ENTREPRENEUR PAR EXCELLENCE
Mr. Manish Saxena, the CEO and Founder of Meraki Projects (India) Private Limited, is a seasoned leader with over 35 years of experience in the consulting industry. His expertise lies in strategically planning and managing complex projects from design to implementation and ensuring adherence to specifications within the stipulated time frame. Guided by the vision of his late wife, Mrs. Madhvi Saxena, he has expanded Meraki Projects’ footprint to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the USA, fearlessly actualising and validating his aspirations to sculpt and revolutionise the firm’s future
“AT MERAKI PROJECTS, WE PRIORITISE OUR EMPLOYEES’ FAMILIES ABOVE ALL ELSE. WE ALSO ENSURE OUR TEAM’S JOB SECURITY BUT AS THE SECOND PRIORITY. THIS APPROACH INSTILS CONFIDENCE IN OUR TEAM AND ALLOWS THEM TO FOCUS ON THEIR FAMILIES WITHOUT JOB-RELATED CONCERN”
Mr. Manish Saxena is a well-versed leader with a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Shri Govind Ram Seksaria Institute of Technology & Science, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. He commenced his career in 1989 as a site engineer. Since then, he has ascended through the ranks to assume roles such as Project Manager, General Manager, and Director of Projects, in diverse organisations across industries. Throughout his career, the tenacious leader has undertaken complex projects and achieved success with both skill and flair. His rich experience and expertise make him a revered figure in the business landscape.
MAKING SIGNIFICANT STRIDES
Through Meraki Projects, Mr. Saxena aims to deliver cost-effective, supreme quality, and reliable engineering consulting services by maintaining complete transparency and integrity with the stakeholders, i.e., clients, suppliers, vendors, and contractors.
Meraki Projects was founded in 2017 by Mr. Saxena and his late wife Mrs. Madhvi Saxena, who was the company’s Managing Director. Under the leadership of its founders, the ISO 9001-2015 certified firm, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, quickly became a force to be reckoned with in India’s engineering consulting sector. With a robust presence in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, Meraki Projects continues to redefine industry standards by delivering cutting-edge solutions across diverse project domains and industries in India. Under Mr. Saxena’s direction, the organisation has successfully completed over 250 projects to date and accumulated an impressive 7,00,000 man-hours. It specialises in FMCG, warehousing, logistics, parks, pharma, heavy engineering, Environmental Engineering (ETP/STP), and other areas.
INITIAL CHALLENGES
Meraki Projects faced numerous challenges during its early stages. In 2020, the firm had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Undeterred by the challenges, the three-year-old company leveraged the power of its dedicated team to swiftly implement a comprehensive work-from-home model and embrace inclusive strategies. Mr. Saxena’s commitment to excellence not only helped the organisation weather the storm but propelled it to new heights by firmly establishing its dominance in the market.
Over the years, Meraki Projects has built successful partnerships with renowned companies such as Hindustan Unilever Limited (India, Nepal, and Bangladesh), Lenskart, Lakmé, Godrej, Huber Technology, oreish, General Mills, Rudraksh Group, and Cargill, among others. The organisation is currently in the process of registering its vendor code to formalise upcoming significant collaborations with influential industry players.
ON AN EXPANSION SPREE
Guided by the vision of his late wife, Mr. Saxena has successfully expanded Meraki Projects’ footprint to Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the USA. The company, now registered as Meraki Projects LLC in the USA, has evolved into a next-generation multinational engineering and consultancy firm. Furthermore, the ambitious leader is planning to inaugurate a new office in New York in 2024. Simultaneously, the organisation is engaged in innovative greenfield projects in Sri Lanka, while holding registrations in Indonesia and securing three projects in Southeast Asia.
This strategic growth demonstrates Mr. Saxena’s commitment to international collaboration and dedication to fostering impactful initiatives across diverse regions.
TEAM-CENTRIC LEADERSHIP
With an ambitious vision, Mr. Saxena aims to position his company among the top global engineering consulting firms by 2025. The leader has built a dedicated team comprising seasoned heads of the departments, lead managers, engineers, architects, schedulers, technology experts, interior designers, commissioning specialists, designers, and project management experts who possess extensive industry expertise. The team works unanimously and adheres to stringent quality standards, meets deadlines, and delivers exceptional results. Moreover, to cultivate an organic synergy within the organisation, the team delves deeply into clients’ needs to offer tailored solutions aligned with their expectations.
Mr. Saxena’s motivational prowess has been instrumental in sustaining his team’s morale. He promotes a team-centric culture and takes pride in guiding his team through adversity and helping them achieve success together. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the leader demonstrated true team spirit by allowing employees to work remotely for over 19 months while ensuring all employees received their full salaries. Furthermore, he not only retained existing staff but also expanded the workforce inspite of the challenging times.
The benevolent leader also prioritises work-life balance for his team. Discussing his employee welfare strategy, he asserts, “At Meraki Projects, we prioritise our employees’ families above all else. We also ensure our team’s job security but as the second priority. This approach instils confidence in our team and allows them to focus on their families without job-related concern.”
Mr. Saxena adds, “Unlike typical consultancy firms, we grant a full month’s bonus to our employees, refraining from dividing it across 13 months. The management ensures fairness by maintaining a fixed minimum 10% increment or higher, based on an employee’s performance. Furthermore, our company’s unique increment criteria guarantee a minimum of 10% raise from the day of joining. Moreover, from 2024 onwards, we intend to extend our care to our employees and their families by providing comprehensive insurance by offering cashless facilities at renowned hospitals.”
GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY
For Mr. Saxena, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is part and parcel of his company’s culture. Speaking about his commitment to giving back to society, he says, “Our purpose extends beyond financial gains. At Meraki Projects, we aspire to be socially and environmentally responsible. CSR is ingrained in our core values and our motto is to strengthen the community in which we operate and make the world a better place.”
Mr. Saxena draws inspiration from his late wife and children. Presently, the leader is dedicated to realising his late wife’s vision of elevating the company to new heights of success. He considers his architect daughters and a civil engineer son as the pillars of his organisation. Their consistent support has been instrumental in shaping his entrepreneurial journey, and he views them as the driving force behind his success.
