As Head of Alumni Relations at Imperial College London, Jo Gardner loves to find unexpected, creative ways to bring alumni together. With that idea in mind, she and her team at the U.K. institution developed a program called Coffee & Coach three years ago. They wanted to put a different spin on alumni mentoring programs, which are often run through an institution’s career services office.

Through Coffee & Coach, alumni with long career experience are paired with early-career alumni who have graduated within the last 10 years. The coach/coachee sessions are meant to take place in a relaxed setting. That’s where the coffee comes in.