Women leading the industry to make public transport more reliable, safe and sustainable

Edith BISCHOF

Founder, Bischof-Reisen, Germany

the past. ” The freedom to travel is very important for German people and it directly affects coach operators.

Talking about employees, Mrs Bischof mentions that attracting good employees is not a recent problem. Already in the mid-eighties Mrs Bischof was trying to

Edith Bischof is one of Germany’s best known business women in the transport sector. Born in 1950, she founded Bischof-Reisen in 1979 becoming the CEO of her own bus and coach company. Based in the area of Wolfsburg, her business focuses mainly on urban transport but she also organises vacation tours all over Europe with three coaches. Mrs Bischof manages the business together with her son.

Working by the guiding principle “Nothing is impossible”, she is eager to embrace the new challenges a digital future is set to bring. “In times where everything is changing, we have to change too”, says Mrs Bischof. “The young guys from the long distance coach platforms showed us how you can change a business within three years. ”

However, Mrs Bischof also highlights the fact that the good things from the past should not be forgotten: “We have to be careful and take the important things from the past with us on our way to the future. ” In this context, she mentions the importance of keeping the borders open in Europe: “Nothing should be lost from the things we have been fighting for in encourage women to enter the sector. Her initiative “Vorfahrt für Frauen” “Priority for women”) proved to be successful, bringing hundreds of women drivers to the steering wheels of buses and coaches.

Nevertheless, there is still a lot of work to be done in this respect as figures show that in Germany only 10 per cent of the qualified drivers are women. But this rate is rising and we might soon see a new generation of female bus and coach operators. Edith Bischof could definitely serve as their role model.

It is also important to note that in the nineties Mrs Bischof became chairwoman of the public relations committee of the German bus and coach operators association, BDO. One of her projects in this role was the creation of the green ‘Bus David’. The icon was for many years the symbol for the German bus and coach industry. ‘Bus David’ was actually the source of inspiration for the Smart Move bus, as well. Mrs. Ritu Maheshwari is a 2003 batch IAS Officer who is currently posted as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Noida Authority since June 2019 and Managing Director (MD) of Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) since September 2019. This young and dynamic officer has brought about a remarkable change in the functioning of the bureaucracy wherever she has been posted. Known for her principles and professional approach towards her work, Mrs. Maheshwari has stood out as a shining example of how a little sincere effort can bring about a sea of change in any system and improve the lives of the common people.

Mrs. Maheshwari is an IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre and joined the civil services in 2003 after completing a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Punjab Engineering College. Her first major posting was in 2011, when she was posted as the Managing Director of Kanpur Electric Supply Company Limited (KESCO). The debt-ridden utility had run up losses of nearly 30 per cent, brought about by distribution losses, thefts, and tampering of meters. Under the able leadership of Mrs. Maheshwari, KESCO witnessed a major turnaround in fortunes.

After her posting in Kanpur, she excelled and left a mark at all her subsequent

Ritu MAHESHWARI

MD, Noida Metro Rail Corporation

postings as District Magistrate of Amroha, Ghazipur, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and Ghaziabad, before her current posting as CEO / Noida Authoritry and MD / NMRC.

After taking up her responsibility in Noida, Mrs. Maheshwari has transformed this city into a more cleaner, greener and vibrant city. Her efforts have borne fruit when recently the Noida Authority was given the Smart City: Empowering India Award by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The Noida authority received awards in two categories; the first in the Best Climate Smart City category for converting 74, 000 street lights in Noida to LED lights and the other in the category of Best Greenfield Smart City for clearing the dumpsite at Sector 54 and converting a wasteland to wetland through bioremediation technology.

Besides this, Mrs. Maheshwari has also ensured that the aesthetic appeal of the city is enhanced by getting the pillars of flyovers and metro painted in beautiful paintings that depict our culture and at the same time look beautiful and appealing to the visitors of Noida.

Mrs. Maheshwari is known as a highly efficient officer who has brought about a remarkable improvement in the areas in terms of functioning of the bureaucracy as well as implementation of innovative ideas to improve the environment of the city and make it more cleaner, greener and beautiful. She is definitely an embodiment of today’s empowered woman who is determined to bring about a change in the minsdset of a patriarchal setup with her work ethics and professionalism.

Dr. Hongyu LI

CEO, EGIS Group (Asia Pacific)

To fulfil its major development ambitions in Asia, Egis Group has appointed Dr. Hongyu Li to lead its AsiaPacific Business Unit.

Supported by a regional leadership team and working in collaboration with all the other business units, Dr Hongyu Li will lead the APAC region to focus on Egis’ strategic development target. She will oversee the Group’s growth in the zone and organise Egis’ current and future business activities dealing in the key sectors of Buildings, Rail & Urban Transportation and Operation and Maintenance.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Li to the Egis Group", says Laurent Germain, its Chief Executive Officer. "With her expertise and many years of experience working with major international players, she has all the qualities needed to meet the huge challenges that Egis will be faced with in the Region and to deliver growth for our Group. ”

With approximately €100 million turnover and nearly 900 people spread across a dozen countries and territories, Asia-Pacific is a geographical zone that offers high growth potential for Egis. The Group has set itself a five-year target of significant increases in its turnover and profit in the APAC region.

