SFU’s Mentorship Program provides students an invaluable opportunity to build business relationships in the Vancouver community.
Disclaimer: Please note that photo/photos belong to the SFU Beedie School of Business Career Management Centre
The Mentors in Business Program is one of those amazing initiatives that reconfirms why one would enroll in a top MBA program. I was paired with an industry professional that was essential in helping me refocus my career aspirations post-graduation. The Career Management Centre did an incredible job matching mentees with mentors based on selected areas of interest. My mentor was right up my alley. In fact, to be specific, my mentor was director of human resources at my preferred company. The planned orientation meetings included icebreakers, networking events, value-matching exercises and cocktail receptions. My mentor and I met regularly to discuss my career goals and aspirations. I was even fortunate enough to have her introduce me to top executives in the company where she worked. Beyond career advice, the mentors provided all students with support and encouragement to help remain focused on what it takes to succeed following the MBA.
This program is a reflection of the business mentoring that has become so common in the corporate world. Programs such as the Mentors in Business program put on by the Beedie School of Business’ Career Management Center provide students the opportunity to learn more about potential industries and to find the perfect career. The mentors come from a vast array of industries: food & wine, banking, consulting, product goods, finance, retail, etc. The networking opportunities even provided mentees an opportunity to network with other mentors, in the case when a student’s mentor was not able to attend. It was a collaborative program and an incredible experience; so incredible in fact that a second round of the program was announced for the summer semester given the interest of students who had missed out on the spring session.
Negar Hadavi (twitter: @negarhadavi)
Negar Hadavi is an MBA candidate with experience as a Buyer and a Product Manager in Retail in the Fashion, Beauty and Consumer Products Industries, specifically with L’Oreal Canada and the Aldo Group out East. She has a reputation of buying a profitable collection for Aldo stores and successfully launching cosmetic products in the Canadian market. While at SFU, Negar is part of the SFU Graduate Business Student Council as an MBA Class representative, as well as one of five members selected to represent SFU at the International Business Ethics Case Competition. An avid traveller, while completing her undergraduate degree at UBC Commerce, Negar was fortunate enough to spend a semester studying abroad at the Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Italy.