A balance between decisiveness and meticulousness is what Swechya seeks in a development firm so solutions are doled out more easily to those who need them the most.
As Swechya Mathema set foot in the International School of Phnom Penh, she had a feeling that things were about to change for her. Fresh out of an all-girls school in Nepal, where she had been studying during her formative years, Swechya now found herself in Cambodia among a loud and more liberal crowd of young learners.
“It was culture shock,” she says. “In my old school, you accept everything you are taught. But in an international school, you are asked to give your opinions, and the environment is more flexible and open.”
The new learning milieu proved to be far more impactful for Swechya than she had originally thought. There, she was able to expand her network and social horizon, enabling her to develop a natural ability to relate to people and build up her confidence. It balanced out her more introspective side.
As a professional in the dynamic field of business development, where she is constantly meeting with clients, donors and stakeholders on behalf of NIRAS, this has been critical. “At the centre of what I do is maintaining relationships, and I personally like connecting with people,” she notes.
NIRAS’s work in Nepal mostly revolves around two major projects: the UK-financed Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme, which empowers smallholder farmers through increased investments in Nepal and certain African countries; and Sustainable WASH for All (SUSWA), a Finnish-funded project helping 42 municipalities in Karnali improve residents' living situation through clean water and proper water infrastructure.
Swechya has seen first hand how these projects operate. In her first days with NIRAS she was already immersed in SUSWA and participated in field visits, where she witnessed the situation on the ground and what it is like to collaborate with project experts and colleagues.
Being in a developing country, you definitely feel a gap between a group of people’s living standards and the living standards of, for example, the urban poor. The work I am involved in today may seem small and basic in some contexts – like securing access to clean water or capital for smallholder farmers – but it’s about the big picture of uplifting others.
Swechya Mathema, NIRAS Nepal's Business Development Manager
“That first week gave me a good snapshot of the project,” Swechya recalls. “Being in business development, I have to know NIRAS’s projects deeply, and doing field work and fact-finding missions is definitely very good in the sense that I’m able to understand people’s context better.”
As a professional tasked to steer a company towards growth, it is already second nature for her to build a safe place where learning and camaraderie thrive among those living the effects of a development project and those who bring it to life. Positive engagement is part and parcel of business development, after all.
Since joining the company, Swechya has been to multiple fact-finding missions in Nepal, enabling her to connect with like-minded professionals from different organisations, prepare for tenders, gather information about a project and most importantly understand the living conditions of those affected by an issue the project is addressing.
“These fact-finding missions allow us to build relationships with relevant clients, stakeholders and experts. Through them, we learn about our own gaps, and we get to provide tailored solutions with enhanced clarity on ground realities,” Swechya says.
Whenever she gets up for work, Swechya readies herself with two principal goals in mind: business growth and flexibility. Both she and Neeranjan Rajbhandari, the Nepal Country Office Director, have similar objectives as the core NIRAS team in Kathmandu. Jointly, they run daily operations and the behind-the-scenes efforts geared towards business growth, a strategic decision that enables quicker project work delegation.
“Neeranjan has more of the institutional knowledge. He’s been there since the Nepal office was founded in 2013,” says Swechya, whose role relies more on keeping up with the modern and ever-changing trends in development. “We work in a complementary way.”
Prior to NIRAS, Swechya interned at an education-oriented non-profit after college then began working with the NGOs Practical Action and SNV. “I wanted a more dynamic environment, something more active and decisive,” she notes, saying this reason, along with NIRAS’s diverse portfolio, drew her to the company.
I want to focus on this career path and make a significant contribution to society. In this role, success is a combination of teamwork, so I’m happy to see a team that has the same drive to make a difference in people’s lives.
Swechya Mathema
For Swechya, NIRAS’s fast-paced working environment gets her gears running; CASA and SUSWA are incredibly active projects. In the past, Swechya worked with large teams that comprise as many as 40 members. Because of this, decision-making became an unmanageable task, creating a slow environment for the execution of sustainable projects.
A balance between decisiveness and meticulousness is what Swechya looks for in a development firm, to ensure solutions are doled out more easily to those who need them the most.
“Passion plays a big role in our work, especially since we’re in this sector.” Without the passion to spark positive change, Swechya believes there is little motivation or urgency to get things done.
“Being in a developing country, you definitely feel a gap between a group of people’s living standards and the living standards of, for example, the urban poor. The work I am involved in today may seem small and basic in some contexts – like securing access to clean water or capital for smallholder farmers – but it’s about the big picture of uplifting others.”
From an early age, NIRAS Nepal’s business development manager saw up close what someone in the development sector does and the impact they could have on others.
“My dad is my hero,” she shares. “He’s worked for almost 20 years in the field and taught on the subject at university. Seeing how happy and motivated he is really shaped me and influenced my decision to work in [development] as well.”
One of Swechya’s earliest memories of the influence her father had involved warm, fairy-like lights and students singing outside her family home during the Nepali festival Tihar. “My dad has been in Cambodia for more than 20 years, but whenever he comes back to Nepal, a lot of his former students still go to meet him,” she says. “I hope my daughter looks up to me like I look up to my dad.”
After the year she has spent with NIRAS, Swechya feels closer to this goal and aims to continue pursuing it in the years to come. “I want to focus on this career path and make a significant contribution to society,” she says. “In this role, success is a combination of teamwork, so I’m happy to see a team that has the same drive to make a difference in people’s lives.”