To extend its influence across the entire region and facilitate access to the Chinese market, the regional headquarters are transferred from Bangkok to Hong Kong. Five target countries under the leadership of Dr. Li are earmarked to drive growth: Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China (the Greater China sub-region); Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia (the Southeast Asia sub-region) and Australia and New Zealand (Pacific sub-region).

Dr Li has been working in the Infrastructure and Built Environment for over 30 years. She has developed her career based in Hong Kong, mainland China, Singapore and South East Asia. She has extensive knowledge of the marketplace across the Asia Pacific region and built up successful and resilient business through close partnership with clients worldwide as well as internal collaboration leveraging global and regional resources and capabilities. As a thought leader, she is also the author of several publications and lectures within the profession. Dr. Hongyu Li has been with the AECOM Group for the past thirteen and half years. As Senior Vice president, she has built up Building Engineering business in China and South East Asia into a multidisciplinary and high-performance business unit with high growth and profitability. Her outstanding achievement has earned her a number of President Awards in the APAC region internally and a great reputation in the marketplace.

Sophie MOOCHHALA

MD, Fluid Controls

Fluid Controls Private Limited was established in 1974 by Dr. Y.E. Moochhala, a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, the USA with a vision to deliver high quality and highperformance products which delight customers. Fluid Controls offers customers comprehensive end-to-end “Make in India” solutions for Rail & Metro brake piping arrangements – from design & engineering services to supply of high-performance products and installation services.

Carrying forward the legacy of her father Dr. Y.E. Moochhala, Sophie Moochhala leads the Mumbai-based Fluid Controls Private Limited in the capacity of Managing Director. She is following the footprints of her father, who was a strong believer in a self-reliant India and left his career in the USA to establish the Fluid

Controls Private Limited. His idea was to develop high quality, high-performance products to suit local prototype climatic and performance expectations.

Sophie studied in the USA for seven years and has an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute. She has over 25 years of rich experience in managing corporate and entrepreneurial business including strategic planning, operational finance, new project management, team management and integrated marketing activities. Sophie joined Fluid Controls in 2003, when it was a small family-run business. Since then, she has built on the foundations established by her father whilst realising the vision of the Company to be a “Global Leader in the field of Hydraulic Fittings, Valves and allied application solutions”. Today, Fluid Controls is a known and trusted brand, and is a leading provider of brake piping solutions to the Rail & Metro industry, a premier supplier to onshore and off-shore oil & gas installations, the defence industry, and critical applications for nuclear plants.

Under her leadership, and that of Dr. Tansen Chaudhari, COO of Fluid Controls, the Company has been granted approval as an “In-House R&D unit” by Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India. Carrying forward the legacy of innovation and R&D, Fluid Controls has invested in a state-of-the-art R&D center located at Chakan, Pune. This center is equipped with the latest design and analysis software and a laboratory equipped to conduct all pressure, vibration and reliability tests as well as in-house Spectro, PMI and UT testing.

Since 2011, Fluid Controls has developed more than 25 new products, which is very much in line with the Company’s vision statement.

Adding to their strength in innovation, Fluid Controls has filed its first Global Patent and is in the process of filing two more patents. The Company has received the CII Industrial Innovation Award for

Medium Scale Manufacturing

Organization and CII recognition as one

of the Top 25 Innovative Companies of

the Year at the Indian R&D Ecosystem Conclave 2019. Other recognitions include the “Rail Solution Provider of the Year [Instrumentation]” at Rail Infra & Mobility Business Digital Awards 2020” by Urban Transport News and the award for “Excellence in Technical Innovation” by ISA Maharashtra Section at PPA Meet 2020. Apart from this, the company has been awarded with International Railway

Industry Standard (IRIS) certification

for its high-value quality products.

Making Fluid Controls a Vocal for Local Company

Working in an industry where women leaders are few, Sophie Moochhala’s vision has built Fluid Controls from a small, family-run firm to a medium-scale company with a clear focus on the “Make in India” theme, revenue growth, profitability, sector focus and research & development.

Appreciating the Govt. of India’s ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives, Sophie said, “Fluid Controls® is a “Vocal for Local” MSME organization and we whole-heartedly support the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. ” She further added, “Domestic manufacturers have the capability – be it in manufacturing, quality, and R&D – to cater to domestic requirements across sectors. Atmanirbhar Bharat, which clearly outlines procurement policies, will go a long way to boost domestic manufacturers, especially in the MSME sector. With our manufacturing and R&D capabilities, Fluid Controls can contribute immensely to provide high quality, high-performance products to all sectors in the move to localize supplies. ”

Rising Above the Pandemic

While talking about the Pandemic COVID-19 and its effect on the business and how the Company survived Sophie commented, “At Fluid Controls, we Engineer Connections Everyday. And In the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also committed to “Staying Safe Everyday”.

