The evening began with a warm welcome from Sareeta Nundloll-Goundan, President of PMI Mauritius, who introduced the speaker and noted that this was actually Nadjma Rawat's second time delivering her talk on grooming and personal branding at PMI Mauritius — a testament to how well it had been received the first time around.

Nadjma wasted no time and opened with a simple game. She called out words like danger, calm, love, nature, and asked us to shout out the first colour that came to mind. The room responded almost in unison most of the time. It was a striking demonstration of how deeply colour is wired into our psychology before any rational thought kicks in.

That exercise set the stage for her core argument: colour perception changes body chemistry. The human brain processes visual data in milliseconds and makes snap judgements — about safety, competence, and trustworthiness — before a single word is spoken. This is what she called Visual Intelligence.

From Project Dashboards to People

If you work in project management, you already know RAG status. Red, Amber, Green — the traffic light system used to communicate the health of a project's scope, schedule, and budget at a glance.

Nadjma's insight was to flip this framework inward. Your professional image is your personal RAG report. Stakeholders, clients, and colleagues are unconsciously reading you the moment you walk into a room or join a video call.

The slide she presented on Red Alerts made this concrete:

And here's what made it land: she backed each category with a concrete impact figure.

The grooming point particularly stuck with me: "Poor grooming suggests you are a victim of the project's pressure rather than its manager." That framing is hard to argue with. 🤔

Clothing: Dressing with Intention

One of the most practical segments of Nadjma's session was on clothing — not fashion, but intentional dressing. The key principle she opened with: focus on how the clothes feel and move, not just how they look on the hanger.

The slide she showed contrasted two silhouettes side by side — one labelled Unintentional, the other Intentional. The difference wasn't expensive clothing. It was controlled fabric contrast, a cohesive colour family, and a silhouette that balanced the body. The unintentional look had mismatched textures, random colour temperature, and an uneven silhouette. Small details, massive difference in perception.

Fabric: The Breathability Test

Nadjma was direct about fabric choices: stick to cotton, linen-blends, and "Cool Wool." Avoid 100% polyester — it traps heat, creates sweat patches, and often has a cheap shine that reads as low quality under lighting, whether in a boardroom or on a video call.

Her practical tip before buying: scrunch a bit of the fabric in your hand for 5 seconds. If it bounces back, it's a high-twist fabric that resists wrinkles. If it stays creased, it will look creased by 10 a.m. on your most important day. 🤯

The Fit Rules

Fit matters more than brand. Nadjma shared two simple checks:

• The Shoulder Anchor — the seam of your shirt or jacket should sit exactly where your arm meets your shoulder. If it droops or pulls inward, the fit is wrong regardless of the size on the label.
• The One-Finger Rule — you should be able to slide exactly one finger comfortably between your shirt collar and your neck. Too tight reads as uncomfortable and anxious. Too loose looks careless.

From Red Alert to Green Zone ✅

The takeaway isn't that you need an expensive wardrobe or a perfect appearance. It's about intentionality. A Green status isn't flawless — it's in control. Clean clothes that fit, polished shoes, a tidy video background, structured emails with a clear subject line. These are all signals that say: I have my house in order, and I can manage yours too.

For PMs especially, this matters because you are often the first point of contact for senior stakeholders and investors. Your image is the dashboard they're reading long before your project plan is ever opened.

A Different Kind of (Personal) Project to Manage

Lesson learned from Nadjma's session is that managing your professional image isn't vanity — it's stakeholder communication. Every detail you present visually is data that people are processing, consciously or not.

The next time you're preparing for a big presentation or a stakeholder meeting, run a quick RAG check on yourself. 🧐 Not just your slides — your clothes, your background, your posture, your email subject line. It takes five minutes and could change how the entire room receives what you have to say. Make your own checklist and go through it.

The event took place on 8th October 2025 at the beautiful Maritim Resort.

I was honored to share the stage with some great panelists:

• Prof. (Dr.) Kiran Bhujun, Director of Tertiary Education & Scientific Research
• Shalini Bunwaree Nagdan, Founder of Unlock Synergies, Strategy Consultant, Corporate Trainer
• Yogesh Jankee, Vice President – Services, Dayforce

The discussion was moderated by Sareeta Nundloll Goundan, President of the PMI Mauritius Chapter and Managing Director of SSL Consulting Services. Sareeta also serves as a Board Director at ABC Banking.

