Smart Strategies

Neelam Chhabra, the facilities management head at Airtel Centre and APO buildings, on the exhaustive number of ways that the telecom giant attempts to be environmentally conscious, as well as creative and collaborative.

- Rashmi Naicker

As the vanguard of the telecom industry in India, Airtel has played a huge role in enabling millions of its users to connect; and within two decades, the brand has reached its zenith. Headquartered in Gurgaon, the company’s office building is a landmark structure in the capital's skyline – displaying a perfect symphony of colours through its quirky facade.

The company’s offices in the capital region alone sum up to a staggering 1.64 million sq-ft and house over 7,500 employees and associates. Handling facilities of that magnitude and managing complexities at that scale is no easy feat. But despite the encumbrance, Neelam Chhabra, head of facilities at Airtel Centre and APO buildings, states that “administration and facilities management comes naturally to me and has always excited me to use creativity to enhance efficiency.” Despite the fact that the facilities fraternity in India boasts of very few women amongst its order, she has over two decades of work experience, of which 15 years have been with Airtel. Unravelling her journey within the company, Chhabra shares, "As evident in many other companies a decade ago, Airtel, too, did not have a defined facilities management department and was initially a part of the administration vertical. Eventually, the facility management team was set up over the years, essentially in response to the rising demand for a dedicated unit that would work with industry experts and create an organised structure, one that ensured a safe, comfortable and productive environment. Today, the FM team at Airtel has been passionately working towards implementing many sustainable best practices – from creative, collaborative and agile space management to saving renewable and non-renewable energy optimisation, and everything in-between.”