march 2015 BCBusiness 57
MBA
Guide
2015
UVic's Gustavson Executive
Mentor Program pairs
experienced professionals
with MBA students to help
parlay an education into
business success
the
MatchMaker
W
inding up chief fundraiser
and partner in an Internet
startup wasn't exactly what
Paul Summerville had in
mind when he turned up
at a mentoring event for
graduate students at the University of Vic-
toria's Peter B. Gustavson School of Busi-
ness two and a half years ago. But then
that's the beauty of a program that's been
consistently ranked in student surveys as
the school's best-kept secret—it encour-
ages the unexpected.
After leaving his post as head of TD's
Asia-Pacific region in Tokyo in 2004,
Summerville settled in Victoria and soon
got a call from Robin Dyke, head of the
Gustavson Executive Mentor Program.
For nearly a decade, the volunteer gig
was the perfect fit for Summerville, who,
at 47, had retired from investment bank-
ing and thought teaching was too much of
a time commitment.
ACCIDENTAL PROFESSOR
A former investment banker,
Paul Summerville took a call
from UVic that led him down
a different path: mentoring.
nik west
