Sue Adams represents Fulcrum as a Roots and Wings Mentor 2026

Fulcrum continues to support the Insurance Institute of Gauteng’s educational programmes, and this year we are proud to have our team involved in the Roots and Wings Programme. We caught up with Sue Adams, Migration On-Boarding Lead at Fulcrum, in our Q and A series as she returns for her fourth year as a mentor in the programme to learn more about her journey and continued involvement.

FULCRUM: Why did you decide to take part as a mentor in the Roots and Wings programme again?

SUE: This is my fourth year as a mentor, and I absolutely love it.  It is one of the experiences that truly recharges my energy.  I find it incredibly rewarding to see the exponential growth in mentees over the course of the year.  I’ve seen mentees start side-hustles, consistently win awards at work, and one even got married after I encouraged her to step outside her comfort zone.

This programme is holistic and touches on every area of a participant’s life, which means that as mentors, we are genuinely privileged to get to know the person behind the mask.

It is also very much a shared journey – often we as mentors learn just as much from our mentees as they do from us.

FULCRUM: Who is your mentee, and what are you looking forward to supporting them with?

SUE: My mentee is Bongani Masango, an exceptional young man who is determined to make the most of this journey.  He is genuinely thirsty for knowledge and completely committed to the programme.

Bongani works in the finance department of an underwriting manager.  I had the privilege of meeting with both Bongani and his Financial Director to better understand his development gaps and identify how we could work together to support his next career step.  The Financial Director succinctly summarized this by saying Bongani needs to move from being a “worker” to a “knowledge worker”.  In essence, this means learning how to present data in a way the enables busy executives to quickly extract the insights they need, without having to interpret or integrate the data themselves.

From a softer-skills perspective, we will focus on developing his self-confidence – which, interestingly, is a skill many people need to intentionally build.

I am excited and looking forward to this journey with Bongani.

FULCRUM: What advice or guidance do you find most valuable to share with your mentee?

SUE: One of the first things I emphasise is that every mentees’s journey is different, because everyone is working towards their own unique goals.

I also share parts of my personal and professional journey, including some of the pitfalls I’ve encountered along the way and the lessons I’ve learned from them. While we often hope our career paths will be linear, the reality is that they sometimes move sideways—or even backwards—before moving forward again. Those moments can be challenging, but it is important not to let them define you, and instead to continue showing up as the best version of yourself every day.

Another key message is feedback. Most of us don’t enjoy criticism, but it is essential to receive it openly. With time, it’s important to separate the emotions from the message, reflect on the feedback, and decide what insights can be taken forward to support growth.

FULCRUM: What do you hope your mentee will gain from this mentorship.

SUE: Bongani has high expectations for this journey, and my aim is to ensure he is not disappointed. I would like to make a meaningful, positive impact on his career, particularly by supporting his shift from being a “worker” to a “knowledge worker.”

I also hope to address some of the softer areas of development, such as building his confidence and self‑esteem, refining his personal brand, and deepening his understanding of emotional intelligence and its importance in the workplace.

Ultimately, I hope Bongani experiences a defining aha moment – an insight that truly resonates with him and creates lasting change in how he sees himself, his potential and his future.

FULCRUM: What does success look like to you as a mentor in the programme?

SUE: Success is quite simple. At the outset of the journey, Bongani and I discussed what he wanted to achieve through this programme. Success, for me, is seeing several of those goals completed, with others clearly underway and progressing.