In his celebrated play, As You Like It, Shakespeare made a keen observation, “A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool”. This goes to say that a judicious person seeking success in life must not only be highly motivated but should also dedicate his/her life to the concept of lifelong learning. An individual who has achieved abundant success owing to her dedication towards constant improvement and acquisition of skills is Ami Shah(Parikh), Co-Founder & Director, Oasis Renewables and Water Treatment(ORAWT), a provider of water and waste water treatment solutions. “I’ve always believed in continuously improving myself and acquiring new skills. My professional journey commenced with me acquiring a Masters in Microbiology after which I completed my PMP certification. Additionally, I decided to pursue an Executive General Management Programme at IIM Bangalore. So learning never stops for me,” explains Ami.

The philomath has leveraged her varied skillsets to chart out a two decade long thriving professional career which began in the field of waste water treatment. She then shifted tracks and ventured into the sphere of clinical research where she worked for 12 years. While working with Quinitles, a Clinical Research Organisation, Ami headed the Quality Management function within operations. Within two years of her at the helm, the team had achieved their global targets.. Having achieved the set targets, Ami was looking to take up a more challenging role within the organisation. Unfortunately, with no such opportunities at her disposal, the astute businesswoman enrolled for a one year general management course at IIM B. As luck would have it, Ami got reacquainted with an old friend from her waste water days back in 2000. This chance meeting altered the course of her career as Ami

then chose to head onto an entrepreneurial path and thus co-founded ORAWT in 2013. Five years down the line, Ami’s venture has been solving some of the toughest water management and water recycle challenges.

Transitioning from Corporate To Bootstrapping Entrepreneur
The corporate environment and the world of start-ups are diametrically opposite in terms of nature of work. Needless to say, one encounters various challenging transitions while making the shift and Ami’s journey as an entrepreneur was no different.

Ami believes that one of the most important aspects of being a successful leader is to uphold complete transparency towards her team

“In ORAWT, we predominantly work with government bodies which is completely different from my work experience in the multinational corporate world.Working with the Indian bureaucracy was a huge cultural shift and learning at the same time,”narrates Ami. Additionally, her new venture required Ami to travel to project sites which did not have the best of facilities which became a major challenge for the young entrepreneur. Owing to the nature of work she also had to deal with all kinds of labours and other vendors, which was sometimes taxing and risky in a different way. However, the trailblazer applied her strong project and people management skills to overcome every obstacle that she encountered. Ami’s ability to adapt to a new industry by learning nuances of the industry from scratch has also aided her in making the shift successful.

A resilient and intuitive leader, Ami believes that one of the most important aspects of being a successful leader is to uphold complete transparency towards her team. Helping harbour trust, respect and commitment within a team, Ami followes this mantra in her professional and personal life alike. The hands-on leader provides her team with ample space to work things out on their own first.

However, if and when her intervention is required Ami

renders unwavering support to her
team until the task at hand has been accomplished. She also believes in always investing in her team members’ growth. “That to me is very important. If they ever decide to leave my organisation, they should leave feeling enriched,” adds Ami.

A Multifaceted Individual
Monotony is a phenomenon which renders comfort to some while causing distress to some. Belonging to the later group, Ami relishes an entrepreneur’s life as no two days are ever alike. While many would find it challenging, the ambitious entrepreneur looks forward to the various challenges and unique problems that need solving. An early riser, Ami makes it a point to go for a morning walk while listening to an audio book. Being an outdoorsy person, she also enjoys being out in nature, bird watching, star gazing and photography.

An avid reader herself, Ami advises budding entrepreneurs to always make time to read. “I strongly feel that it helps expand your horizons without limiting yourself to a particular perspective or outlook towards anything and that is extremely important for an entrepreneur,” explains Ami. Having always put her faith in broadening her horizons by constant learning, Ami’s journey to achieving greater heights has just begun.

Key Management:
Ami Shah, Co-Founder& Director
A patient, perseverant and determined student for life, Ami shoulders the responsibility for domestic and overseas Business Development, Business Strategy and Production Management at ORAWT with élan. Known to be a people’s leader and armed with a dynamic aura, the astute businesswoman is a staunch proponent of reduce, reuse and recycle.

Offices: Ahmedabad, &Bangalore
Offerings:

Products: Mobiclean integrated treatment system, MBBR Reactors, Mobi sludge units, Inline fine screen and Mechanical lifting type screen

Services: Operation and Maintenance of sewage/effluent treatment plants, Retrofitting/Upgradation of existing infrastructures and Supply of electro-mechanical components involved in an ETP/STP