During the onset of the Pandemic COVID-19, our primary focus was to ensure the health and safety of our employees, their families, our customers and our business partners. And we had changed the way we approach every task and every activity. We had to adapt our mode of operation, since face-to-face meetings and interaction were not possible for some months (and we are still work-from-home at our Mumbai office!). We have invested in ERP and Microsoft Teams software to ensure the ease of team work and connectivity. To ensure the seamless day-to-day operation, each department head would hold daily telephonic meeting to discuss tasks and the way ahead.

We also had to change the way we conducted our external business. During the lockdown period, Fluid Controls engaged with customers via video conferencing and calls. And, to ensure the least disruption in schedules, we have provided regular updates on our business status and order status to them. As many of our customers still do not allow business visits, we continue to have a virtual engagement with them.

Connections Everyday”. And in the time of COVID-19 pandemic, we learnt how to

“Adapt Everyday”!

Winning the Accolades

With a rich experience of over 25 years first working in a Global Company and then managing the one of own making it the Global company Sophie has won numerous awards such as “Rail Business Leader of the Year [Female] Award” at Rail Infra & Mobility Business Digital Awards 2020, “Woman of the Year Award” at Rail Analysis Innovation and Excellence Summit 2020, “Woman Achiever Award 2020” by ISA Maharashtra Section, and the India SME Excellence Award for “Woman

Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 in

Manufacturing Sector”.

Her message for the Aspirers

“Entrepreneurship is an exciting, challenging and fulfilling career choice. It gives you control of your destiny and to be able to see the fruits of your work is immeasurably satisfying”. public officials and practitioners—to achieve tangible transformation in the cities of this region.

Her engagement with ITDP started in the late 90s with the immensely successful India Cycle Rickshaw Improvement Project. This initiative has put on road over half a million modern cycle rickshaws that keep the air clean and reduce GHG emissions by diverting millions of potential motorised trips every day to an efficient and comfortable non-motorised mode, not to speak of the livelihood it has provided to over a million people.

Over the last decade, she has guided the planning and design of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems—that provide low-cost high-quality rapid mobility—and complete streets—that create safe space for pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users—in many cities across the region. Her other areas of interest and expertise include parking reform and transitoriented development. As one of the foremost experts on sustainable urban mobility in India, she is frequently sought after as a speaker at many venues.

Ms. Gadepalli has a Master’s in Industrial Design from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and a Bachelor's in engineering. She is an avid photographer and enjoys capturing urban life while exploring cities on foot.

Shreya GADEPALLI

Director - South Asia, ITDP

Shreya Gadepalli is the South Asia Director at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), a global non-profit organization that works with cities worldwide to bring about sustainable transport solutions that reduce pollution, alleviate poverty and enhance quality of urban life. Under her guidance, the South Asia team implements a multi-pronged approach— inspiring urban leaders to take action, supporting them in creating urban transport and planning best practices, embedding these best practices in policies, and expanding capacity of

Dr. Kalpana VISHWANATH

CEO, Safetipin

Dr Kalpana Viswanath is the co-founder and CEO of Safetipin, a social enterprise using data and technology to support cities to become safer, more inclusive and smarter. Since its inception in 2013, Safetipin has worked with more than 30 cities in India and other developing Sarika Panda Bhatt is Head of Integrated Transport and Road Safety with WRI India. She is based in Delhi and coordinates various projects and activities in the region. Sarika is the cofounder of the Raahgiri Day campaign, which is India’s first sustained initiative towards the use of alternative modes of transport. She is also helping about 70 other cities in India. Sarika is a leader in nonmotorised transport work and heads the ‘Streets For All’ program of WRI India.

With around 14 years’ experience in the field of urban developments, transport and architecture. Prior to WRI India, she worked with the SMEC India and consulting organization ORG Pvt. Ltd. During this time, she was involved in various projects around master planning, city development planning, comprehensive mobility planning and the planning of new townships. She has also worked extensively in the areas of environmental and social impact assessment. She is also an avid cyclist.

countries. Safetipin collects data about safety in public spaces through multiple sources including the MySafetipin app which is a free crowd sourcing app and works with governments to use this data for better planning and maintenance. Kalpana also headed a number of large global projects, including Jagori, a leading women’s rights NGO, and has been a consultant for many agencies including Women in Cities International, UN Women, and UN Habitat. She is a member of the Advisory Group on Gender Issues for UN Habitat.

Sarika Panda BHATT

Head – ITRS, WRI India

A truly inspiring figures, all should be taken as an example by women from all over the world.