Business Award

Nawzer Parakh’s nearly 40 years of exemplary leadership and excellent results in the chemical industry were recognized when the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC) named him one of 50 outstanding Asian American businesspersons at the Hotel Waldorf Astoria in New York on June 22, 2007, notes a press release. Parakh is vice president for operations and global manufacturing director in the Dow Chemical Corporation, said to be the world’s largest manufacturers of chemicals.

"The AABDC honors Asian American entrepreneurs and business professionals who have demonstrated great achievements in business nationwide. It is the largest and most influential Asian American Business Award in the United States and I am proud that Nawzer was recognized,” commented Dow chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris who flew in together with other top officials to witness the ceremony.

Parakh currently leads more than 2,000 people at the company’s St Charles, Louisiana site where his consistent improvement in safety standards over the past three years won him the Star Among Stars award from the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Responsible for Dow’s global Glycol Ethers and Amines businesses, Parakh is in the process of executing a $ 250 million construction project to increase production efficiency. When Dow acquired Union Carbide Corporation in 2001, Parakh led the global integration of the glycol ethers and amines businesses, managing to reduce conversion costs by 30 percent in the process, states the release.

Mike Gambrell, Dow’s executive vice president, congratulated Parakh on his people skills: "(His) ability to connect with his people were tested and proven, after the St Charles plant was hit by Hurricane Katrina. Within three days, Parakh and his team arranged to have gas, food and other necessities provided to employees on site. They also set up temporary housing for employees in less than a week, allowing all employees to report back only 11 days after the hurricane struck. Within three to four weeks, all of the manufacturing facilities under Parakh’s supervision were up and running.”

The son of Bachoo and Tehmton Parakh of Calcutta, Nawzer received his bachelor of technology degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and an executive MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bombay. Beginning as a research and development engineer in India, Parakh worked for Union Carbide in a variety of managerial roles. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Louisiana Chemical Alliance and is a member of the Louisiana Chemical Association. Nawzer and his wife Kitty have been married 37 years, have a son Phiroze and a daughter Tehnaz. Withal, he enjoys photography and gardening and is a passionate audio and video enthusiast, notes the release.