Abhijit has been a PMI member for over 17 years and started to volunteer for the PMI Phoenix chapter from 2016 onwards. He is currently the Director of Volunteer Management in the membership team. He plays a very key role in ensuring the chapter new members and volunteers get the best experience when they apply for a volunteer position. He does the first round of interaction with all those who apply to be a chapter volunteer. He is also a judge for STEM projects at PV Schools Science and Engineering Fair (PVSEF).
Abhijit started his career as a hands-on IT developer almost 3 decades ago and then moved into IT project management. Managed IT projects in Middle East, Japan, and US. He has experience in Finance, Healthcare, Travel, Utilities and State Government Projects. He is currently driving Data Governance across the Business Unit for a large finance company in the valley.
When asked about the most memorable experience on his Project Management Journey, he says “All projects are unique, one of my projects was of Legal Nature with a tight timeline. We were the first project in the company to adopt Agile Methodology. We reduced the timeline by over 13 months and were able to meet all the requirements and passed the audits. We were very creative in our approach.”
When asked about the future of Project Management Profession, his views are that “The Project Management profession is changing very rapidly. The PM is expected to be a leader and lead the team from the front. The PM is expected to be on top of the latest trends, understand technology and provide creative solutions, besides taking care of the traditional responsibilities.”
The most rewarding part of his volunteer journey has been that he gets to interact with professionals from various Industries. He encourages members who are not yet volunteers to take a leap of faith as it will be a rich experience and provides access to a wider network of very creative individuals.
We did a rapid-fire round of question and answer with Abhijit: -
HIDDEN TALENT: Ardent hiker
FAVORITE DESTINATION: India
GUILTY PLEASURE: Single Malt
PASSIONATE ABOUT: Data Governance and Technology
BUSINESS ADVICE/PHILOSOPHY: Attitude determines altitude.
READING: Anything management related
HEROES: Many
PROUDEST MOMENT (CAREER): achieving PMP, PgMP and ACP
PROUDEST MOMENT (PERSONAL): Son picked by USNA, USAF and US Coast Guard Academies after high school.
WHAT INSPIRES / DRIVES YOU? The next goal
WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU THAT WE WOULDN’T LEARN FROM YOUR RESUME - Risk taker.
HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR COLLEAGUES WOULD DESCRIBE TO YOU? Amicable
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU DO BEFORE YOU DIE? Skydive
WHAT ARE SOME CAUSES YOU CARE ABOUT? Childhood cancer and trafficking
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PERSONAL MOTTO? Live life to the fullest