Duo get doctorate

"It must be a record in this country for two Parsis to receive honorary doctorates on the same day from the same University,” wrote Malcolm Deboo, president of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe. Among the 13 high-profile figures conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of West London at the 2012 graduation ceremony were Lord Karan Bilimoria and Dr Zenobia Nadirshaw. Bilimoria was honored for his contribution to the University as a governor and thereafter as chancellor from 2005-2011. Nadirshaw won acclaim for "her services to clinical psychology, mental health and learning disability ... and for her far-reaching work in Diversity and Equalities Sector,” as noted the citation.

Dr Zenobia Nadirshaw (left) with Lord Karan Bilimoria

The University of West London’s eight schools — Ealing Law School, Ealing School of Art, Design and Media, London College of Music, College of Nursing, Midwifery and Healthcare, London School of Hospitality and Tourism, School of Computing and Technology, School of Psychology, Social Work and Human Sciences, and The Business School — had each bestowed honorary degrees, as reported on the University website. Contributions to business and cultural life, long-term support for the University’s work, and accomplishments in fields such as film, TV, music, hospitality, law and healthcare, were recognized.
At its annual graduation ceremony at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium on November 28 and 29, 2012 the honoraries were joined by more than 2,500 graduates celebrating a key milestone in their educational careers. The graduation ceremony marks the end of the academic year for the University which reported 91 percent of its students gaining full-time employment within six months of graduating.
For Bilimoria, who is the founder and chairman of Cobra Beer and an independent Crossbench Peer at the House of Lords, this is not the first doctorate for he also holds honorary doctorates from Brunel, Heriot-Watt and Staffordshire Universities. In fact when his alma mater, the London Metropolitan University, conferred on him the honorary doctorate, the University governor then was Nadirshaw (see "Honored activists,” Zoroastrians Abroad, Parsiana, February 21, 2009). When he was appointed as chancellor of Thames Valley University, he was the youngest chancellor of a university in the United Kingdom. Among the other accolades that have come his way are being named London Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young in 2003, Man of the Year at the Drinks Business Awards in 2006 and Indian of the Year in 2012 when he entered the Powerbrands Hall of Fame. A fellow, patron and member of many organizations like the Institute of Directors, the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce, he is also committed to supporting charities like the Saint Paul’s Cathedral Foundation and British Cardiac Research Trust.
A senior consultant clinical psychologist with 39 years of practice, Nadirshaw is the founder and current chair of the Race and Culture Faculty within the British Psychological Society and sits on several other committees including the Division of Clinical Psychology. She has worked with Disability Rights Commission on the health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities or mental health problems. Her work has won awards from the British Psychological Society, the British Medical Association and the International Alliance for Women Organisation. In 2007 her portrait was hung in the National Portrait Gallery in London as one of the world’s inspirational women. An external examiner at Leicester, Edinburgh, East London and Teesside Universities, Nadirshaw is currently trustee of the Race Equality Foundation and chair of Ethnic Alcohol Counselling in Hounslow.