There’s always more to learn, no matter what field you’ve chosen and what department you have been placed into. But driving the process is something one looks forward to. Arpi found it soon that she fits better with project management rather than drawing and designing. Arpi has been an Architect and pursued further studies in Project Management which gave an idea of how things are managed after the designing and drawing stage. She began her career working with a design consultant, where she was involved in conceptualizing and developing the detailed drawings for the site execution. Arpi believes that an architect designs, makes the space functional and gives a better shape and purpose to the structure. She is currently the Associate Director at Gleeds, where she has overcome challenges and difficulties. She just aims to do more to reach her goals.
More parameters affect the project management, which often happen practically. These parameters started creating a curiosity inside Arpi during the first year of her work. She was keen to understand the other factors that are as important as designing in project management. Arpi has been working in various departments like the contracts, billing, and execution, etc. Currently, she holds a portfolio that majors in commercial & Program management. She loves the excitement of new challenges, in which she shines out with solutions.
Through her career spanning 13 years, she eventually explored all the divisions and despite having spread herself thin, she kept moving forward. The diverse experience helped her connect the dots in the project to coordinate in a better way. For example, Arpi was assigned to support one of the project managers for a hotel’s renovation work. Most of them couldn’t accept that a lady could join the fieldwork and manage it. But one manager believed in her. This breaking of barriers worked out fantastically for them and became a defining moment of her career. According to Arpi, her philosophy is to keep the communication clear as it’s the key to every process to get the best results. She also believes that clarity of thoughts about your goals should be on point. Further, coordination within departments is vital as connectivity is the key to save time and cost.
As a leader, keeping your team motivated and creating a sense of ownership and responsibility are the challenges one faces. Good communication is half work done. She believes in pre-planning and adapting to every new change to survive and bring the best out of yourself. Giving the best is what Arpi focuses on because, in the end, timely completion of the project is necessary so the show must go on. Arpi is a cost & a project management consultant based at Mumbai, she has expertise working in the hospitality and retail sector and she looks forward to exploring other sectors.
“Be a sponge and soak all the elements wherever you are placed, so be ready to adapt to new changes.” – Arpi Thakker
