Name: Parikshat ‘PC’ Chawla
Job title: Head of global operations, Chestertons Global
What I do: I manage all operational aspects for Chestertons Global including marketing, IT, legal, finance and work closely with our business development team. Essentially, I (with the help of our amazing team) help keep the Chestertons Global ship moving along as we expand into new territories and continue to add more services to our roster.
Why I got into the property industry: I started my career as a banker in the US, but never felt 100% connected with the services and products we offered our clients as they didn’t feel “tangible”, and were somewhat complex in nature. Whereas the property industry made me feel that I was working with not only real assets enshrined in bricks and mortar, but I could also help clients realise their dreams of home ownership or add real assets to their investment portfolios. It was an easy career switch decision, at the time and I would probably do it again if given the opportunity.
How I did it: I left a career at Deutsche Bank and started a tiny property agency business in London with the help of family and business contacts. My wife and I moved from India to the UK in 2009 to found the business in Mayfair, with our office on the ground floor of a close friend’s architecture business. We leveraged databases from our contacts, attended roadshows and did tons of networking to help cultivate prospective investors and buyers.
My first proper job: Pre-property – my first job was processing loans and underwriting mortgages for home buyers at a startup bank in Massachusetts, US. My first property job a few years later had me cross-selling London properties to wealthy Indian buyers, and marketing new developments across India to Indians settled in the UK.
My first big break: I regard my first big break as starting to work with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE). I was at a cross-roads and had been an agent for many years. I really wanted to move to the other side of the business and help enable like-minded agents to have access to a global network of fellow professionals that usually only was available to agents working under huge banners such as Knight Frank and JLL. Working at LeadingRE gave me insights into a side of the business I was always curious about but was never exposed to. This also led to working with Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices and now to Chestertons Global.
My inspiration(s): A bit cheesy but I’m inspired by anyone who is brave enough to start their own business and follow their dreams. Not everyone is destined to be a successful entrepreneur, but I tip my hat to anyone who gives it a proper go. A motto I live by: “It’s much easier to criticise than to create”. So anyone brave enough to ignore the haters and chart their own path massively inspires me.
The biggest challenge I’ve encountered to date: My biggest challenge has always been selling my career dreams and new destinations to my core nuclear family that has supported me through multiple moves across the world. Their seemingly infinite patience does have limits (as I’ve learned) but I’m eternally grateful to their unwavering support despite career highs and lows.
My greatest achievement/proudest moment to date: I don’t think I’ve had a massive milestone yet, although I have had multiple small successes along the way. I was told recently that I’m one of the few people of Indian origin to have a successful corporate career in the real estate franchising and affiliation space. Don’t know how true that is, but I’ll take it.
The biggest misconception people have about the property industry: I feel a lot of people feel that to be successful in this industry one must be a successful agent or possess stellar education credentials. While those may lead to successful careers, the reality is that this is industry that has hundreds of different career paths that one can take. Everything from finance, marketing, sales, project management, relationship management, and so much more. This is an industry that truly welcomes individuals from all walks of like and varying education credentials. I’ve worked with people who’ve switched from careers in hospitality, medicine, robotics, luxury car tuners (yes – really), singers and many more. An industry like no other and one that has a presence in every corner of the world.
My biggest bugbear about the industry/the one thing I would change about the industry: As tech evolves at an ever-increasing pace, it is vital that our industry evolves at the same rate. But due to various factors we always find the real estate lagging behind other industries by a few years. It took a global pandemic to accelerate tech adoption to some degree, but globally governance and risk frameworks require cautious forays.
Why I’m so passionate about DE&I: I’ve been told a few times that I’m a standout – as one of the few persons of Indian origin working in the franchising space usually occupied by professionals from Western markets. I’ve had to struggle and prove my worth possibly a bit harder than my counterparts, and while times are changing there is still a lot of ground to cover. I’d love to see organisations in my sector and others provide opportunities to worthy individuals possibly overlooked because of factors related to their origin, orientation, and more. I believe DE&I provides a valid framework for companies to tune their hiring and retention strategies to prepare for the next generation of employees entering the ecosystem.
Why I’m so passionate about ESG: A major part of ESG growth has been driven by the environmental component and responses to climate change. However it is important for property companies consider all ESG elements including the way they are run. Governance encompasses harder to quantify factors such as diversity, culture, and reputation which I believe are key pillars for truly successful real estate firms.
Where I’d like to be in five years’ time career-wise: I’d love to be at the helm of a global real estate brand, helping chart its growth story across the world. I’m also keen on the startup sector and would love to be a mentor to entrepreneurs in the real estate sector – be it proptech, new-age marketing, fractional ownership, cross-border investments, etc – it’s a massive space and there’s ample room for new ideas.
Who I’d invite, living or dead, to a dinner party: I’d love to invite my father who passed away before I had the chance to spend time with him as I became an adult. It would be incredible to meet him, at a point where we would be of the same age and simply have a conversation about life, family, values and much more. I would like that a lot!
What I do in my downtime: Nothing high-brow but I enjoy the simple things. I read a lot, try and keep up with pop culture (and my teenage son’s changing tastes in music), play squash occasionally and cook whenever possible – everything from easy “Dad” snacks to curries, steak and more. I would like to start to travel again regularly, something I reduced since the pandemic.
The job I’d be doing if I was not doing this: Easy – I would either be DJ’ing 90’s-themed club parties and producing music or running a marketing firm catering to cross-culturally attuned companies.
My advice for someone just starting out: Don’t let any criticism stop you from reaching for your dreams. Keep at it. Learn to take advice even if it requires a change of trajectory. And do not say NO to an opportunity that may require you to get out of your comfort zone.
My motto/mantra: Keep moving, you are not a tree!
