INTRODUCTION
Life at the top of any organisation can be lonely. Making far-reaching decisions is often fraught with risks, particularly when stepping into a new leadership role. Experience reduces the likelihood of making mistakes but is only gained with time and frequently at the expense of an element of ‘trial and error’.

Behaviour and relationship skills become increasingly important as an executive rises through a corporate environment. Paradoxically, learning from superiors along the upward trajectory diminishes over time because senior executives are supposed to ‘know’ and exposing gaps in knowledge can be detrimental to progress. This is particularly true when assuming Board positions, be it Chairman, CEO, CFO, Executive or Non-Executive Director – all roles where sophisticated ‘soft’ skills are paramount for success.

CMi has created a unique solution to this predicament:
Since the creation of CMi in 2005 we have established an extremely prestigious and distinguished group of Chairmen Mentors from seven countries, all of whom have successfully run large international companies.

CMi facilitates access to the broad wisdom and insight of this extraordinary group of Chairmen via personalised, structured mentoring for senior executives who are on a fast-track toward leadership positions and Non-Executive roles on Boards across Europe, or Chief Executives transitioning toward potential Chairmanship positions themselves.

Safe-harbour, confidential access to a seasoned and neutral Chairman enables the individual being mentored (the “Mentee”) to test ideas with a competent and impartial confidant, providing fresh perspectives and valuable second opinion. This leads to mitigated risk and enhanced performance, particularly in the early stages of a new assignment.

Our mentoring programmes are directed towards four distinct groups:
•	Board Membership Mentoring – designed for very senior executives who are progressing to assume Executive or Non-Executive Board roles or who will interact more frequently with their own Board
•	Chief Executive Officer Mentoring – aimed at prospective CEOs prior to appointment or early in their tenure
•	Chief Financial Officer Mentoring – aimed at actual or prospective CFOs with Chairmen who were former CFOs as Mentors
•	The Chairman’s Academy – designed to smooth the transition from CEO and/or Non-Executive Director to the challenging role of Chairman

We place significant emphasis on finding exactly the right Mentors for each of our Mentees, carefully matching backgrounds, experience and personality. We recommend our Client Mentees work with two Mentors over a period of 18 to 24 months, with two-hour sessions taking place every six to eight weeks.

Confidentiality is paramount for the process to be effective. Each engagement is governed by individual agreements stipulating what information can be shared between the Mentor and the Mentee’s company.

Our value proposition is built on strong yet flexible processes and several years of experience. Having discreetly delivered the ultimate service in leadership development to many of the 200 largest companies in Europe, our programmes have measurable and proven results and are fully endorsed by leading UK and Continental European corporate clients.