"The mentorship programme was the best thing that could happen to me during my studies"
"The mentorship programme was the best thing that could happen to me during my studies! Our personalities matched from the first meeting, and Millie could immediately pinpoint my challenges. Since then, our journey has only continued. I still call her for advice or just to bounce ideas. It feels like Millie is my mentor for life," says Bardy, who was Ahlskog's first mentee in 2015.
The reason Bardy applied to the programme as a mentee was that she felt a bit lost when she was about to graduate from Hanken.
"It's a great opportunity to talk to someone who has experience from working life and can provide guidance. After each meeting with Millie, I left with focus and perspective," says Bardy.
Ahlskog explains that she wanted to become a mentor to challenge herself and, above all, to help young people.
"When I graduated, there was nothing like this. I would have loved to have had similar support because you can have a lot of questions and challenges at that stage of life."
Time to give back
Ahlskog has now been a mentor six times in total, and Bardy has already been a mentor three times. Bardy chose to become a mentor thanks to her own positive experiences as a mentee.
"I felt it was time for me to give back, and it has been great fun! The best thing about being a mentor is that all mentees are so different, even though they are all in the final stages of their studies. I learn a lot from them and about myself," says Bardy.
Hanken alumni Ahlskog and Bardy both studied marketing as their major, with Ahlskog graduating in 1989 and Bardy in 2015. Ahlskog has made her career in the advertising industry, primarily at the advertising agency TBWA Helsinki, where she advanced to the management team.
With a background as an alpine skier, Ahlskog has always been interested in performance and mental training and chose to change careers after twenty years in the advertising industry. She trained as a business coach, founded the company Toppen Coaching, and has since 2019 mainly worked as an entrepreneur for the company AS3, including leadership coaching, outplacement, as well as business, career, and team coaching.
Thanks to having Ahlskog as a mentor, doors opened for Bardy to an internship at the advertising agency TBWA already during her studies. Bardy continued to work there even after her graduation. After that, she moved to London, where she worked at two different advertising agencies. When she returned to Finland, she worked at the S Group before returning to TBWA, where she is now a client director and head of new business.
Valuable support from Hanken
Ahlskog and Bardy praise Hanken's mentorship programme and say that the support mentors receive from Hanken really shows that their work is valued. They encourage everyone who is even considering applying to the program to do so
"It can also be very valuable to participate for those who come from outside the small bubble that can exist in Helsinki, as it provides an opportunity to build up your network early," says Ahlskog, who herself graduated from upper secondary school in Kuusamo.
Now, in a time of global uncertainty and economic instability, mentors Ahlskog and Bardy encourage young people to have hope.
"You just have to start somewhere and take it from there," says Bardy.
Ahlskog says that you shouldn't be alone and dwelling on things.
"It's important to have a team around you that can provide support, whether it consists of parents, friends, or others. Build on the security from within because the most important relationship you have is with yourself."
The next application period for Hanken's mentorship programme opens in September 2025. Read more about the programme here:
Text and photo: Jessica Gustafsson