Rise AV, the advocacy organisation promoting gender diversity and professional development in the AV, live and production technology sectors, has launched its 2026 mentoring programme in the UK and, for the first time, the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
The initiative offers six months of structured mentorship and professional development for women at all career stages. Both programmes will run concurrently from May 2026, with the APAC initiative beginning in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Rachael Hamilton, managing director of Rise AV, said: “The 2025 Mentoring Programme has already shown how mentorship transforms careers, empowering mentees and giving mentors the chance to grow and reflect. The interest from APAC proves the industry is listening, and with the incredible talent on our Global Leadership Team and Regional Committees, Rise AV is set to be a real force.”
The programme features one-on-one mentorship with at least 12 hours of personalised guidance from an experienced industry mentor, monthly networking meetings and industry events, and specialised training sessions covering career mapping, personal branding, confidence building and industry-specific skills.
Applications are open until January 31, 2026 for both mentees and mentors. Mentees must be women working in the UK or APAC in any AV-related role, with line manager approval required for participation. Mentors can be of any gender and must commit to at least two hours per month, attend up to three events and participate in two mentor review calls.
The programme is open to participants working in any AV-related role, including engineering, project management, sales, marketing, HR, consulting, events, manufacturing and distribution. Participation is free of charge thanks to support from industry sponsors including QSC as global headline sponsor, with gold sponsors Audiologic, Diversified, Midwich and Sennheiser.
The initiative follows the success of the 2025 UK programme. Women currently make up only 9 per cent of the global AV workforce, with just 2 per cent holding technical roles, according to the organisation.
Mentee and mentor pairings will be announced in March 2026, with the programme beginning in May 2026.
Rise AV was launched in 2025 to support women working in or aspiring to enter the AV sector, following the formation of Rise in 2017 to support women in the broadcast media technology industry.
