Mentorship Programme
A happy birthday to our mentorship programme – it’s been a year since we launched the pilot for the scheme and we’re delighted with the progress to date. To find out what we’ve been up to, take a look at the new blog by programme leader Caroline Wyatt.
The service, available to members for free, encourages and supports mentees to identify their key goals and objectives, and align them with standard industry roles. We then aim to match the mentee with a mentor who has the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to aid and drive their personal development.
In keeping with the ITIL guiding principle of ‘start where you are’, the mentee does not have to be straight out of school or university; they might be looking to make a change in career direction or explore a new and unfamiliar area of ITSM. There are always transferable skills; however it has been proven that those with a mentor go farther, faster.
Many of the professionals that we engage with are keen to share their knowledge and experiences with peers and colleagues, and just as many are willing to learn from these relationships. Facilitating the right connections through networking activities has long been a key part of the our role at itSMF UK, and mentoring is a natural next step.
PSMF and complementary resources
This programme has been designed to complement the resources already available for those new to service management, such as the ITIL 4 Overview, the two-part Introduction to ITSM programme and the skills mapping tool, PSMF.
PSMF Personal is free to members and offers self-assessment, individual profiles, skill gap analysis, and comparison with standard industry roles. It is part of the onboarding requirement that mentees complete the free PSMF skills assessment so that the resulting profile and content can provide input for the mentoring sessions and help to match them to the most appropriate mentors. Further information about PSMF can be found here.
How to apply?
Please take a moment to review the FAQs and list of mentors further down this page – and then submit your application using the button below!
The programme is open to all itSMF UK members and is free of charge.
If you’d like to be considered as a mentee, the first step is to sign in to your member profile and complete the online application form. This will be reviewed by the programme manager who will arrange a call to talk through the application and discuss the process for matching you with an available mentor.
Yes, if the organisation has a valid itSMF UK membership you can recommend others for the programme if you think it would be of value to them (applicants must have a member profile and consent to being put forward). Indeed, we would encourage managers to promote this scheme among their team members as a positive addition to their professional development.
The mentors are listed on this page with a brief introduction. You can review the list and select your preferred mentor, subject to availability. The programme manager will help with the onboarding and matching process based on your skills and stated goals, objectives and preferences.
The Professional Skills Management Framework (PSMF) is our dedicated competency management service – more information can be found here. All those involved in the mentorship scheme will be asked to take the free SFIA-based skills self-assessment to help identify their experience and knowledge levels in various areas of service management, and to identify gaps which can be incorporated into their goals and objectives. We also use PSMF tools to assist in matching mentees with the most appropriate mentors.
The initial period is 12 months. Our approach is to identify short, medium and longer-term goals which can be reviewed at the end of the period to assess whether the mentoring should continue. A valid membership must be maintained throughout.
Experience from the pilot scheme suggests that one hour per month is about right for mentorship; this allows time to complete any agreed actions between sessions. Ultimately it is up to the mentor and mentee to decide what works for them. A commitment is signed by both parties to ensure the sessions take place as arranged.
If you have any further questions about the programme, please contact us at [email protected].
Lucy joined Barclays in July 2015 as a Technology Apprentice and was part of the first cohort of Degree Apprentices, obtaining a degree in Digital and Technology Solutions (Software Engineering) in 2019. She has had many different roles within the Incident, Problem and Change function in both Operational and Governance roles, most recently being appointed as Global Head of Problem Operations for Barclays. Lucy’s team is 16 members strong, spanning three continents across the globe. They are responsible for driving the Proactive Problem Management function estate-wide, facilitating the completion of Post Incident Reviews and coordinating all post-incident remedial activities, including root cause identification and fix application. Lucy has a passion for advocating the importance of early careers and enriching technology workforces through the integration and development of entry-level talent.
Richard worked the last five years as the Head of Service Architecture and Design, a role that built on his previous experience as a Service Architect Capability Lead. Core competencies lie in leadership and presales, underpinned by a solid foundation in Service Integration and Management (SIAM), Integrated Logistics and Support (ILS), Secure by Design (SbD), ITIL and SAFE Agile principles. Holding the prestigious ITIL 4 Master certification, he is committed to transforming Service Delivery through strategic innovation. His personal goals include architecting robust services that elevate customer experiences and operational efficiency.
Karen is a well-established award-winning service management thought leader particularly in the field of holistic service design (business & IT). Her key areas of expertise span design & development of target operating / governance & process models, transformation strategy, development of negotiation positions & helping the business understand what are the “red” lines. As a thought leader, she has published numerous articles on IT Risk Management, Non-Functional Requirements Management, Service Design Roadmaps and Process Improvement. She has authored ITL4 Service Design Practice and the very successful publication “Service Level Management – a Practitioner’s Guide” and is a leader author for the SIAM Professional Body of Knowledge. A speaker at seminars, workshops and conferences, Karen was the itSMF UK Chair for 3 years and is now a mentor for itSMF UK and a PeopleCert Ambassador.
Alex is an experienced leader with proven success in building and leading high performing global teams. Focused on service delivery excellence and providing the best user experience through innovative product and process development, optimised operational models and with a continual improvement mind-set at the core. A mentor to her own teams, and as an award-winning leader, she is now keen to mentor others wanting to enhance their skills, knowledge and experience in Service Management.
Neil started his career as an apprentice and then performed several IT related roles over the past 35 years. With a proven track record of success in IT service management and as the Head of Global Service Management Division, he is also a practising coach, and mentor having trained at Henley. With a deep understanding of service delivery processes and a commitment to continuous improvement, Neil is known for his ability to build strong relationships, inspire teams, and drive positive change.
