Leader Spotlight #07 - Debjani Sarkar

Debjani Sarkar is an Australian-Indian with a rich cultural heritage as a Bengali and a professional background as an Architect and Associate at Jacobs.

1. Background and Inspiration: Can you share a bit about your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in the property and construction industry?

I am an Australian Indian and an architect by training. I have studied and worked in India, then worked in the Netherlands and the UK before finally moving to Australia.

After finishing school, I wanted to study to be a journalist. However, in India, professional courses like Medicine, Engineering, Architecture, and Law require competitive entrance exams. I happened to get a good score for the Architecture entrance exam. So out went dreams of journalism and in came architecture.

It was tough adjusting to an architecture course, and I didn’t enjoy the first three years of it. I wanted to give up. In Indian architecture schools, we had to do a 6-month internship after three years of study and then come back to finish the remaining year and a half. The internship changed my perspective completely and I fell in love with architecture. I finished my remaining studies with a newfound enthusiasm. That is the value of an incredible first boss – they can make or break the start of a career! Since then, I haven’t looked back. I have always worked in the industry or industry-adjacent roles in various countries.

2. Leadership and Diversity: How do you integrate your cultural background into your leadership style, or how do you advocate for diversity and inclusion within the industry?

India is a diverse, multiethnic country that is linguistically, culturally and religiously varied.  A country of that size and population wouldn’t exist as a democratic republic without its citizens being collaborative. My Indian upbringing of the 80s and 90s has instilled this deep sense of collaboration.

Another aspect of my culture is “jugaad”. There is no equivalent English word that captures the essence of jugaad but it loosely translates to a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way. I have been told that jugaad may have been taught in some business schools. Someone should probably fact check that! Nevertheless, collaboration and being creative in spite of limited resources are my leadership style.

I have always advocated for diversity and inclusion within the industry, but at a smaller and personal scale by mentoring and creating connections between people. However, in the last few years I have realised that this is not enough. In the last couple of years of wanting to do more, combined with some good old complaining, I found a friend and mentor in Justine Clark. I, along with Lameesa Yousuf created and recently launched ‘On the Verandah series’ through Parlour (https://parlour.org.au/parlour-live/on-the-verandah/join-us-on-the-verandah/). On the Verandah highlights the value of cultural background and intercultural literacy – within practice and beyond – and creates a space for discussions that focus on increasing access and opportunity for practitioners who are marginalised in multiple ways. It is a forum for both speculative discussion and practical advice, which aims to catalyse actionable change within the architecture community. We organised and chaired the inaugural session, and it was pleasing to witness great audience engagement. I hope to continue these discussions and find new ways forward through On the Verandah advocating for multiculturalism.

3. Advice for Aspiring Professionals: What advice would you give to young professionals from multicultural backgrounds who aspire to leadership roles in the property and construction industry?

The bad news – it is a tough road strewn with discrimination. Without counting my experience outside Australia, I have spent 10 years in Sydney, gaining a solid amount of local experience, yet I still face it! Microaggressions, micromanagement, underestimation of my skills, snide comments on my accent, and my favourite—being told how to do things—are all common occurrences. Systemic change is slow.

The good news – the best shield against discrimination is awareness, knowledge, and doing things right. Solidify your base knowledge and stay up to date with industry developments, both technical and non-technical. “Let your work speak for you” is a sham! While your work should stand out, you also need to be your own advocate. Network as much as possible, both within and beyond the industry. Find your allies, sponsors, and your tribe—those who will advocate for you. Leadership opportunities for people from multicultural backgrounds are bleak, so seek them outside the industry through volunteering, speaking, and chairing events. I have been developing my leadership skills as the founding Board Member and Chair of Biyani House – Revesby Women’s Shelter (https://www.biyanihouse.org.au/).

Conclusion – take inspiration from our First Nations people. Their continued resistance offers us insight into perseverance. In the paraphrased words of Belqis Youssofz who was a panellist at the inaugural session of On the Verandah, resistance is key. Don’t give in!

4. Future Vision: In your opinion, how can the property and construction industry better support multiculturalism?

Australia has been multicultural for some time now. Failing to reflect this diversity in the industry is a clear case of head-in-the-sand syndrome. Policies alone are not enough—they need to be genuinely implemented. It is all too well known that gatekeepers and the old guard have been the biggest barriers. As the famous quote goes, you can’t change what you can’t measure. It’s time to take stock of why your organisation and its leadership aren’t multicultural and identify the barriers.

While there is still a long way to go, the progress made in achieving gender equity and Pride inclusion offers a roadmap. The same actions can—and should—be adapted to advance multicultural representation.

5. Cultural Celebrations: Can you share a significant cultural celebration or festival from your heritage that holds special meaning for you?

As an Indian Bengali born into Hinduism, Durga Puja holds a special significance. Durga Puja marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura. I am an agnostic atheist, so my version of Durga Puja rejoices in the celebration through memories, food, meeting friends/ family and drawing inspiration from the mythology of a powerful goddess.