The Association of Bermuda International Companies has assembled a team of 25 professionals to act as mentors to recipients of this year’s Abic Education Awards, one of Bermuda’s largest and longest-running scholarships programmes.

Abic hosted a mentor reception at the offices of international insurer Chubb to introduce the mentors to the scholarship recipients, whose names will be announced at an awards luncheon on July 25.

The volunteer mentors work in a variety of roles for Abic member companies and include C-suite executives, the organisation said.

Each mentor will speak at regular intervals with their assigned mentees to offer support, guidance and advice, as the students prepare for their career journeys.

Cathryn Minors, a 2010 Abic scholar who works as counsel at Appleby Bermuda, spoke at the mentor reception and urged the students to “lean into the many opportunities for personal development and growth” at university.

She also encouraged the students to “always strive for excellence”.

Ms Minors added: “Abic allowed me access to mentorship and networking. Take advantage of this, as you never know when a mentor or fellow awardee can play a pivotal role in your career.

“Remember to give back, mentoring creates a culture of reciprocity. When you give back it encourages others to do the same fostering a continuous cycle of support and learning which can only add value to the future of Bermuda.”

Malinda Jennings, Abic’s scholarship administrator, said: “Abic is thrilled to be able to connect industry professionals with the 2024 cohort of scholarship recipients.

“I wish to thank all of the mentors for giving of their time and knowledge to empower the next generation of Bermudian leaders and help to unlock their potential. I urge the students to seize this mentorship opportunity, to ask questions and be curious.

“History has shown that the investment we make in our young people today produces the Bermudian talent and industry professionals of tomorrow.

“In this regard, I wish to thank all of the award providers, who have given generously again, so we can provide scholarships to our 2024 award recipients.”

During their 47-year history, the Abic Education Awards, funded by Bermudian-based international companies, have supported more than 740 Bermudian students in undergraduate or graduate education in areas related to international business, the organisation said.