Tell us about your path to VTT.
My path at VTT has been exhilarating. It offers a view of the development sector in Pakistan and the current best practices. Being part of the strategy and development team, I participate in proposal development process which asses and develops VTT’s approach towards the projects. These processes involve discussions with the development sectors’ experts and offer a learning experience like no other, what better way to learn then from the sector experts.
Tell us more about what you are passionate about outside work? How do you manage to make it work with a demanding career?
Outside of work, to sum up, I like to explore things, places, and food; a bit of everything. Despite a challenging job, I think the key to keep doing what you love to do is to plan activities according to the time you have and simply enjoy. My philosophy is to just enjoy whatever you can whenever you can.
Give us one word that best describes how you work.
Diligent
Describe your problem–solving strategy in a sentence.
Being adaptive in approaches to challenges
When you meet a client for the first time, what’s something you always try to do?
One of the things I always try to do is to understand what the client is expecting from us as it is the single most important aspect of maintaining a healthy client rapport. At the end of the day, it leads to higher levels of productivity and a clear direction.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done for work?
Assisted in redesigning the office workplace.
What are the ingredients of an ideal workspace?
Communication and Teamwork
Name one new thing you learned or mastered on the job last year.
I would like to mention that I believe that learning is a continuous process. Now with that out of the way, I think I learned a great deal about how it is essential to recognize that there is always a limit on time, people, and money. Therefore, it is critical to analyze and track opportunities that are relevant to the scope of work carried by your firm, enabling the firm to cull the list of projects that seem nice to those that must be done.
Name one thing you hope to learn or master this year.
Being part of the research and strategy department is a source of unique experience. I work in a deadline driven environment and producing quality work is of great importance. Hence, this year I am looking forward to honing my skills further to deliver work that does not only meets deadline but also the quality standards.
What’s your best tip for starting a tough project?
For a tough project, I think it is important to adopt a three-tier approach involving the development of i) the project understanding, ii) what Is required and iii) what are the deliverables. This approach will help plan and execute the project and can be applied to every stage of the project.
When you look back at the end of your career, what do you want to see?
I believe that there are two things that I would like to see achieved over the span of my career i) being honest to my responsibilities and ii) growth
What’s the last book you read?
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant.
Finally, tell us about a trend or innovation you’re really excited about.
Recently, I came across a news stating that a startup called Noveto has come up with technology to deliver sound right to your ears without you wearing any device at all. As someone whose headphones always end up either broken or damaged, I am excited about this one.