships, and lay the foundation of their future careers.
My name is Piret Luts, and I am the Head of Talent Acquisition @Nortal. My everyday job is to support our organization's growth. My team and I focus on bringing in new talented employees and keeping our talent brand attractive through our day-to-day activities.
Recruitment is my passion and has already been for several years.
It's not just the job of finding the right people, but also helping people find the perfect fit for them. Would it be the mission in their life, changing careers, meeting the best team fit, or something else.
|What is the role of a mentor in the Future Heroes program?
As a mentor, you help the young people to understand themselves- show them that everything is possible through hard work and others' support if you want to achieve something.
As the program is quite intensive, it is also important to pay close attention to mental health. It is the first time they go through this kind of topics for lots of girls and build collaboration with a bigger group. It can feel intimidating, and everything is not clear from the first explanation, so the mentor's role here is crucial. So it's not only on the group level but also building personal relationships with each team member.
It will also give so much back to you as a mentor to see those young minds grow and build something that is important for them. It is once in a lifetime opportunity to see them blossom through this program, build lifelong friendships, and lay the foundation of their future careers.
Irina Kuzina
|Who are you and what is your superpower?
I am Irina and I am working at Telia. I started as a PR and Communication Manager and was working at a PR team for 5 years. Last summer I decided to change the angle of my work and now I am a Marketing Manager.
As for my superpower, I think this is the readiness to discover something new inside myself, people around me, opportunities that life is giving. And being a mentor in the program is one of those discoveries.
|Why is it important to have a mentor in the program?
It is crucial to have a mentor in the Future Heroes program to support young girls, because these active, smart, daring and passionate young people are able to make this world better. And I feel happy to be part of it.
Besides that, I am also a mentor in a program called Telia TechGirls, where I aim to encourage girls to choose ICT as their future field and to be more self-confident in their abilities, talents and power.
I am Irina and I am working at Telia. I started as a PR and Communication Manager and was working at a PR team for 5 years. Last summer I decided to change the angle of my work and now I am a Marketing Manager.
As for my superpower, I think this is the readiness to discover something new inside myself, people around me, opportunities that life is giving. And being a mentor in the program is one of those discoveries.
|Why is it important to have a mentor in the program?
It is crucial to have a mentor in the Future Heroes program to support young girls, because these active, smart, daring and passionate young people are able to make this world better. And I feel happy to be part of it.
Besides that, I am also a mentor in a program called Telia TechGirls, where I aim to encourage girls to choose ICT as their future field and to be more self-confident in their abilities, talents and power.
Marju Sokman
|Who are you and what is your superpower?
I'm Marju, the head of marketing and communications of Workland, the most inspiring coworking space in the Baltics.
I believe my superpower is marketing and brand management with behavioural science touch. I keep looking at the bigger picture and checking in by asking the question why are we doing what we are doing? I'm passionate about the new world improving ideas and projects made with love, this is why mentoring in the Future Heroes program is so rewarding.
|What is the best part of being a mentor?
Remember when you did something really extraordinary for the first time? It probably was exciting, a bit frightening and even overwhelming from time to time. Mentoring a diverse group of young ladies lets you experience a bit of that thrill, emphasizing the importance of keeping „a beginners mind" and discovering unfathomable ways to tackle the obstacles on the path to the valley of success.
I'm Marju, the head of marketing and communications of Workland, the most inspiring coworking space in the Baltics.
I believe my superpower is marketing and brand management with behavioural science touch. I keep looking at the bigger picture and checking in by asking the question why are we doing what we are doing? I'm passionate about the new world improving ideas and projects made with love, this is why mentoring in the Future Heroes program is so rewarding.
|What is the best part of being a mentor?
Remember when you did something really extraordinary for the first time? It probably was exciting, a bit frightening and even overwhelming from time to time. Mentoring a diverse group of young ladies lets you experience a bit of that thrill, emphasizing the importance of keeping „a beginners mind" and discovering unfathomable ways to tackle the obstacles on the path to the valley of success.
