Each year, alongside their programme, our Durham MBA (Full-time) students are offered the support of a mentor to help them navigate the demands of MBA study and prepare for the transition to the workplace. Each year the students can nominate their mentor for Mentor of the Year.
The mentoring programme is a cornerstone of the Durham MBA (Full time) programme, in which each student is matched with mentors from the business and alumni world, to provide guidance and support.
The mentoring experience
We are delighted to announce the 2023 Mentor of the Year is Nabil Parkar. Nabil himself is a Durham MBA and Ustinov College alumnus having graduated in 2017. Working as Senior Manager, Partner Marketing at Expedia Group, Nabil volunteered to support current MBA candidates in his free time.
Commenting on the announcement of the award, Nabil said, “I am incredibly proud and honoured to have been awarded Mentor of the Year. Working with mentees during their MBA journeys has been a joyful and rewarding experience for me. It's been incredibly fulfilling to help students navigate the challenges and opportunities of their educational and career paths.
I am grateful for the opportunity that DUBS has given me to contribute to the growth and development of future business leaders. I look forward to continuing to mentor students in the years to come!”
A guiding light
His mentee, Utsa Bajaj who nominated Nabil for the award explained why she had put Nabil forward, saying, "There are numerous reasons why Nabil deserves to be recognised as a mentor. Right from the first contact, he has been supportive, encouraging and has been a guiding light. He always went above and beyond in his advice to help me strategically approach the problem and find solutions. He would devise an actual plan on how I can tackle things, not just give me vague words of encouragement. Be it academics, time management, feeling overwhelmed or career planning.
I am someone who strives for high performance and tend to get overwhelmed when I take on too much. The high stress of the MBA and wanting to perform well academically always had me worried, and Nabil’s guidance was the biggest support for me this year.
What was exceptional is that his job has him travelling a lot, to different continents. He has still never missed a monthly call. During the end of each call, he would align the date for our next call on our calendars and prioritise our calls. This mentorship programme is an excellent source of support, and I kept thinking how unbelievably lucky I got to have Nabil as my mentor.
We have been in contact even after the MBA is done, in fact even today. He is someone who goes above and beyond and for that, truly, I hope he receives a much-deserved token of appreciation."
Mentoring can deliver life-transforming experiences
Matteo Lai, Alumni Relations Coordinator at the School commented on the value of the mentoring programme, saying, "Our mentoring programme is a fundamental part of our MBA’s life-transforming experience. We are lucky to be supported by the overwhelming generosity of our alumni, who every year give their time and experience to our students. Nabil's nomination represents everything that works well in the mentoring programme and is a testament to the impact he has had on Utsa's life and career.
Nabil excelled in his time in Durham, winning the Durham University Business School Innovation Award for the Most Innovative Business Proposal and has been mentoring with us for several years now. We are fortunate that he is currently supporting another student this year. We look forward to working with Nabil in the years to come, and to seeing him again at our alumni events."
Nabil joins previous illustrious winners Dr Paul Aldrich, Raghava Manglik, Paul Hollick, Cecilia Luras, Travis Callaway, Stephen Tunnicliffe, Kamales Lardi, Frank Wege, Claire Rose, Hotung Lee and Elizabeth Scott.
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