Skilling Will be Our Priority Area

Dr Ananta Singh Raghuvanshi has a rich and diverse CXO experience in real estate sector , having worked with prominent organisations like DLF,  EmaarMGF, Damac and Experion Developers. Sales, marketing and business development have been her strengths during her 3 decades of  remarkable career in real estate. A TedX speaker, she is the Founder and current President of Naredco MAHI, a women wing of real estate sector’s apex body under the aegis of  the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. Here, in this exclusive interview with Torbit Realty, Dr Raghuvanshi talks about her agenda and action plan for Naredco MAHI, changing landscape of real estate marketing, growing importance of professional CEOs/CXOs and prospects of real estate sector in the coming year. Excerpts…Vinod Behl

How do yoy look at one year journey of Naredco MAHI in terms of challenges and achievements and what is the way ahead for it?

. Last  year we focused on founding the women’s wing for Naredco. Five women founders with different strengths came together to give it a solid foundation . Together,  we created a cohesive team conducive to creating an impact in the  concerned areas. As President Elect , I contributed in terms of getting the right kind of members and creating awareness through  road shows and  social media. . The founders focused on two missions , of which I was assigned the ‘ Nirmal Jal Prayaas- NJP ‘ . I was quite passionate about the  water mission . I  formulated a sound strategy for its effective implementation  with the support of Mahi super women team, Indian Plumbing Association, Vanita etc.

Taking tup the mantle of Naredco MAHI as its new President  , in the  coming year, we  will  start a regular online monthly newsletter- Mahi Talks besides doing in person events related to the missions. We will scale up the size and responsibilities and you will see that this second year of Naredco’s women wing   will be extra special as it also happens to be the 25th year of  inception of Naredco.

Now that you are at the helm of affairs of Naredco MAHI, what is your agenda and action plan to garner more visibility for the organisation through active engagement of its members with different stakeholders and policy makers , besides promoting  real estate women entrepreneurs and professionals?

This is not a platform for promoting individuals. This is a forum where current issues related to real estate especially concerning  women, are addressed and relevant  actions taken to resolve the issues.. Save water , gender parity, skilling etc will be our top priority areas . The MAHI women are competent, courageous , independent and responsible women. Most importantly, it is pro bono work where you want to give back to industry and the society.

As the young tech-savvy real estate entrepreneurs and professionals are playing a key role in the transformation of the sector , how does Naredco MAHI aim to promote their participation in the sector?

MAHI  Super Club has subject matter experts in  real estate,technology,  training and digital media. The regular training, talks and interactions will contribute towards leveraging technology to plan and execute marketing more effectively.   Naredco not only launched its women’s wing last year,  but also a youth wing under the able leadership and aegis of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

What according to you are the challenges before the growth of women professionals in real estate? And since Naredco works closely with the Mnistry of Housing & Urban Affairs, how does Naredco MAHI propose to tackle these challenges ?

The challenges are many but they have to be tackled at individual and organisational level. Few can be taken up with the industry leadership too. Real estate industry has to recognise and give women their fair place in their roles, reporting and remuneration. It is unfair to make them lag on all the matrixes though they are as competent as men.

Since the knowledge /skill enhancement of the real estate professionals is the key to the growth of the sector, how do you plan to take it forward by way of training programmes , workshops and seminars ?

MAHI plans to hold one in person and one online event  on a monthly basis  for the entire year. This will provide ample knowledge to women professionals on topics where knowledge gaps exist.

How do you describe the changing landscape of real estate marketing in the post-covid times and what new trends you foresee in the new year ?

The pandemic which resulted in lockdowns , provided a big push to digital marketing  and fired up the digital outreach in real estate . Going forward experiential and interactive marketing will be making  significant contribution to real estate growth.

Looking at the performance of real estate sector in 2022 ,what prospects you foresee for the real estate as an asset class for investment vis a vis other asset classes ?

I foresee brilliant times ahead with great new product launches in the offing . With rising absorption of residential real estate, we will see  ready to move inventory getting significantly liquidated. . Secondary sales will gather momentum too.  Going forward, we will see a pool of skilled man power getting created at the project sites.

Post-covid, how do you see the growing importance of professional CEOs/CXOs?

These are the  times when a growing and committed organisation cannot take a chance. Talent acquisition is an art which will be tested. Experience brings a wealth of wisdom which is extremely critical in times of high growth for the organisation and the sector as well. Leaders with proven track record, self starters, team builders, agile decision makers and experts with a  winner mindset, are best suited to be the CEOs / CXOs as a  non subject matter expert could take  too much time to understand the pitfalls of an  erroneous strategy or faulty execution.

How do you look ahead at your dream run as president of Naredco MAHI?

My dream is to make this year super special and something to be proud of in terms of  impact that will be visible in the year ahead. Recently, I was conferred with the  prestigious Society Achievers Award from the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra CM of Maharashtra, At the award event, I said in my acceptance speech that my endeavour is to change’impossible’ to ‘possible’. I will strive for excellence and for me  it’s definitely work in progress.