During the panel, I was asked about whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) is replacing people and the fear of losing jobs. I explained that there are two ways to look at it. On one hand, AI can write code, so it’s easy to assume we no longer need developers but that’s not entirely true. AI isn’t replacing developers; it’s enhancing their productivity. Yes, a team that once needed ten developers for twenty projects might now manage with five, which can make it seem like AI is taking jobs. However, that same team of ten could now deliver five or more additional projects thanks to increased efficiency. My main point was that people need to learn how to learn, and learn fast in order to stay relevant in this evolving landscape. As Sareeta added, it’s equally important to be able to unlearn and relearn when the world changes.

A first PMI Conference Experience

I joined the PMI Chapter earlier this year and have attended a few of their meetups, but this was my first experience participating in the PMI Mauritius Conference. I’m glad I accepted the invitation as it was both insightful and energizing.

The conference gathered professionals from a variety of industries, creating a unique opportunity to exchange ideas beyond the traditional IT sphere. Engaging with people who approach challenges through different lenses was a refreshing experience indeed.

One of the attendees, Ashwini G. Surnam, Senior Manager – Talent Acquisition at Dayforce, shared her reflections on LinkedIn and highlighted key lessons from the panel discussion.

I am grateful to Sareeta for the opportunity to contribute to a meaningful dialogue and to my colleague and mentor, Eddy Lareine, for inspiring me to step out of the tech bubble and explore the world of Project Management.

At the close of the event, I had an engaging conversation with Billy S. Mwape, CIO of FNB Zambia and a mentor for the PMI Sub-Saharan Africa region.

We spoke about Africans building for Africa in Africa, a topic that resonates with both of us. I shared my own journey and the challenges I’ve faced setting up Linux mirrors across the African continent, an effort driven by the belief that local infrastructure empowers local innovation. Naturally, the conversation took a technical turn at times. Billy passionately advocates for putting Africans on the global stage, a vision I wholeheartedly share. We also reflected on our experiences at international conferences, and the rich contrasts we’ve observed while traveling abroad and exploring different cultures.

Putting together a conference like this, which is attended by hundreds of professionals is not an easy feat. I can imagine the countless volunteer hours that must have been put to make it happen. Therefore, kudos to the organising team and all volunteers involved, and the sponsors for backing such an event financially.

The topic was akin to what we (IT professionals) address as sustainable IT. After all, the end goal remains the same; that is, to reduce the environmental impact and leave minimal carbon footprint.

As usual for the PMI events, we were greeted by the chapter president.

Two speakers were scheduled to co-present. The first part of the presentation was done by Laurena Erriah.

Laurena explained the meaning of sustainability in the construction industry. She gave us an overview of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations. There are 17 goals that the UN aims to achieve by 2030. Each of the goals is further broken down into specific targets, totalling 169 targets. Every four years, a Global Sustainable Development Report is published — the most recent one is that of 2023. Data is collected by national statistical institutions in each participating country and the data is analysed through a global indicator framework. The result of this work culminates into the final report.

Laurena emphasised on the the importance of the SDG knowledge for real-estate developers and architects. She also talked about the Kyoto Protocol and COP 21, highlighting that Mauritius updated its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2021, which included targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the transition to renewable energy sources.

We learned about carbon emissions caused by the production of construction materials, the carbon emissions caused during construction, during the maintenance of a building, and finally while demolishing a building. Carbon emissions can be estimated across the lifecycle of buildings and best practices are put in place for real-estate developers to minimise the emissions.

The key takeaways for most of us, who were the non-construction related people, at the workshop, was when Laurena explained that 60% of heat in a building can be reduced just by proper isolation of the ceiling — meaning less dependence on air conditioning. She also spoke about buildings that are designed from ground up to allow air circulation across the building, citing the example of the extension of the Réunion Island airport.

Laurena also gave examples of buildings built in Mauritius that did not require a connection to the Central Electricity Board (CEB) or the Central Water Authority (CWA).

The second part of the presentation was done by Rishta Rajiah, QHSE & Sustainability Manager at Kolos Cement Ltd. She is a certified Lead Auditor for ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 27001, and currently serves on the board of the Green Building Council Mauritius.

