Applauding our ‘All Women Team’ at work

It all began with an eight-member women engineer team at the Kochi Airport being featured in the news for their game-changing achievement. This quite instinctively got Mr. M R Jaishankar, our Chairman thinking, “Why can’t we have an All Women Team at Brigade?”. And then things just got moving. One thing led to another, thoughts turned into action. A project was identified. The project architect and the team lead were selected. Goals were set and everyone braced for action.

Ambika, a passionate architect, who had been with Brigade for over 5 years, with her proven capability in handling various projects and understanding of our design philosophy was the obvious choice to lead the way, as Project Architect.

“It is indeed a great gesture, rather an enormous amount of trust that has been laid upon our shoulders by the management. Handing over complete control of the project to us, has a lot to say about the confidence the company has in us. And we are geared up to rise to the opportunity and shine into the future. While others are still talking about women taking leadership roles in construction, we at Brigade are proof of taking the first steps!” says Ambika Mallela

Remya joined the Brigade family as a Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET). Her enthusiasm, commitment and above all, her attention to detail swung the assignment in her favour, making her the project lead. The all women project team was formed under her leadership, with support from the senior management.

Artist’s impression of The Arcade at Brigade Orchards

The Arcade at Brigade Orchards, a 3 lakh Sq.ft. shopping cum commercial space, unlike other standalone counterparts, needed more involved design management and co-ordination. The team jumped right into action, evaluating the challenges, charting out a detailed action plan and got to execution in a very methodical manner. They commanded excellent support from consultants, contractors, and workers. It is their hard work, dedication and eye for detail that has given The Arcade at Brigade Orchards an excellent rating in the company’s project evaluation score.

The real estate industry is transforming significantly for women and there are many more women on-site now than there used to be earlier. Even at the entry level women are opting for positions at the construction site rather than seeking positions within a comfortable office. For most women engineers, stepping in at work on-site brings them a sense of pride and achievement. And we salute them at every step they take.

Brigade has always been an equal opportunity employer. Some of our most senior positions are held by women leaders, experts in their own fields. Rising the ranks and having groomed themselves to become great managers, they command tremendous respect within the organisation and in the industry. Like the buildings we build are crafted to bring alive positive experiences, we believe that women are inherently born with qualities that make positive change possible. A woman’s attention to detail, negotiation skills, emotional intelligence, organisational capabilities etc., give her the vantage point needed to handle any kind of situation. They possess the ability to multitask, while staying committed to the task at hand and instinctively collaborate within teams.

This initiative of elevating the role of women we work with is just the beginning of a new order of things to come in the near future. As women continue to break down barriers in every facet of life, their presence will continue to empower the construction industry.