Annapoorni Iyer - Chartered Engineer, Founder of Engosym Consultants for Infrastructure development projects

Women can deliver significantly to the construction sector as we have some inherent qualities and abilities for multi-tasking and management, along with emotional strength.
Annapoorni Iyer, Chartered Engineer, Founder of Engosym Consultants for Infrastructure development projects, Secretary IGS Pune Chapter

I owe my career choice to my professors for having sowed the seed of becoming professionally qualified and not focusing on academics alone.

I have done my B.E.(Civil) from DMCOE (2001 batch) and MBA (Infra and Contracts) from MIT, Pune. DMCOE gave me a clear vision about my career choice and I began to study each subject of civil engineering in depth. I found that my interest lay in geotechnical engineering. In the third and fourth year of college, the approach was more objective oriented, and we were taken to camps and site visits organized by the college.

My first job in the year 2002 was at the Maccaferri Group, where I got involved in Geotechnical Engineering. The job presented a lot of challenges, which, at the same time, allowed me to grow as an individual and as a professional. I was asked to go to project sites and visit clients at places that were often quite far from Mumbai. Those days, we did not have mobile phones and were more dependent on public transport.

The pressure to perform and deliver was very high. During the days that followed, I began to doubt my choice of profession and my ability to deliver the best. Today, I am grateful for my seniors firm approach, which made me become more professional and overcome fears of failure.

I have been in the civil engineering Industry for over 20 years now. During my career I have had the opportunity to be a part of prestigious nation building projects like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Konkan Railway Project, Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway, Amby Valley Sahara Lake City, and many more. I have worked closely with NHAI, MSRDC, various PWDs, Irrigation Department, Airport Authority of India, and Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

Leaving the comfort of a steady job and choosing entrepreneurship was a major step in my professional journey.

I have always wanted to be independent and leave a lasting impact on the industry. As a first-generation entrepreneur, the challenges I faced were more or less the same that are faced by any entrepreneur, and I had to keep my self-confidence up. Gaining the trust and confidence of clients as a ‘start-up engineer’ was another challenge. I was successful in overcoming challenges and have contributed to various prestigious nation building projects such as the Imphal-Kangchep-Tamenlong Road Project, the Versova Bandra Sea Link, and many more. I am closely associated with bodies like the Indian Geotechnical Society (IGS), Association of Consulting Civil Engineers of India (ACCE), and Deep Foundation Institute (DFI).

The professional growth of women is dependent on the support of close and extended family members.

My parents knew what additional value a working and professionally qualified woman can bring to the family. It is not just about financial stability but about bringing greater and more positive changes. I am blessed with parents who brought me up with strong values and they gave me the freedom to make a career choice. The same motivation and support continued from my son, husband, and parent-in-laws for which I will be always grateful.

A favourite quote of mine is ‘God found a few strong women and made them Civil Engineers’

Usually, the count of girls in the field of civil engineering is not high, and women aspirants should take the benefit of this lack. Instead of being apprehensive about scarcity, we should focus on filling up the gap. Women can deliver significantly to the construction sector as we have the ability to think differently and have some inherent qualities like better multi-tasking, better management skills, and we are emotionally strong.

I believe that it is important to stay motivated and be consistent in one’s performance at work. I have always wanted to give back to society. I am often invited to be a speaker in many engineering colleges where I enjoy interacting with future engineers. I like to share my industrial and corporate experience with the students. I also look forward to expanding my mind by learning new things such as AI technology and to keep growing. I have written a number of National and International papers. As a Council Member, Maharashtra Social Media Council of WICCI, I look forward to supporting more and more women in the industry in their future endeavours.

Hence, my message to young entrepreneurs is that they should identify their areas of interest and stay focused on that. Success might take a year or a decade, but one must be consistent. Start-ups and entrepreneurship test one’s time and patience, however creativity, innovation and opportunity are important.