we.grow

we.grow at ADE: Mentorship Program presented by shesaid.so and ADE Lab

We are excited to renew our partnership with ADE this year with activities that include the we.grow mentoring program supporting music industry professionals as part of ADE Lab 2024 on October 17, 2024.

we.grow at ADE is a mentorship program presented by ADE Lab and shesaid.so, a global music community of women, gender nonconforming people and allies of all genders whose aim is to create an equitable music industry for all through education, events, mentorship,  networking and job opportunities.

In 2024, the program will focus on supporting music industry professionals, featuring a total of 5 mentors and 5 mentees selected from the shesaid.so community.

Previous shesaid.so mentors came from companies such as Coachella Music Festival, Warner Music, Armada Music, Universal Music Group, YouTube Music, Meta, WME, CAA, Atlantic Records, M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment, Believe and more.


Mentee Sign-Up!

To sign up to the mentoring program as a mentee, click HERE.


Mentees can apply to take part until Sunday, September 29.

** Please note that to participate, you will need to be in Amsterdam during ADE Thursday (17th October).

** Application deadline is September 29 and mentees must have a Lab ticket in order to apply.

Open to all genders, with priority given to people from underrepresented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds.


we.grow at ADE - Mentors

  1. Connie Chow - Marketing Strategy Director - Dance/Electronic, FUGA

  2. Elisa Luengo - Music Programmer, Dekmantel

  3. Jessica Wilson - COO, Seven20 

  4. Phiona Okumu - Head of Sub-Saharan Music, Spotify 

  5. Sam Mobarek - Head of Major Recordings (Warner Records) & Founder of Mob Creative


Mentor/Mentee Commitment

  • Read through & apply the information from the mentoring guidelines we share with you prior to their engagement

  • Attend shesaid.so events if logistically possible

  • Spend at least 1h together throughout your ADE attendance and 1h after ADE (2h in total between October 17th and December 31st, 2024)


About we.grow @ ADE

shesaid.so has been working with ADE since 2017 with a focus on programming around diversity and inclusion in the music industry. 

In 2019 we took our partnership to the next level and introduced she.grows at ADE - a mini-mentoring program that paired 10 senior-level members from the shesaid.so community with mentees selected by ADE University. The scheme included an open call, mentor/mentee matching & training, workshops, networking and a DJ showcase

In 2022 we worked together with ADE to bring back the mentoring program, curate talks as part of ADE Pro, and introduce a shesaid.so space as part of the ADE Lab track powered by Zora and hosted at Lynk & Co’s flagship Amsterdam Club.

In 2023 the program focused on 4 areas of the music business, reflecting the tracks that attendees will be able to engage in as part of ADE Lab 2023:  Artists, Producers, Mixed Media and Music Professionals. The program featured a total of 20 mentors and 20 mentees, with 5 mentor-mentee pairs per each of the four Lab areas.


Our goal is to create an inclusive environment where our global community attending ADE can connect with one another and other industry professionals, in addition to learning.  

we.grow at ADE 2023 Mentorship Program presented by shesaid.so and ADE Lab

We are excited to renew our partnership with ADE this year with activities that include a mentoring program for 40 mentors and mentees of all genders and an official shesaid.so space as part of the ADE Lab program on Thursday, October 19th.

we.grow at ADE 2023 is a mentorship program presented by shesaid.so and ADE Lab that connects mentors from the shesaid.so community with mentees selected by the Amsterdam Dance Event team.

This year, the program will focus on 4 areas of the music business, reflecting the tracks that attendees will be able to engage in as part of ADE Lab 2023: Artists, Producers, Mixed Media and Music Professionals.

The program will feature a total of 20 mentors and 20 mentees, with 5 mentor-mentee pairs per each of the four Lab areas.

The 40 participants will gather for the first time at ADE on Wednesday, October 18th as part of a private event for mentors and mentees powered by Meta.

The we.grow Mentoring Program is open to all genders with priority given to people from underrepresented communities and disadvantaged backgrounds.


we.grow at ADE 2023 mentors

  1. Bailey Greenwood (Agent, WME)

  2. Cristina Lazic (Producer/DJ, Lazic Records)

  3. Drew Lam (Artist Services, Platoon)

  4. Evie Thomas (Head of Marketing [Dance], Atlantic Records)

  5. Jameson Thomas (Artist Manager, IAMJT)

  6. Kelly Staa (Editor in Chief, Cosmopolitan NL)

  7. Kenny Eshinlokun (Founder, Taboo/Black Music Summit) 

  8. Liz Miller (Artist Partnerships, Meta)

  9. Lucy Andrews (Brand Partnerships, Ballantine’s)

  10. Lucy Atkinson (Agent, Earth Agency) 

  11. Maria Panayi (Music Marketing Lead, TikTok)

  12. Manuka Honey (Artist)

  13. Melissa d'Engelbronner (Head of Audience Strategy, Fuga)

  14. Natacha Bouchon (Booking assistant (Dskonnect) Stage manager (Nitsa) Host (Primavera Sound)

  15. Nicola Murray (Global Culture Marketing Specialist, M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment)

  16. Romy Harber (Global Head of Dance & Electronic, Believe) 

  17. Sonya Okon (Head of Digital, North America, Ultra Publishing/Helix Records/Payday Records)

  18. Tiffany Calver (Artist/DJ, BBC)

  19. Whitney Wei (Editor In Chief, Resident Advisor)

  20. Yasmin Leung (Label Manager, Ghostly International / Spectral Sound UK & Europe)

We are excited to return to ADE and create an environment where the global ADE and shesaid.so communities can connect, learn from each other and experience the latest trends in music. shesaid.so Founder, Andreea Magdalina, states:

“The shesaid.so space and mentoring program we.grow at ADE 2023 will give ADE attendees the opportunity to engage with ideas and people that are guided by values rooted in innovation, equity & intersectionality.

Mentor/Mentee Commitment

  • Read through & apply the information from the mentoring guidelines we share with you prior to their engagement.

  • Attend shesaid.so events at ADE if logistically possible.

  • 3h of mentorship: spend at least 1h together throughout your ADE attendance and 2h after ADE (3h in total between October 18th and December 31st, 2023).

Applications are now closed and mentees have been selected.