Guninder Singh CEO, Vipul Group
The real estate industry has generally been considered to be a forte of men, given the roughness associated with brick, mortar and steel going into construction activities for any development. However, the scenario is changing. The industry has matured over the years, coming under regulation and is adopting best practices. Women are joining the workforce at all levels as designers, consultants and sales persons. Their natural ability of multi-tasking and having an eye for detail place them on a steady platform for professional growth. Many women professionals are performing key roles in strategic decision-making. Their ability to see things laterally, intuitively and more creatively along with good interpersonal communication skills have been differentiating factors in this dynamic sector. Being an architect by profession, my journey started in 1983, as an architect with a private firm. I entered real estate industry with Unitech Ltd in 1990 where I was in charge of the architecture and planning division. After joining Vipul Ltd. in 2002 as a Head of planning and architecture, there was a steady growth. All the major projects developed by Vipul Group have been handled by me along with my team mates. Effective implementation of various projects instilled the management’s confidence in my leadership skills and I was assigned the responsibility of heading strategic business operations and became a CEO in 2011. It has been rewarding journey and I strive to achieve excellence. Currently I’m focussing on Aarohan which is one of the most fascinating projects of Vipul with an estimated investment of approximately Rs.1500 crore. It is spread across 19.24 acres of land strategically located on the Golf Course Road in Gurgaon. It will give the residents an unprecedented luxury experience. Aarohan has some enthralling facilities like Sky Spa, Sky Lounge, Landscaped Intermediate Terraces, Central Arena, Swimming Pool, Gym, Home Theatre, Amphitheatre etc. The sector is moving towards gender diversity and many women are being appointed in senior executive roles. Going forward, I believe the sector will see more women in leadership roles. Real estate sector is the second largest employer after agriculture and is a key contributor in the economic growth of the country. The economic slowdown had severely impacted the real estate sector and consequences were felt both on the demand and supply side. The scenario is now gradually changing and the sector is witnessing an increase in demand for the residential real estate products in the offering. Some of the policy measures taken by the government to improve transparency, governance and regulation in the sector along with central bank’s measures to infuse liquidity in the market followed by reduction in the interest rates by banks have played a pivotal role in the sentiment revival. The developers have also extended their support by keeping the prices of projects unchanged from past two years. I would therefore like to reiterate that the worst is behind the real estate sector and the long-term outlook for the real estate sector looks positive. Women have proved their mettle in the roles assigned to them by achieving set targets efficiently and have been applauded for their efforts. I strongly believe that beyond a level, gender does not matter and individuals have to prove themselves professionally. Women must leverage their capabilities and put in hard work to make a mark.
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