Key Skills include
Andrew is a highly motivated & empowered IT professional, with a proven track record managing Enterprise IT Programs, IT Service Delivery, leading multinational operations teams, at a senior leadership level, in the Automotive, Financial Services and AEC Sectors, with over 38 years of experience in a variety of roles across Program Delivery, Sourcing Transactions and Operations Management. Currently Head of IT Service Delivery for Foster & Partners leading a Team of 50 specialists through a Service Excellence Transformation Program. Andrew is passionate about leading change, drawing on his insights of IT Infrastructure, Service Management & stakeholder relationships. Key outcomes delivered in Service Desk digitalization, process maturity & automation, sentiment-based experience insights and persona-driven user journeys & training.
Tom currently works for Computacenter as Group Head of ITIL Process Delivery, managing circa 250 people in 7 countries. He started out on a service desk over 20 years ago, and had several roles for some of the biggest IT companies in the UK, from BT, to Accenture to Computacenter. Throughout his career Tom has enjoyed helping people and watching them grow, when it comes to Service Management and processes, the people are the differentiator for any company. As a mentor within Computacenter he is also involved in the Employee Development Programme for gifted employees trying to start a career. During my career, I have been lucky enough to have people who believed in me and supported me and I want to pay this forward to see others flourish.
Andreia has held senior technology roles within IT Governance, Delivery and Operations in Telco companies in the UK and Brazil for Vodafone, Oi and VIVO. She has led large multi-cultural and global teams, developed operating models, managed mission critical platforms and led complex programs to drive cultural and digital transformations to enable development opportunities to her teams, business value, new services and modernisation.
Currently working for Vodafone as Head of Global Digital & IT Service Management, she is accountable for the transformation of the function, and managing ITSM standards and ITSMaaS for Vodafone entities.
In her previous role as Head of IT Operations in Vodafone UK, she achieved financial and service improvement by repositioning Operations as a crucial part for Technology and Business.
With a background in Engineering, System Analysis, Project Management and Complexity Theory, Andreia values collaboration to foster diversity and inclusion and to enable transformation in a positive and fair way for employees, customers, vendors and business.
Nigel is currently working as a process Governance & Enablement Manager for Fujitsu, responsible for Fujitsu’s Service Management System and is assigned to consulting engagements related to IT Service Management transformation for efficiency improvement and continual service improvement across a variety of industries.
With a long career in IT with some of the UK’s largest organisations he has extensive experience in Service Architecture, including Design and agreement of a TOM for on-boarding customers, facilitating operational alignment with SIAM framework and contractual commitments. Developed Balanced scorecard of measures for Service Architecture Practice. SME in implementation of ITIL 4 and XLAs measures such as Customer Effort Score (CES) and Cultural Performance Indicators (CPIs )
Responsible for Target Operating Model (FMO) within SIAM Organisational Change Program and alignment with external Service Provider, Post sales Service design and architecture for customers and Co-Creation and agreement of CoLo environments and bespoke work packages such as SIEM and Design of CX, EX and UX based XLAs.
Barclay is an independent management consultant, with expertise and experience in IT Service Management, Service Desk, and Contact Centres, and has delivered many hundreds of consultancy assignments and projects in ITSM since the mid-90s.
Working closely with the ITIL/ITSM industry as an author and independent writer and analyst, he was a member of the ITIL 4 architect team, co-author of the SDI standards, and writes a blog regularly on ITSM topics. Working with industry partners such as SDI, PeopleCert and CDW, Barclay also co-hosts the Enterprise Digital Podcast. He delivers training and development in management consultancy.
He has a long association with itSMF, as a member, volunteer, event exhibitor, speaker and board member. He was also CEO of itSMF UK for 3 years from 2015. He was awarded our Paul Rappaport Lifetime Achievement award in 2023.
He has run several businesses and carries out some non-executive director work. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and has provided mentoring services over many years, and is particularly keen to help develop the careers and opportunities of those carving a career within the industry.
Tomas has extensive experience across a wide range of IT Service Management (ITSM) functions and is currently leading the Service Desk function at Direct Line Group, passionate about helping individuals and teams unlock their full potential. His approach is rooted in a commitment to “levelling up” others by sharing practical insights and proven strategies gained from years of hands-on experience. Whether you are new to ITSM or looking to advance your career, he is dedicated to mentoring, guiding, and empowering you to achieve success. Let’s collaborate and take your skills and confidence to the next level.
Val is a seasoned Service Operations Director with over 23 years of experience at BT, where she has played a pivotal role in running Global Service Operations Centres within Managed Services for some of the world’s critical customers. Her leadership extends beyond her current position in BT, as she is also a valued member of the Board at itSMF UK, contributing her expertise to the wider IT service management community when she can. Valerie is certified as an ITIL Strategic Leader, adept at driving efficiency and innovation in service operations on a global scale.
Caroline has worked in Service Management for a wide range of organisations over the past 28 years. Starting her career on a range of Service Desks, and Problem Management, she has combined service operations and consulting with longer term interim roles such as Head of Service Support and Head of Service Delivery to ensure up to date practical knowledge, experience and relevance. Having spent many years performing ITILv3 process maturity assessments, she is now also the lead assessor for the itSMF delivering ITIL4 Maturity assessments for member organisations, and has set up and will oversee the governance of the new Mentoring Programme for itSMF UK.
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