Mentorship is vital when it comes to developing young professionals.
This was the sentiment shared by the CPL Group managing director during a Young Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry networking event.
The Young Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a sub-committee of the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce & Industry, or POMCCI.
Its focus is to develop the potential of the next generation of business managers and leaders by facilitating their personal development and providing a platform for mentoring.
In a recent networking event, the CPL Group managing director, Mahesh Patel, described the young professionals as the future of Papua New Guinea.
“So what we’re planning to do is try and set up an area where these youngsters and the youth can come out and not only network once in three months, but on a daily basis,” he stated.
“In international scenes we’ve got places called ‘WeWork’, where people come in, they use the laptops, they encourage people to network with each other. So we try and set up place where new start-ups can come in.”
Patel says when it comes to technology, there is a lot of untapped talent in Papua New Guinea, hence the need to gather like-minded individuals.
“What we want to do is create a platform for them. Give them an opportunity because I meet people who say ‘Oh I want to start a business, I’ve got this idea’ but where do they go to?
“So what we’re trying to do is get some business houses together, and even the foreign embassies together, to try and set up a place where we can help these guys without them incurring costs whilst starting up.”
Patel has been stepping in to assist the YPOMCCI for two-and-a-half years now, and hopes to see more senior members of the POMCCI helping out as well.
(CPL Group managing director, Mahesh Patel)