“Opportunities arrived without me having to ask”: Alankrita on teaching 700 students, mothering twin boys, and building a borderless journey from the classroom to global delivery

Alankrita is a Project Manager based in Noida, India, with 19 years in design and project management, a Gold Medal in Architecture from NIT Bhopal, and a seven-year sideline career teaching over 700 students before returning to corporate project management.  

The lenient teacher who failed the most

Before project management became her sole focus, Alankrita spent seven years as an Associate Professor, teaching nine batches of architecture students while juggling design leadership on the side.

“I was the lenient teacher who failed the most,” she says with a laugh. “My baseline was simple: learn it, then lead it.” The proof turns up every Teacher’s Day and Guru Purnima, when messages still arrive from former students, evidence that high standards, delivered with consistency and care, can genuinely change trajectories.

That experience of turning confusion into curiosity and deadlines into discipline shapes everything about how she leads teams now. It’s a reminder that the skills we build in one chapter often become our greatest strengths in the next.

Outside of work, the structured project manager disappears entirely. Alankrita describes herself as the most talkative, fun-loving person in any group; a home chef who experiments endlessly with new flavours, a football and cricket fan, and the mother of twin teenage boys. “My personal life is a roller coaster - unpredictable, fast, loud, and still incredibly joyful,” she says. “I scream, I laugh, and I enjoy every twist of the ride.”

From precast construction to global delivery

Alankrita’s day-to-day revolves around coordination, clarity, and keeping teams aligned on priorities. She leads the PPS team in Noida and serves as Project Management Workstream Lead for the Noida–Gurgaon region. Before joining AtkinsRéalis in March 2024, she built deep expertise in commercial and housing projects with a particular focus on precast construction technology, including coordinating the first precast project by a real estate developer in the Delhi NCR region.

She’s candid about the learning curve when she arrived. Coming from an Indian market where digital project tools were still evolving, the transition into a globally mature delivery environment was steep. But she treated it as an accelerator, not a setback.

One of the most defining assignments came through exposure to the Middle East market. Stepping into NMDC’s DMP2.0 programme in KSA as an Interface Manager, Alankrita had to rapidly understand regional processes, align multiple consultants, and ensure seamless communication under tight timelines. “I was genuinely apprehensive at first,” she admits. “But the speed of learning, the clarity of systems, and the collaborative environment pushed me beyond my comfort zone. The experience proved transformative.”

Two years, three roles

In less than two years at AtkinsRéalis, Alankrita has grown into the Workstream Lead role, taken on governance responsibilities as an LRQA-certified auditor, and stepped up as Noida Operations Lead, stretching well beyond project delivery into how a region actually runs.

Today, she approaches projects more strategically, thinking beyond immediate issues to build repeatable systems that prevent recurring problems. That shift from reactive to proactive is something she credits directly to the breadth of opportunity here. “Joining AtkinsRéalis flipped my scope from ‘big’ to ‘borderless,’” she says.

When a mistake became a team moment

During the DMP2.0 programme, Alankrita made an error involving a subconsultant issuance. She was ready to take full blame. What happened next stayed with her.

“My LPO team, the SPMs, Commercial Director, and peers all backed me. Instead of blame, there was support, and even some laughter. One SPM told me, ‘This shows you are working extremely hard.’”

She also credits her Line Manager for setting the tone early on. During her first months, before she was allocated to a project, watching colleagues fully engaged while she waited was discouraging. He told her plainly that productivity alignment was his responsibility and encouraged her to use the time to learn deeply. “He gave me a safe space to express concerns and never once made me feel inadequate,” she recalls. That psychological safety, the knowledge that you can grow without fear is something Alankrita comes back to again and again.

She’s honest about the fact that she naturally overthinks when it comes to stepping into leadership roles. What made the difference were the people around her. “Their quiet confidence in me, their habit of saying ‘you can handle this,’ and the way they trust without micromanaging, that made me believe in possibilities I wouldn’t have considered for myself.”

What IWD means to Alankrita

“As a woman, I’ve worked places where opportunities came after proof, not before,” she says. “Here, in under two years, opportunities arrived without me having to ask and that still thrills me.”

“IWD is both a spotlight and a scorecard. It celebrates progress and asks: what next?” For Alankrita, real inclusion shows up in everyday actions - who gets trusted with responsibility, who’s encouraged to speak up, and who’s supported while they grow. “Culture is built on choices, not posters.”

Her advice

“Don’t let initial self-doubt define your confidence. Capability grows faster than fear if you stay consistent. Don’t wait for perfect conditions, start where you are, with what you have.”

And for allies? “Small, consistent support like backing someone publicly or giving them space to speak creates lasting impact. Encourage, listen, and amplify the voices that need to be heard.”

Stories like Alankrita’s are built on trust, support, and possibility. Join us at AtkinsRéalis and create your own path forward.