AmCham Mentorship Program Final Group Gathering 2025-2026

AmCham Mentorship Program Final Group Gathering 2025-2026: From Potential to Performance Through Culture and Belonging

A decade of mentorship has built a strong legacy of cross-industry collaboration. The tenth anniversary edition of AmCham’s Mentorship Program concluded at Radisson Blu Hotel Nydalen, just steps away from where participants’ journeys began nine months earlier. The meeting symbolically rounded off months of leadership development, reflection, and connection.

In total, 78 participants from 35 Patron member companies across 16 industries took part in this program edition, underscoring its dynamic and cross-industry design. Welcoming participants was Radisson’s Marius Rise, Director of Sales Eastern Norway and Stavanger, explaining the context of the location.

Lene Rennemo

Karolina Sveiby

From Potential to Performance

Lene Rennemo, Head of People Development at McDonald’s, opened with a powerful story about a young man who found a sense of safety and belonging in the community at his local McDonald’s, illustrating the deep impact a workplace can have, especially on youth. For many of McDonald’s 5500 employees – 70% of whom are under the age of 24 – the company represents not only their first job, but also a formative experience of structure, team spirit, and opportunity.

Rennemo explained how the heart of the organization is a clear “people promise,” where team spirit is described as its greatest strength. Through a structured employee experience roadmap, internal training programs, and McDonald’s Business School, employees are given clear pathways for development, from entry-level roles to leadership positions.

“This is the most brilliant generation if you manage to lead them.”

Lene Rennemo, on Generation Z and Alpha

With a strong focus on training, internal mobility, and performance, the company demonstrates how scale and structure can go hand-in-hand with care and individual growth. The session sparked an engaging dialogue with participants, particularly around leading younger generations, adapting leadership styles over time, and retaining talent in a rapidly changing workplace.

The Power of Intercultural Competence

Creating a sense of belonging for diverse employees requires more than just structure; it requires intercultural agility. Karolina Sveiby, Country Manager of Instruction FIN/NO and Intercultural Trainer at Berlitz Nordics, explored how culture and values shape how we think, learn, communicate, and interpret the world around us. Since values drive behavior, understanding both our own and others’ frame of reference is critical for effective leadership.

“The business case is going strong for diversity and inclusion.”

Karolina Sveiby

Sveiby challenged participants to examine their assumptions and biases, emphasizing that inclusion requires conscious effort. While working across differences can be demanding, research shows that organizations embracing diversity and collective potential achieve stronger results, better retention, and greater innovation. Leaders, she argued, must become brokers who build trust across differences by consulting diverse voices, demonstrating openness to changing their minds, and communicating with transparency and candor.

Participating Companies 2025-26:

About the AmCham Mentorship Program

With its unique cross-industry orientation, the AmCham Mentorship Program offers a dynamic, internationally minded arena for leadership development.

The program pairs emerging corporate talent with seasoned executives from AmCham Patron-level member companies. The result: a collaborative arena that fosters improvement and reflection, prepares young leaders for the challenges of the international marketplace, and forges bonds between AmCham member companies.

The Mentorship program is available to Patron-level members of AmCham Norway. For further information and interest in the program, please contact Margrethe.Harboe@amcham.no.