Economics alumnus Aniq Ahmed (Eliot 2008) has been commended for his ardent support of Kent students as a mentor through e-Mentoring platform KEW-NET when he was named ‘Star Mentor’ at the end of February. Aniq, who is currently working on building treasury capabilities
for a specialist lender and previously was Banking and Capital Markets Manager at global consultancy firm Deloitte, signed up to take part in June 2014, and has since offered professional advice and guidance to three students from the School of Economics, Kent Business School and the School of Physical Sciences, one of whom may be joining Deloitte for an internship this summer.
“Aniq has been a great mentor so far, helping me with applications in the banking industry and more specifically asset management” said Economics student and mentee Arjun Jain. “I can’t thank him enough for the irreplaceable time that he has given me.”
Astrophysics student Will Heaton found out about KEW-NET from the Careers and Employability Service and started looking for mentors: “I noticed Aniq worked in finance, which is what I was applying for, so I dropped him a message. He got back to me quite quickly, and helped me break down the problems I was having and narrow down the things I was applying for.” Will was pleased to hear that Aniq had been named a Star Mentor: “Aniq really helped me when I was applying for internships earlier last term. He was open to offering advice and help whenever I wanted, so I’m not surprised”.
350 alumni from across the world have signed up to KEW-NET so far, sharing advice and experience with the 500+ current students registered. All users of the system can be both a mentee and a mentor and can offer a multitude of services from CV and interview advice to work-based opportunities. As all interactions are hosted through the platform, getting in touch is simple and secure.
We caught up with Aniq, who was delighted to receive the accolade, and asked him about his experiences as a KEW-NET mentor.
What made you want to become a mentor on KEW-NET?
The system on offer is something new and refreshing which can provide invaluable interaction for both the student and mentor. Moreover, this is an innovative idea for students to gain better insight into where people from University of Kent have ended up from a career and personal experiences perspective. I was fortunate to have a great experience at the University of Kent and for me it was a very easy answer when approached to sign up to the system as a Mentor. I would’ve definitely taken up this opportunity if it was around when I was studying.
What you think of the system and the students involved?
I think it’s a great initiative from the University of Kent to be more commercial thinking and provide a conduit for existing students to understand industry. All of the individuals I have had the pleasure of communicating with have either been far along a job application process or looking for general advice. Both of which resulted in interesting discussions on developments in Asset Management and general careers in Finance.
What advice would you offer to new users?
Although it’s useful to ask general questions, you and the mentor will probably get more out of this relationship if students come prepared with specific questions. Overall, this is a great opportunity for students to build relationships with people in industries they wish to pursue.
To find out more about KEW-NET and how to get involved, email alumni@kent.ac.uk or visit our webpages.