Hamid Darius Akhavan-Hezaveh, BA (Hons) International Relations and Politics 2019

Full Name: Hamid Darius Akhavan-Hezaveh
Graduation Year: 2019
Course Studied: International Relations and Politics
Job Title: Lean Practitioner
Employer/Organisation Name: University of Nottingham
What are you doing now you have graduated from the University of Lincoln?: I currently work at the University of Nottingham as a Lean Practitioner, with the role primarily focused around process change and continuous improvement. I use a methodology called Lean Six Sigma to engage with a wide variety of customers (academics, professional services, and technicians) to increase efficiencies and remove wastage in their processes and ways of working. Coupled with that, the role is heavily focused around a person-centred approach and ensuring that we are bringing people along with the change and supporting them in finding the confidence to engage with change. Attached to the role is delivering Lean Six Sigma training tailored to a Higher Education institution for all University of Nottingham staff to take advantage of. Inside the training, I take them through the journey of identifying and starting an improvement project, support them in understanding how to bring people on board, and the steps they will need to take from start to end to deliver an improved process. Once again, instilling confidence to the audience is an important aspect of the training. It’s not just understanding the tools and know-how, but also giving them the best opportunity to take the knowledge away and apply it in their own roles.
How did your time at the University of Lincoln support your career?: Critical Thinking: the entirety of my course was focused around thinking and engaging with texts with a critical mind. Questioning the validity of a source, challenging norms and perceptions, and always pushing yourself to seek a clear and reasonable judgement around a certain topic. Embracing Different Cultures: studying at Lincoln was the first opportunity I had to engage with people and cultures outside of my home town (which is quite homogenous!). Taking advantage of the study year abroad was a brilliant opportunity for me to develop this skill of embracing difference, as I was surrounded by a cohort of students from a wide variety of backgrounds, and learning from their lived experiences. Finding Confidence in Myself: personally, the experiences I felt at Lincoln helped tremendously in finding myself, my inner confidence and reasons to celebrate myself. These are all important aspects for your future career, as you will need all three in order to progress and succeed professionally.
What are the best parts of your job?: Engaging with people from a variety of backgrounds and supporting them in realising they have the power to make changes in their everyday role and working life regardless of job level.
If you could give our current students any top tip for after graduation and their careers, what would it be?: Be open and prepared for change whenever and wherever it may appear in your life; be it academically, professionally, or even personally. Understand that change can be both negative and positive, but what is important is that you anticipate it and give it serious consideration before deciding where that change may fit into your life.
What inspired you to study at the University of Lincoln (or one of its predecessor institutions)?: The content of the International Relations and Politics programme was the big selling point for me. It gave me a lot of freedom in the modules I could choose from as well as the variety of topics that I could select from. A great aspect of these modules is that they allowed for challenging conversations to be had in a healthy environment of debate and respect.
What was your favourite thing about being a student at the University of Lincoln (or one of its predecessor institutions)?: Being in an environment and a community that actually challenged me and wanted to see me succeed. I look back fondly on the debates we used to have both inside and outside the classroom, and the push and support we gave each other in developing ourselves.