Mr. Sijith Gopidas is the Founder & Managing Director at F2i FZCO. With more than 18 years of extensive experience as a Chartered Civil Engineer, Sijith Gopidas has exceptional expertise in the Engineering field. He is a team player with an unwavering passion for achieving his goals. Furthermore, he has exceptional perseverance and always aims to develop innovative solutions to deliver to his clients’ requirements.
Through our interview with him, we got detailed insights into the ideals and ways in which Mr. Sijith Gopidas conduct business. We were very inspired by how he focuses on supporting his employees and adhering to the promised outcomes for clients.
With a proven track record of timely delivery of large-scale multidisciplinary projects adhering to international standards, Sijith Gopidas is working towards making F2i one of the prominent engineering firms in the MENA region and globally. The company employs experienced professional engineers to cater to the diverse requirements of the clientele. Furthermore, the company also has social media presence on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Let’s learn more about Mr. Sijith Gopidas and his Company through the interview below.
Explain the background of you and the company in detail.
I completed my Bachelor of Engineering from Visvesvaraya Technological University in 2004. Soon after graduating, I started my career path as a structural engineer at Mouchel from 2006 to 2009. Then, in 2009, I joined Parsons as a structural Design Engineer. After that, I worked as a technical lead for various middle east projects.
By 2014, I joined Arcadis as a principal structural engineer. Later in 2019, I came up with an idea to start my own business. I wanted to implement my ideas and do something by myself. That’s how I started F2i FZCO.
Our company incorporates engineering professionals with high expertise, knowledge, and experience in civil engineering. We provide exceptional engineering services with sustainability in mind and transparency in how we operate. We aim to give our clients the best results without harming the environment. That’s why we try & implement all possible ways to provide sustainable services.
Whether it’s civil infrastructure, detailed construction, civil, structural engineering, and the whole gamut of associated services, we can develop the best engineering solutions for our clients.
What are your goals?
Our main goal is to provide the best services to our clients globally through the latest technologies, digitalization, and highly sustainable solutions. As the Civil industry is among the laggers in digitalization, an established fact, we aim to implement all possible digital workflows and use more automation as it helps save time, reduce redundancy & errors, increase efficiency, etc.
What do you feel is the biggest strength of yourself/company right now?
I feel that our experience is unparalleled in terms of the quality of deliverables we provide. We are technical experts who provide creative solutions. I highly focus on listening to the client’s requirements and then evaluating and analyzing the best solution for them, including efficiency, cost, and technical viewpoint.
My biggest asset is our team. The employees of F2i are an integral part of the successes we had and will have. We hire and retain the best available talent and upskilling as the business demands to keep them at the forefront of this digital evolution. As you would probably agree, it’s crucial to have the right mindset for the work to be exceptional. I think that’s what keeps us going.
What was the path you/your company took to get to where you are today?
Before starting F2i, I used to work as a structural engineer and have experience of more than 15 years in the field. I used to carry out analyses and develop designs for different requirements such as infrastructure, highway structure, water projects, and other streams. I worked for multiple companies. I thought of starting on my own where I could implement my ideas and do things the right way as per my viewpoint. After a lot of research & analysis, this eventually led to the conception of F2i in 2019.
What have been the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For every business, finding the right attitude & aptitude is crucial. Similarly, it was challenging to find the employees with the right qualities to add value to the company. I wanted people who could follow the values and have the right mindset to achieve business goals.
Furthermore, right when we started in 2019, the world came to an unexpected halt due to the unfortunate global pandemic situation. Honestly, this kind of obstacle at the very beginning, for anyone, will be really tough. Not only us but several companies and industries worldwide were affected by it. We had our difficult times where getting clients was challenging, and despite all that, we were trying to move forward. We kept fighting, implementing new business models and new ideas, and as you can see, we have achieved these successes despite all the hard situations we were in.
Give us one word that describes you the best.
Go-getter. I am passionate about whatever I do, and I am a go-getter. I never give up once I make up my mind. I would dare say that giving up is never an option for me.
What makes you excited about Mondays?
Every day is exciting for me. In my line of business, there are no Saturdays or Sundays. I work every day, and I look forward to putting together ideas with my team, talking with my clients, and thinking about what to implement next.
What do you value most about your culture and vision?
Our main vision is to be the most respected global company for engineering services. We want to be the best in terms of high-quality services with sustainability. Furthermore, innovation, transparency, trust, and teamwork are also some of our core values.
Tell us about a project that forced you to be innovative and creative.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a situation that pushed us to be innovative and creative. We had to change our usual way of working during the pandemic and implement new techniques based on the changing world. Furthermore, digitalization also plays a significant role in changing how things work.
What are your company’s strategies, and how do they stand unique from your competitors?
We provide a smarter approach to construction and development compared to our competitors. First of all, we consider all the client requirements and every site’s individual constraint as opportunities. Furthermore, we also ensure that our clients get maximum value from our services. We optimize structural, civil, and hydraulics designs with minimal costs, time, and risk. Furthermore, I don’t think that every other firm in our industry focuses on sustainability, making us unique.
How do you see the company changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating that change?
In the next 2 years, I will be focusing on making F2i completely digitized. After the pandemic, there was a renewed emphasis on digitalization which exhibited fruitful results. Furthermore, our industry doesn’t really include the latest technologies and digitalization. Hence, I want to change the way things work and lead my company and my clients toward the biggest transition of our times.
Furthermore, I am also aiming to automate our work process. The reason is simple; automation makes things easier, efficient, faster, and cost-effective. We also aim to reduce the risks of human errors during the engineering process. Not only that, but in the future, we will also add effective asset management to our services.
Where is your leadership going? What benefits do your clients get from your company in this competitive world?
As a leader, I care about my employees. I work directly with my employees and see through their requirements as well. Furthermore, I focus on what my employees require and how they can move forward. I know every employee is different. While someone has a family and 2 kids, the other is just beginning to experience financial independence by their first job. I support my employees at every step. I ensure they stay relevant by providing opportunities for attending training/webinars/conferences etc.
When it comes to clients, I think of them as family members and provide all the necessary help they can get. When it comes to the latest technology and expertise, we offer the best value to our customers. We listen to their requirements and develop solutions focused on reduced costs, time, and risks. Furthermore, we also focus on sustainability.
What services/solutions or products does your company offer at par with the current industry standards? Tell us something about your upcoming products or services?
Our services include:
- Structural engineering
- Repair/rehabilitation of structures
- Geotechnical engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Civil infrastructure
- Constructing/designing roads and water conveyance systems
- Building Information Modelling (BIM)
- Shop Drawing and Bar Bending Schedules(BBS)
Furthermore, we are also focusing on adding effective assets management and sustainable green/zero energy building along with digitization and automation in the future.
Connect with Sijith Gopidas on LinkedIn!