“VP opened doors for me. Now it’s my turn to open them for others.”

Paresh Mistry is the founder and MD of ROLABOTIC, a boutique management consultancy set up to challenge and disrupt a market dominated by large, homogeneous consulting firms. Broadly speaking, ROLABOTIC helps its clients to transform their systems and processes, making them more efficient and effective. Its work covers everything from finance transformation projects and “innovation engines” to Robotic Process Automation (RPA) projects, where tasks are automated across applications and systems as if a human being was doing them.

“Our ultimate aim is operational excellence: helping organisations to work smarter. And when you work smarter, you reduce operational costs and improve the health and wellbeing of the people in the company - it’s win-win,” said Paresh.

Born and raised in Bradford, Paresh showed an aptitude for mathematics from an early age, something he attributes to his mum:

“There wasn’t a lot of money around growing up, but my mum was extremely numerate. I got into the local catholic grammar school and was further inspired to push myself by my Maths teacher. Through the school, I was offered the opportunity to go to Oxford (Villiers Park’s former home) for a residential maths course for second-year sixth-formers. I was already set on going to uni, but being with other young people from very diverse backgrounds really helped to prepare me for what it would be like in terms of my social development. It’s such a formative time in your life that you make really strong bonds. I’m still friends with some of the people I met at Villiers today, 23 years later!”

So what makes ROLABOTIC different to its competitors?

“First and foremost, we are completely and proudly independent. We don’t have deals or tie-ups with, for example, software suppliers. So when one of our consultants recommends a product to a client, it’s because they believe that it’s the best thing for the job - not because they’re getting a kick-back. Secondly, diversity isn’t a tick-box exercise for us. We truly believe in the value of diversity. I’m not interested in the school you went to, your background - even your qualifications, to a degree. We’re looking for bright, creative, solution-focussed people who we know will deliver for our clients. 60% of our workforce is female, 31% is BAME. That’s unheard of in this industry which, I’m sorry to say, is not a shining example of meritocracy.”

Now, following the company’s growth and success over a number of years, Paresh has decided to give something back: ROLABOTIC is becoming a sponsoring partner of Villiers Park. Paresh and his team will be getting involved in a range of activities, from coaching and mentoring to running workshops in a range of STEM areas, all underpinned by some very generous financial support. What’s his motivation?

“Those few days at Villiers Park were such a tiny proportion of my life, but I feel that they’ve had a disproportionately positive impact on my outlook and choices. I just want as many young people as possible to get that same feeling of possibility and opportunity.”

Thanks to Paresh and the ROLABOTIC team for their support, and look out for future blogs about how the partnership is making a positive impact on our Future Leaders.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Carly Mason, Business Development Manager: carly.mason@villierspark.org.uk