Anna-Liisa Reinson
|Who are you and what is your superpower?
I am Anna-Liisa and currently building e-Residency as a product and its product team. What we do is basically finding ways in which we could help people around the world start and run their own businesses by letting them use Estonia's almost fully digital Government systems. Activities such as giving digital signatures with your ID card, starting a company online or paying taxes in 5 minutes - these are things that you and I currently have as a normal part of life, but they are not as easy or not available at all in many parts of the world. So, together with my team, we build technology that saves people from bureaucracy and mind-numbing repetitive tasks to give them more time to use their creativity instead!
My superpower is my team.
|What is the most valuable lesson you've learnt from being a mentor?
I've learnt so much that it is difficult to choose just one! However, the first one that comes to mind is that whatever you do, you should do it only when you are personally invested and passionate about it. Do it with a team that feels the same as you. This is the only way you can push through the hard times when it seems impossible to go on.
Marju Mägi
|Who are you and what is your superpower?
I am a strategic analyst and project manager in IT.
My superpower is to bring the current situation to a new level and support my decisions with collective know-how and data.
|What is the Future Hero like?
Future Hero has an adaptive attitude. Someone who is adjusting itself to market needs and is eager to develop constantly. Future Hero will never be ready and complete, instead its lifestyle is fuelled by curiosity.
Reimo Raja
|Who are you and what is your superpower?
Helping to spread the message of how to make Estonia more secure. I'm working as a communications manager at the security company G4S Estonia.
|What is your advice to people who would want to become a hero?
Everyone can be a hero, but don't try to save the whole world at once and alone. Find good people around you who share your aspiration and try to find a very specific problem to solve.
Helping to spread the message of how to make Estonia more secure. I'm working as a communications manager at the security company G4S Estonia.
|What is your advice to people who would want to become a hero?
Everyone can be a hero, but don't try to save the whole world at once and alone. Find good people around you who share your aspiration and try to find a very specific problem to solve.
Mario Karu
|Who are you and what is your superpower?
I am Mario, I have been working throughout my career with IT, being a business person with crazy ideas to change the landscape. Currently I am working in the product innovation area figuring out how to create more value for customers in the mobile banking area.
I think from early on in my work life I discovered my superpower was creating structure in chaos...connecting the dots...creating logical frameworks. This is why I joined as a mentor for Future Heroes, to guide young minds with far-reaching ideas. Helping them learn how to transform these ideas into executable plans.
|What would you say to people who are doubting in applying to the Future Heroes program?
When you first found out about the Future Heroes program, did it spark something in your head? Was it an idea you have always had but never did anything with it? Or was it a feeling "I want to be a part of something like this"? Or was it curiocity or even fear of missing out? Doesn't matter if you don't have an idea, doesn't matter if you don't think you could materialize your idea just sign up and come on the journey. Trust me you will learn so many new skills, you will discover new things about yourself, you might make new friends and on top of all that you will be helping build great ideas into existence.
I am Mario, I have been working throughout my career with IT, being a business person with crazy ideas to change the landscape. Currently I am working in the product innovation area figuring out how to create more value for customers in the mobile banking area.
I think from early on in my work life I discovered my superpower was creating structure in chaos...connecting the dots...creating logical frameworks. This is why I joined as a mentor for Future Heroes, to guide young minds with far-reaching ideas. Helping them learn how to transform these ideas into executable plans.
|What would you say to people who are doubting in applying to the Future Heroes program?
When you first found out about the Future Heroes program, did it spark something in your head? Was it an idea you have always had but never did anything with it? Or was it a feeling "I want to be a part of something like this"? Or was it curiocity or even fear of missing out? Doesn't matter if you don't have an idea, doesn't matter if you don't think you could materialize your idea just sign up and come on the journey. Trust me you will learn so many new skills, you will discover new things about yourself, you might make new friends and on top of all that you will be helping build great ideas into existence.
