This Volunteers Week, we are delighted to celebrate the contribution that our alumni volunteers make to the Westminster community through the Westminster Alumni Volunteering Awards 2024.

The Long Serving Volunteer Award recognises alumni who have supported Westminster for at least three years, giving their time over and over again.

And the winners are…

The winners of the Long Serving Volunteer Award 2024 are… Panagiotis Zmpigknief “Pazbi” Zavatzki and Simbo Nuga

Panagiotis Zmpigknief “Pazbi” Zavatzki (Computer Science and Software Engineering BSc, 2012)

Pazbi is the founder of Kickass Online, a digital marketing firm that helps SMEs grow. Since graduating in 2012, he has support Westminster students in a number of ways through giving talks, mentoring and via his Employability Advisory Board membership. 

Pazbi has spoken at a range of events including departmental panel events, What it Takes, and Ask a Mentor group sessions. In 2020, he was a panellist on the “What it Takes to Level Up Your Digital Skills for Your Career, and most recently, in February 2024, he delivered a talk titled “What it Takes to Thrive in a Neurodiverse World.” Pazbi has a relatable and honest style, and this recent talk on neurodiversity showed a real alignment with Westminster values. 

Pazbi volunteers across our Future Ready Mentoring programmes, supporting students on Software Engineering and Entrepreneurial courses. He has also been a member of the School of Media and Communications Employer Advisory Board for the past five years.

Pazbi is generous with his time and always happy to help Westminster students and graduates when he can.

Speaking about the Award, Pazbi said:  ”I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this award. Giving back to the University community has been incredibly rewarding, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference.” 

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Simbo Nuga (Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, 2016)

Simbo is an accomplished professional in the field of business management, academia, coaching and leadership. She was the Managing Director of The Voice Group; publishers of the Voice Newspaper and Pride Magazine. She has also been involved in major transformational systems related projects at British Telecoms and Spar UK.  

 Simbo joined the Future Ready Mentoring programme in 2021 and has supported multiple Group Mentoring programmes. With Group Mentoring taking place on campus during time-tabled teaching, Simbo has generously given her time to come in and facilitate over eight hours of mentoring. She has worked with 17 students, sharing invaluable industry knowledge, particularly on the topics of understanding strengths and weaknesses, overcoming challenges and how to effectively practice self-leadership.

Simbo also supported two MBA group mentoring programmes, facilitating in-class mentoring sessions which helped students to brainstorm ideas for their business proposals and practicing a Dragons Den style pitch for investors. 

Simbo has always been extremely reliable as a mentor and has advocated our programmes to others. She has shared her mentoring experience within her network and recommended experienced professionals to join our mentoring community.  This was particularly helpful when there were unexpected cancellations from mentors, and Simbo was always happy to see if any of her connections would be able to step in and support. 

Simbo is an excellent example of a mentor whose efforts are impactful and rewarding.

Speaking about the Award, Simbo said: “It is a privilege to be recognised for simply being available to share my experience and empower the students. It is also very humbling and encouraging when a mentee informs you that the words shared with them, will stay with them forever.”

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Could you be our next Alumni Volunteer Award winner?

If you are interested in volunteering to support our students and recent graduates, visit our webpage to see how you can get involved.

See the full list of Alumni Volunteer Award winners 2024.