From Highways to Kathak: Prabhati’s Journey of Leadership, Balance, and Purpose

Meet Prabhati, a design leader shaping sustainable transport from across the world and read how she balances engineering excellence with unexpected creative pursuits.

Prabhati is a Design Manager in the GTC business at AtkinsRéalis, based in Mumbai. She designs highways and related infrastructure for US transportation clients, leads design teams across multiple projects, and recently took on a role as Key Account Liaison for several State Departments of Transportation - all from the other side of the world.

Designing highways from Mumbai for communities in the US

Prabhati holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s specialising in Transportation Engineering. Her day‑to‑day involves designing highways and related assets - pavement, drainage, traffic signs and markings based on client requirements and design standards. She leads design teams, checks drawings and deliverables against contractual requirements, and keeps a close eye on budgets and timelines.

It’s not always straightforward. It’s quite challenging sometimes to meet delivery timelines due to last‑minute change requests from clients, she says. But I try to ensure all possible risks are identified and mitigation measures are considered, so any unexpected changes can be investigated and absorbed into the design.

The work she’s most proud of speaks to something bigger than road geometry. A recent project, currently in construction, added bicycle lanes and sidewalks to frontage roads for a beltway in Nevada, in line with the Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Designing infrastructure for walking and cycling is something I enjoy and take pride in, she says, towards supporting sustainable, inclusive communities.

A new role connecting Mumbai to the US

Alongside her design work, Prabhati has recently taken on a role as Key Account Liaison for certain State Departments of Transportation in the US. It’s a step that’s broadened her reach considerably; interacting with counterparts at various levels across US offices in the highway sector.

She describes it as one of the opportunities that’s stood out most since joining, alongside the chance to work on multi‑modal projects that deliver practical, safe, and sustainable design solutions.

Dare to Succeed and a manager who didn’t hesitate

In December 2024, barely six months after joining AtkinsRéalis, Prabhati submitted a self‑nomination for the Dare to Succeed training programme, a development programme designed for women leaders with potential to grow. When she told her Line Manager, he approved it immediately, moving her application forward to senior management without delay.

She was selected as one of a 20‑person cohort for 2025, joining women from across the GTC business spanning six office locations in India and one in Cairo. The programme was an enriching experience, offering powerful insights, she says. I talked about my early struggles as a young engineer in the industry and how I overcame those to grow in my career, and got to hear from others about theirs. It was very helpful.

On top of that, a project she delivered was nominated for a Quality Excellence team award as part of the Excellence in Quality Awards 2025, recognition that the technical standards she holds herself to are noticed.

The accidental Kathak student

Prabhati originally enrolled her daughter in Kathak classical dance lessons to encourage her to learn the art form. Three years later, it was Prabhati who’d become the dedicated student.

While I don’t go for classes anymore, I watch videos of dance performances, including those of my Kathak Guru, and try to attend dance concerts whenever possible, she says.

Outside of dance, she loves long, slow walks in open green spaces, soaking in the scenery, the sound of birds, the hum of people around her. Walking invigorates me and offers glimpses into the world outside my home and workplace. She’s also a reader, moving between fiction and non‑fiction, and a music listener. A quieter set of pleasures that balance out the technical intensity of her day job.

More than one way to get it right

When asked about the culture, Prabhati highlights something specific: the understanding that there isn’t always one correct way to do something. There could be multiple ways of completing a task, which managers understand without enforcing or hard‑lining, while ensuring the objectives and underlying principles of quality are being adhered to.
That flexibility, combined with genuine appreciation for contributions, whether on projects, employee engagement activities, or cultural events is what helps her do her best work.

What IWD means to Prabhati

For Prabhati, International Women’s Day is a day to reflect on how far women have come in the workplace and to recognise that the everyday struggles unique to their experience still need acknowledging. It matters that the unique struggles faced by women are recognised in the workplace and suitable measures are taken to remove biases, she says, without patronising or disparaging them.

Her advice

Don’t give up easily. Be resilient and brave, she says. Define your goal early on in your career, then develop the skills you need to achieve it. Have courage and don’t get bogged down by failure, failures are stepping stones to success, which help you learn and grow.

Celebrate your potential this International Women’s Day, explore career opportunities at AtkinsRéalis and be part of a workplace where women thrive.