Rishta talked about the carbon emissions caused by the production of construction materials, especially the grinding process to produce cement. These are not done in Mauritius, as cement is imported.

She presented a case study by Kolos Cement Ltd, whereby the company has put on the local market different types of cement that contains additives to reduce the carbon emissions.

Rishta explained the technicalities of cement, explaining that CEM I (Ordinary Portland Cement) contains 100% cement whereas CEM II (Portland Composite Cement) contains supplementary materials that help reduce the carbon emissions. Kolos imports CEM II and provides four variants of cements (depending on the different additives) on the local market. These variants are suited for different types of construction works. Through these variants of cements, that produce less carbon than what CEM I would have, Kolos Cement Ltd contributes to overall reduction of carbon emissions in construction.

It was a good workshop where I learned a few things about the construction industry. I did my mental comparison of sustainability in the construction industry versus the IT industry. As I mentioned in the beginning, we have similar goals, they are just executed differently.

This was my first time attending a PMI event.

I very recently joined the Project Management Institute as a member which automatically made me part of the local chapter. My mentor and esteemed colleague, Eddy Lareine, played a significant role in this development as my career progressed. This year marks a decade of my employment at La Sentinelle, and much of what I’ve learned about project management has come through Eddy’s guidance.

Arriving at the event

The event was scheduled at 6 p.m. in the conference room upstairs of Flying Dodo. I reached Bagatelle at 6 p.m. sharp and called Eddy to check whether he was already at Flying Dodo. He answered that he was reaching too, within a minute. Indeed, as I was still on the phone call, he arrived.

As we walked to Flying Dodo, I had quite a few questions on my mind — how formal or informal these events typically are, whether I was dressed appropriately or was too casual, and so on. In fact, before we started walking he asked me to leave my backback in the car, reassuring me with a simple, "be chill and enjoy the conversations".

See, thing is, I am used to the casual geek talks of our tech meetups. Last year, when I attended my first corporate conference (also a tech event), outside Mauritius, where I had a scheduled talk, I ended being overdressed in a suit. So, my questions about formality were valid.

As we reached the conference room a few members had already arrived — mostly were PMI Mauritius Board Executives. I got a chance to meet them as Eddy did the intros. The President, Sareeta Nundloll-Goundan, warmly welcomed me and encouraged me to be active within the PMI community in Mauritius.

Shortly after, more members joined in and Aroun Poligadu, who was the speaker for the talk, also arrived. Aroun is Group Director for iQera. He is a founding member of the PMI Chapter of Mauritius — in fact, he was its first president. I've known Aroun for a few years now as he has been actively involved in tech communities in Mauritius, contributing to and supporting initiatives like the MSCC meetups and the Developers Conference. He was even on my panel discussion on Technology and The Future of Work at the Developers Conference 2022.

Snacks and refreshments were available before the talk started. It was a good opportunity to network with some of them, me being new there.

The session started with a welcome speech by the President, Sareeta Nundloll-Goundan, who gave a brief introduction to the talk.

Then, Aroun began his presentation by explaining the meaning of the Japanese word Kaizen, which translates to "good change".

He discussed the philosophy of continuous improvement through small, incremental steps and the goal of achieving “zero defects”—or at least striving towards it. He shared his experience on how Kaizen was adopted at his company, detailing the initial challenges they faced and how, through persistence and discipline, measurable results started appearing after six months.

Aroun also spoke about how the Toyota production system has been extensively studied, copied, and adapted worldwide by enterprise gurus. He played a short documentary video illustrating how a small change in a factory’s workflow—such as introducing a screw dispenser to save workers a few seconds per task—led to significant productivity gains across the production line.

He further elaborated on Lean methodology, focusing on minimizing or eliminating waste in business processes.

Aroun introduced the A3 Report, a structured and visual problem-solving tool used in Kaizen implementations. It aligns with the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle and helps organizations:

• Identify a problem
• Analyze why it occurs
• Work towards a sustainable solution rather than a temporary band-aid fix

This methodology ensures that improvements address the root cause instead of merely providing short-term relief.

During the talk, Aroun mentioned several books, two of which I noted down for future reading.

• Atomic Habits, by James Clear
• Creating Level Pull, by Art Smalley

The event was enriching with knowledge for managers looking to bring productivity improvements within their teams. I certainly learned a lot and I really appreciated the networking time — it was well worth the time spent.