Ruchi Chowdhry

I come from a family of doctors and teachers, and I was the first one in my family to go against what people normally do and break the barrier to enter construction. As a kid, I was always fascinated with buildings and architecture. Wherever I went, that is what would fascinate me the most, and I loved old buildings and the history of architecture, which drew me into pursuing architecture as a career. I started my career with interior designing for a hotel chain in Kuwait overseas, doing small retail projects. Then I switched to retail, and once you get onto retail, you don't go back. What I love most about retail is the fast pace and the quick turnarounds. You can see construction start to finish, everything happens in a matter of a few months. Last year, for example, I opened 10 stores, so the quantity of work I manage and execute in a year is something you can't compare to anything else in construction. I've worked professionally with a lot of retailers in the U.S., starting my first full-time retail job with Ralph Lauren where I learned a lot, then moved on to Club Monaco, Vineyard Vines, and now I'm with Alo Yoga. My biggest strengths are managing timelines and strict deadlines, managing budgets, and coordinating people internally with internal stakeholders as well as external partners. I build really good relationships with our general contractors and our subcontractors, and that is what really helps me successfully deliver projects on time and within budgets.