Sandesh Pangerkar: The man who dares to dream & make it come true

Coming from a deprived family in an underdeveloped area in Mumbai with little privileges, to earning his engineering graduation and then an MBA with distinction from UK, to finally becoming a successful professional advisor in the Construction Contract & Commercial Management, Sandesh Pangerkar has always had a penchant for breaking stereotypes.

“There was definitely a time in my life, when I felt it was impossible to have what I have now. But I made sure that feeling didn’t stop me from trying. You can always aim high. Even if you never reach there, you will definitely be in a better position and wouldn’t the journey on that path itself be an amazing experience?”, asks Sandesh.

Sandesh has literally proven his mettle with over 19 years of professional experience within the construction industry, delivering projects throughout Qatar, the UAE and India. He has developed specialist MEP expertise within Healthcare, Hotel, Retail, Commercial and Sports & Leisure sectors. Having worked with global firms like David Adamson, AECOM (Davis Langdon), Voltas and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India, today Sandesh is a proven expert in Construction Contract & Commercial Management.

Currently, Sandesh is heading a commercial team for a multi-billion QAR project for David Adamson Partners Overseas in Qatar, and is also assisting his client in an on-going high value arbitration in London. The David Adamson Group was initially established as a Chartered Surveying consultancy in the UK in 1930. Since then the Group has grown organically worldwide and offers its expertise to Clients in Quantity Surveying, Cost & Contract Management, Planning & Programme Management, Arbitration & Dispute Management and Project Management.

The passion in Sandesh to make a difference and his vision to gauge the future opportunities made him assist in establishing David Adamson’s India operations in 2015. It initially started with a single office in Mumbai and now has offices in Delhi and Hyderabad in addition to the Mumbai office. Sandesh is the first Indian to become a Director in the David Adamson Group.

Sandesh is a progressive people’s leader. A believer in people-centric management, he engages directly with his subordinates and tries to bring the best out of them. Sandesh is well recognized and respected in Qatar for his knowledge, expertise and speaking skills on matters related to quantity surveying and construction contract management. It is often that his lectures are reminisced as “a treat” and “a golden opportunity” to attend; while he is referred to as a “role model” and “a positive leader who empowers people to achieve their goals” by many construction professionals in Qatar, UAE, and India.

Sandesh acknowledges that it was the good people who met him throughout his life journey had a major share in his today’s success. From family, his mother Pratiksha, sister Priyanka, wife Ranjana and uncle Vijay Gurav have always been supportive to him. His school teachers from Bal Sanskar and D. S. High School in Sion, Mumbai and S. B. Sarang Sir had a role in bringing the excellence in education he achieved. The knowledge he gained from his college teachers from V.J.T.I. in Mumbai and University College of Estate Management in U.K. shaped his career growth.

Mr. Wadhwa and Mr. Shringarpure from Voltas, Mr. Rangari from T.I.F.R., Mr. Steve Coates, Mr. Erland Rendall, Mr. William Mahany, Mr. Raj Tailor, Mr. Dinesh Dabasia and Mr. David Hughes whilst in AECOM (Davis Langdon), Mr. Ashwin Tank and Mr. Christopher Smith from David Adamson, all of whom he met in his professional life, acted as his counsellors and guides from time to time. Friends who stood with him in both his good and bad times include Vijay Chauhan, Bhimrao Ahire, Prasad Redij, Sachin Deshmukh, Rajendra Kamble, Kumar Vagal, Shailesh Shinde, Parag Sonawane, Thushani Sulochana and Suvarna Gujar (Surve).

“Having benefited from the mentorship of so many in my own life, it is only natural that I am always open to contribute to my professional community and the society at large. With a passion to mentor and guide young professionals, I have established the ‘Middle East Quantity Surveyors Association (MEQSA)’ which has attracted over 500 professionals.”, shares Sandesh.

In the current difficult times, Sandesh provides free webinars to the professionals in the Middle East on matters related to quantity surveying, commercial management and contract management through MEQSA platform. He has also conducted lectures at the Indian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Sri Lankan Quantity Surveyors Association and Philippine Institute of Certified Quantity Surveyors in Qatar.

Sandesh has provided food treats to orphans in Shraddhanand Mahilashram and Navjeevan Centre in Mumbai, to name a few. He has also contributed to ‘The Mother Global Foundation’ of Dr. Sindhutai Sapkal. With a firm belief that Maths is used in every aspect of our life, he runs a Facebook Group called ‘Shakuntala Devi and Math Fans Club’ and a YouTube Channel with his own name to eradicate the Maths Phobia from young students and to introduce them to the magic, power and beauty of Maths. Currently, his 10-year son, Shree, is getting trained by both him and the World’s fastest human calculator, Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash. 

With so much dedication to his profession and concern for those around him, it is no wonder at all that Sandesh has been a recipient of some of the most prominent awards and recognitions including:

●     Eminent Featured Speaker, Voice of Business, India 2019 streamed on Business Television of India

●     Fellow of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, UK 2019

●     Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, UK 2019

●     Fellow of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, UK 2019

●     Chartered Building Engineer, UK 2019

●     Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, UK  2018

●     Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, UK 2017

●     RICS Accredited Civil Commercial Mediator, UK 2017

●     Member of the Chartered Institute of Building, UK 2017.

●     Third Year Mechanical Engineering Topper, VJTI, India.

It’s obvious that the odyssey from being a slum dweller to becoming a multi-millionaire, was not an easy one. However, regardless of the resources available to Sandesh, he created his own success story through hard work, self-belief, and determination.

We can’t help but wish Sandesh the very best in life and hope that he continues with his success story and inspires the youngsters to turn adversities to their advantage and keep moving forward in life.

Sandesh Pangerkar is a perfect example of those rare few in this world who dare, not only to dream but also to make it come true.

Disclaimer: The views, suggestions and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Forbes India journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.