'It's an amazing opportunity to make a meaningful difference to someone's life'

Originally from Singapore, King’s alum Aru Murugiah (International Political Economy, 2020) lives in Rome and works for the United Nations World Food Programme. An ardent supporter of our mentoring scheme, he reflects on his role as a mentor and the key career lessons he’s learnt…

Why did you choose to become a mentor?

After my diverse experiences in both the public and the private sectors, it seemed like the right time to help those starting out in their careers. King’s has a great mentorship programme, which takes much care in matching mentors and mentees based on interest, background and experience.

How do you help your mentees?

The first session is crucial in getting to know the mentee at a deeper level, understanding their values, interests, strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes, they discover things that they're not aware of themselves. We then decide on what to cover and when at subsequent sessions.

Do you have a favourite success story related to a mentee?

Colin Jun was my first mentee. When participating in the King’s mentorship programme, he was also the President of KCL United Nations Association and he improved his communication style.

Upon graduation in 2022, Colin on his own secured a six-month internship at the UN World Food Programme. Now, he is pursuing a Master in Public Policy programme at Harvard Kennedy School. I believe he has a promising career ahead of him.

What do you get out of it?

For me, it’s an amazing opportunity to reflect, share experiences and make a meaningful difference to someone starting on their career path. I’m in contact with my assigned mentees and I follow their career progression with interest.

Would you encourage other people to become mentors?

Yes, absolutely, especially if they are interested in guiding someone starting in their career, and they can spare the time and make the commitment.

What would they get out of it?

It’s a great opportunity to reflect on their career and share relevant experiences with someone starting out in their career. It can also be satisfying to be involved in professional and personal development.

Did you have a mentor?

I was never assigned a mentor. But during my first overseas diplomatic assignment to Cairo, the Ambassador guided and supported me in the role, and he provided much professional and personal advice. Keeping in touch since then, I try to meet him and his family whenever I am back home.

What advice do you wish you’d had when you were building your career?

Before joining the UN World Food Programme, I spent nine years each in the public sector as a diplomat and then in the private sector. At times, I was focused on the destination. On reflection, I could have enjoyed the journey more and embraced all the experiences that happened.

Finally, what’s the best piece of careers advice you’ve been given?

Sometimes situations require difficult decisions and the above-mentioned Ambassador advised me to, ‘Use the head, not the heart’. You need to know the difference and when to use each to inform decisions.