A company is as good as the employees who are working with that company. Finding the right talent at the right place has become a difficult task for various organizations. To cater to this requirement in the UAE market, Pathway Group International was established in the year 2014. It is a professional recruitment company and a premier destination for talented candidates. Under the leadership of Niyati Patel, the company is committed to recruiting and training top professionals for their valuable clients. Pathway Global provides support in the form of recruitment, consultation, and outsourcing of training activities for various types of companies that have a diverse field of workers.

Niyati Patel has obtained two bachelor's degrees in entirely two different fields are Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology and Bachelor of Fashion Design. She has also completed her Master of Business Administration in Global Business Management from Coventry University London Campus and is a Big Data Expert, She started her professional career as a Fashion Manager and Merchandiser with The Future Group and went on to become Executive Director at Pathway Group International. She believes that all her successes in her different roles with various companies are because of the upbringing she got from her parents. Apart from formal education, she was also involved in arts, crafts, music, meditation, yoga, karate, and a lot that helped in her cognitive development and led to broaden her perspective on living life. Niyati Patel engaged in an exclusive interaction with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, let’s hear from her.

Introduce us to Pathway Group International. Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture and its key areas of specialization.

Pathway Group International is a Recruitment and Manpower Service Provider to clients comprising Government, Semi-Government, and Multinational companies. The company has witnessed unstopping growth and today, we have our presence in the GCC countries as well as in Asia. Pathway has adapted to the new-normal post-pandemic in such a manner that the recruitment process has been entirely digitalized.

"Doubt attracts Doubt and Confidence Attracts Confidence of The other people In you"

What are the various responsibilities you shoulder as the Executive Director of Pathway Group International? Tell us about the primary focus areas for driving growth for the company.

When I joined the company, adapting to the new normal post-pandemic was essential and we had to come up with a solution for our clients and candidates. We created a bridge between clients and candidates by making our processes all digital. Today, we have a growing database of candidates with over a million registrations both locally and overseas to serve our varied portfolio of clients across all the industries such as Facility Management, Transport, Retail, IT, Hospitality, and many more. With our uncompromising strive for growth and ethical recruitment practices, we have been highly recommended and appreciated by Sheikh Tahnoon’s Private Office & Chamber of Commerce, Dubai.

Throw light on the most critical challenges you face as a business leader in today’s times. What strategies do you leverage to overcome the roadblocks?

Well, I always aim to remain focused on achieving our goals with a non-negotiable approach. I focus more on the inner engineering and the same energy can be experienced across the team as well. To overcome a lot of roadblocks, I always ensure that my team is happy, healthy & focused. Backstage, we indulge ourselves in a lot of strategic planning, time management, goal setting, brainstorming, and meditation practices to be at our best in what we achieve as a team.

Tell us about the top three milestones you have achieved throughout your professional journey. What has been your mantra for success as a business leader?

My top three milestones that I have achieved are while working with Pathway Group which is something I will cherish throughout my life. First is working from scratch for the success of the development and implementation of Digital Strategy in Pathway Group that helped in client growth rate increase by 72%. Second is the increase in revenue by a magnificent percentage of more than 79.6% because of the digitalization of the work. Finally, working from scratch on a brand-new E-commerce concept that is ready to launch in Q3. My approach is very simple where I divide the task into micro and macro wins. For each micro win, I along with my team celebrate the win till we get to the macro. It doesn’t matter how I celebrate, but after every micro win, I take a break with my team somewhere in a coffee shop or a casual lunch, or dinner, or make a celebration playlist.

Throw some light on the new e-commerce venture that you are working on currently. What do you intend to achieve through this new venture?

The idea is to influence every human life that crosses their path with us, and our new e-commerce venture is aimed to let every individual explore their unique self. All products and services are essentially designed to empower the journey of the inner self.

What advice would you give to aspiring women leaders?

You must cancel the Outer Noise, be it a negative suggestion or aeven positively aimed distraction, abandon it then & there. Just follow your inner voice and it will help you believe in yourself and your team. Free yourself from all the mental barriers and stop procrastinating because the moment you start working for your dream is the right time.

Niyati Patel, ED, Pathway Group International

With over a decade of experience in the fashion retail and consulting field, Niyati Patel possesses excellent problem-solving skills and strong forecasting & analysis skills. Before joining Pathway Group, she worked with various companies such as United Colours of Benetton, Abercrombie & Fitch, Landmark Group, and Majid Al Futtaim in various leadership positions.

• Educational Qualification:

•  Bachelor of Engineering, IT & Bachelor of Fashion Design.
•  MBA in Global Business Management.
•  Big Data Expert Certification
•  Published four papers as University Downright Journals upon Merchandise Planning, Business Strategy Planning, Stock Liquidation balance in Online and Bricks & Mortar Platform and Visual Tech Trends in Retail.

• Awards & Recognitions won:

•  Featured in Arab news multiple times for her contribution through Digital Strategy.
• Invited to the International Merchandiser Conference at World Trade Centre, Mumbai, India
•  Speaker at DigiConference on Customer Experience, Innovation, Informatics,Digital Transformations.
•  Speaker at AIM10x 2021 Conference – Digital Transformation.
•  Mentioned in various articles on fashion for one of the leading newspapers ‘The Times of India’ and magazine ‘Femina’ on a regular basis – 2011 to 2013

• A business leader you admire: Henry Ford