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Meet Atisha Gopichund, a 30-something with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering: Civil Technology.
She is the youngest female and currently the only female to sit on the executive committee of leading interior construction company, Saint-Gobain Gyproc.
She was also recently appointed as the Chief deputy expert on the Plastering/Drywalling skill for the global World Skills Competition taking place in Sao Paulo in 2015.
Atisha, Head of Technical Services at Saint-Gobain Gyproc, leads like a woman and is winning. She believes that women in the workplace must embrace their feminine traits and use these to their advantage.
“Women don’t have to be like men to have a fulfilling and successful career to win in business, on a primal level we are wired to seek out cooperation and collaboration, and are naturally inclined towards caretaking and finding positive solutions that allow everyone to benefit,” she says.
As a child growing up in Durban, Atisha was very preoccupied with architecture and technical drawings, which evolved into number crunching and problem solving as she matured.
Her CV reads like a technical thesis, but when glancing over it, there is no doubt that Atisha’s expertise lies in technical specifications related to systems solutions in the building/construction sector.
In this interview, she gives us a glimpse into her career, aspirations and her life in general:
What three things/people/ roles have contributed to your success?
a. My work ethic, morals and conduct, which were influenced by my parents.
b. My family
c. My husband
My husband is an electronic engineer and there is a very healthy level of competition between the two of us, which inspires and motivates me
What leadership qualities do you most admire?
People in senior management roles who are able to engage with their employees, who have an open door policy and welcome interaction and the cultivation of informal associations with employees at all levels.
I think it is so important to genuinely care about other people; this increases trust, affinity and camaraderie amongst teams and garners productivity.
How do you manage balance in your life?
I am a real perfectionist and have this need to excel at everything I do. I have to manage my roles and responsibilities and be realistic with regards to how much I can achieve as a wife, as a mother, as a career woman and as a student.
Yes, I am currently doing my masters in Civil engineering: Storm Water Management. I was nominated to be class Mom at my son’s school at the beginning of this year, and sadly declined, I can’t do it all.
I have however established a very good support system and am pretty organized, even if I sometimes stay awake until the early hours of the morning baking for my sons school “bakerman”. Not so sure that’s great balance.
What are the best and worst decisions you have ever made?
The best decision I ever made was to relocate to Johannesburg from Durban. The move was the right move for my career. The worst decision I ever made was the purchase of our last home, it was an impulse buy and I failed to conduct a thorough inspection of the property, which was very naïve of me.
It ended up being a complete nightmare with ground water issues that posed continuous challenges and caused much frustration. We all make mistakes, as long as we learn the lessons along the way.
What qualities in a female leader, inspires you?
Good balance and a proven legacy are what inspire me. Women who are qualified in their field of expertise, who have a successful career, a happy home life with a husband and children, but do not sacrifice their own personal aspirations for personal growth and achievement command my utmost respect.
What is your advice to young girls wanting to pursue a career in business?
Be clear of and remain committed to your goals, obtain a tertiary qualification and be prepared to focus on and go after what fulfills and challenges you.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
My son, he amazes me every day, his analytical ability at just four years old is astounding. His ability to learn from everything in life and watching his knowledge base grow day by day is truly inspiring.
Atisha is certainly one of South Africa’s female role models and mentors, and her successful role as a career woman, wife and mother certainly shows that she truly is a force to be reckoned with.
Follow Women24 on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
She is the youngest female and currently the only female to sit on the executive committee of leading interior construction company, Saint-Gobain Gyproc.
She was also recently appointed as the Chief deputy expert on the Plastering/Drywalling skill for the global World Skills Competition taking place in Sao Paulo in 2015.
Atisha, Head of Technical Services at Saint-Gobain Gyproc, leads like a woman and is winning. She believes that women in the workplace must embrace their feminine traits and use these to their advantage.
“Women don’t have to be like men to have a fulfilling and successful career to win in business, on a primal level we are wired to seek out cooperation and collaboration, and are naturally inclined towards caretaking and finding positive solutions that allow everyone to benefit,” she says.
As a child growing up in Durban, Atisha was very preoccupied with architecture and technical drawings, which evolved into number crunching and problem solving as she matured.
Her CV reads like a technical thesis, but when glancing over it, there is no doubt that Atisha’s expertise lies in technical specifications related to systems solutions in the building/construction sector.
In this interview, she gives us a glimpse into her career, aspirations and her life in general:
What three things/people/ roles have contributed to your success?
a. My work ethic, morals and conduct, which were influenced by my parents.
b. My family
c. My husband
My husband is an electronic engineer and there is a very healthy level of competition between the two of us, which inspires and motivates me
What leadership qualities do you most admire?
People in senior management roles who are able to engage with their employees, who have an open door policy and welcome interaction and the cultivation of informal associations with employees at all levels.
I think it is so important to genuinely care about other people; this increases trust, affinity and camaraderie amongst teams and garners productivity.
How do you manage balance in your life?
I am a real perfectionist and have this need to excel at everything I do. I have to manage my roles and responsibilities and be realistic with regards to how much I can achieve as a wife, as a mother, as a career woman and as a student.
Yes, I am currently doing my masters in Civil engineering: Storm Water Management. I was nominated to be class Mom at my son’s school at the beginning of this year, and sadly declined, I can’t do it all.
I have however established a very good support system and am pretty organized, even if I sometimes stay awake until the early hours of the morning baking for my sons school “bakerman”. Not so sure that’s great balance.
What are the best and worst decisions you have ever made?
The best decision I ever made was to relocate to Johannesburg from Durban. The move was the right move for my career. The worst decision I ever made was the purchase of our last home, it was an impulse buy and I failed to conduct a thorough inspection of the property, which was very naïve of me.
It ended up being a complete nightmare with ground water issues that posed continuous challenges and caused much frustration. We all make mistakes, as long as we learn the lessons along the way.
What qualities in a female leader, inspires you?
Good balance and a proven legacy are what inspire me. Women who are qualified in their field of expertise, who have a successful career, a happy home life with a husband and children, but do not sacrifice their own personal aspirations for personal growth and achievement command my utmost respect.
What is your advice to young girls wanting to pursue a career in business?
Be clear of and remain committed to your goals, obtain a tertiary qualification and be prepared to focus on and go after what fulfills and challenges you.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
My son, he amazes me every day, his analytical ability at just four years old is astounding. His ability to learn from everything in life and watching his knowledge base grow day by day is truly inspiring.
Atisha is certainly one of South Africa’s female role models and mentors, and her successful role as a career woman, wife and mother certainly shows that she truly is a force to be reckoned with.
Follow Women24 on Twitter or like us on Facebook.
