The armor of positive thinking is a great tool to lead someone to achieve big. However, if someone is passionate enough about something the hardest of stones fall apart and pave the way for the traveler. Tanvi Garg, Regional Director of Teknobuilt - an innovative construction technology company too possesses such zeal for entrepreneurship in the construction industry and is a known name in the space. Recently, she engaged in an exclusive discussion with the CEO Insights team to unravel her journey, the leads of her approach, and the future roadmap for Teknobuilt.

Take us through your early educational journey and the prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

My early educational journey prepared me for a technical career. However, after working in a corporate role for a few years, I got drawn to business development and then addressing socio-economic issues. After a late strong attempt at Public Services examinations, I started heading functional areas for a few years. When I started with Teknobuilt, we were five people and now in 4 years, I am leading a team of 50 in one of the most innovative construction and climate tech companies globally. During the COVID lockdown, we expanded our solutions in Korea as a top 30 startup selected from over 3000 companies globally. The accelerator organization KSGC (under the Korean govt.) arranged a special permit for us even when the whole country was closed. In four months during the lockdown, I along with our CEO established the local operations and won our first local clients there subsequently. I understood that it is culturally difficult in some countries and industries to take directions from women leaders. However, I established myself as the leader of the company in the region, led the entire preparations in India and setup & trained the local team in Korea, and did the project kick-off in person. I am striving to bring a transformation from a people-based to a process-led organization so that we can bring a long-lasting environment to deliver excellent value to clients and all stakeholders including our team.

Introduce us to Teknobuilt. Tell us about the various responsibilities you shoulder as the Regional Director for the firm.

A dual headquartered company Teknobuilt is transforming the way projects in construction get built and operate. The company is operating in America, the UK, Europe, and APAC. Over 80 percent of projects face significant delays and more than 40 percent of emissions come from the built environment, there is an urgent need to make this industry productive and sustainable. Through advancement in construction and engineering work processes using Geoinformatics and Machine Learning technologies, it is possible to now deliver projects successfully and sustainably using Teknobuilt’s software platform. Teknobuilt's vision is to help the world build better - safely, smartly, and sustainably. The company is on a mission to modernize construction by bringing ML/AI-powered Unified Platform-PACE OS for infrastructure & energy projects. PACE is an end-to-end digital solution that helps in Real Time Project Execution, Health, Safety, Quality, and Field management for greater visibility and cost savings. PACE enables digital workflows, remote working, and AI-based analytics to bring speed, flow, and surety to project delivery. Received recognition globally for innovation experiencing a period of significant growth for the company’s solutions.

I felt connected with the social impact and the founders’ drive for this mission. I work on expanding the company’s business globally, help guide the product roadmap and lead a large operational team that is working on ML to construction management, transformation, and client success management.

What are some of the most critical challenges you encounter in your current role at Teknobuilt? How do you overcome the roadblocks?

Initial personal doubt on my capabilities to be able to take upon such a challenging mandate. Some excellent mentoring by CEO, Yogesh and MD, Abhishek, and continuous learning have helped me improve my capabilities. I understood the challenges of delivering transformative innovative solutions in the industry with multiple stakeholders. Building a progressive culture to our high standards, for a growing organization is challenging as people join with various backgrounds and expectations. I encourage a woman and parent-friendly atmosphere with a pragmatic approach, as I too am a working parent of a small kid.

"It Takes A Lot Of Determination & Unwavering Commitment To Achieve Your Goal. Always Seek Good Mentors For Continuous Learning & Growth"

As women in the industry, the fact is that we encounter people whose comments may not be in appropriate sense. However, my CEO was the change and categorically advised me that if any business dealing comes to your respect & safety as a women leader, we will be willing to forego millions of dollars worth of business. It was not only through words but through supportive actions, at various times that have helped me permeate this culture through the organization.

Tell us about some key milestones you have achieved throughout your professional journey. What has been your success mantra?

Bringing transformative innovation in one of the largest power plants in India for Industrial safety right from concept, and client initiation to delivering through various challenges. Establishing an international office, building and guiding team members for global-level client deliveries with Mantra is to take an empathetic approach to handle clients as well as employees and take constructive actions collaboratively.

What is your take on the current state of women’s representation in the construction industry? How can we bring more women into the said industry’s workforce?

Women have a major role to play in construction as we are undergoing one of the largest waves of urbanization. Clean energy problems need to be solved in the coming decades. Using technology and automation, women can participate a lot more in the building process and industrial safety. I encourage women from different backgrounds, with a zeal to make an impact in the industry to join me in the mission of reaching sustainable infrastructure.

Tanvi Garg, Regional Director-Regional Director - APAC REGION, Teknobuilt

With Masters in Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing, Tanvi is an efficient executive holding around two decades of professional experience transforming people's lives through digital innovation and change in the construction industry. Alongside, she is also focused on empowering women's participation & leadership in the same field.

Educational Qualification: Masters in Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing

A business leader you admire: Yogesh Srivastava, CEO of Teknobuilt because of his laser-focused vision

Advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs: It takes a lot of determination and sacrifice; always seek good mentors