From a young age, Pragya Gupta had a passion for creating beautiful things.
Surrounded by the rich history, vibrant culture, and abundance of historical monuments in India’s capital of Delhi, there is little wonder that a career in architecture and design would form a significant part of the beautiful life Pragya is creating.
It is the places Pragya has lived and worked, before calling Australia home nearly a decade ago, that continue to inspire and shape her passion for both architecture and the close-knit community built within the industry.
Pragya’s own upbringing, finding herself “starting again” in a new country, and craving connections have formed the tapestry of a life that is entwined in supporting women to excel in their careers and championing the real-world approach to diversity and inclusion.
WORLD-WIDE VIEW
From the bustling streets of Delhi to the iconic skylines of Dubai, Pragya’s journey in architecture has been as dynamic as the structures she’s helped shape.
Raised in a “traditional family” in India, Pragya was both studious and artistic – a combination that would prove to be the foundation for a global career in architecture.
Determined to forge her own path, she defied family expectations to pursue science over accounting, and later chose architecture – a field she discovered through an elective subject called engineering drawing.
“I thought my science subjects could have been very scientific and boring, and I would get bored if I didn’t have my creative side,” she recalls.
“In that class, we started working on plans and elevation sections and 3D models, which a person usually would never learn until they got into architecture, but I got exposed to that sort of thing quite early.”
Despite her family’s initial reservations about her study and career choice – and the fact that she was expected to be married at age 18 like most traditional women – her family lovingly supported Pragya at every step along the way.
With no industry mentors or family connections to guide Pragya, she navigated the highly competitive Indian university system on her own – and earned a place in a five-year architecture course, which also led to a one-year internship more than 2,000km away in another country.
“I didn’t have a passport, I had not been overseas,” she recalls. “It was not easy to get a passport because I was a single student, and I didn’t have my degree yet. I had to fight the passport department to get it.”
Determination paid off, and the one-year internship in Dubai was the beginning of her global profession – working across projects in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with world-renowned companies on global, multimillion-dollar projects.
A key moment in Pragya’s career came during her time in Dubai, when she flew in a helicopter over the Burj Khalifa during its construction.
“It had reached the 70th or 80th floor,” she remembers. “And the Palm Islands were also taking shape at that time.”
“I was working with an engineering and architecture company involved in the project, and they were doing a site visit on a helicopter, as they do in Dubai.
“That was the exact moment – looking at that view of the Burj – that made me realise I wanted to work on bigger and better projects.”
Now based in Australia, Pragya continues to channel her global experience into her work, driven by a deep desire to break through expectations and build not just a career – but also a life she loves.
THE INDUSTRY WHEN STARTING OVER IN AUSTRALIA
When Pragya landed in Melbourne in 2016, she found herself starting over – despite years of global experience and being a registered architect in India.
“There was no pathway for me to bring my experience, or my registration from India, over here to Australia,” she remembers.
After taking a month or two to settle in and explore Melbourne, restless energy took over. “I got bored really quickly,” she laughs. “I applied at three companies, literally in a day.”
To her surprise, she landed interviews at all three firms on the same day and received offers from each one.
“Now I was thinking which one do I go to?,” Pragya recalls.
“I had no idea what these companies even looked like. I knew no one here so I couldn’t ask anyone for advice.”
To her surprise, she was offered positions at all three companies. In the end, it was a feeling that led her to choose Gray Puksand.
“I always ask about the culture of the place,” she says. “That’s really important for me.”
A vibrant culture, strong female representation, and exciting projects – Gray Puksand ticked all the boxes, and Pragya started as a Revit technician.
“I could not be called an architect because the laws and regulations here did not allow my registration to transfer,” she says.
“But, I didn’t want to waste all of my years’ experience, because that’s the sad reality of our profession that a lot of people who migrate to Australia leave the industry because they do not want to do it all again.”
Pragya was not deterred by the hard work ahead of her. Drawing on her mentality that hard work will reap rewards led to internal opportunities within the business and she worked hard to be registered as an architect in Australia.
Pragya’s own experiences of living and working in many countries, and making the move to Australia and having to start again in her profession has inspired her to not only chase her current goal of becoming a partner at Gray Puksand, but also helping so many others.
INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY
Pragya’s work in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) wasn’t something she planned but it is a space where she has found deep purpose.
“I actually got involved in the DEI space through the Property Council a couple of years back,” she explains. “In India, DEI was not a thing – and still isn’t, to a large extent. But that opened a window for me…I realised that people actually care about this, and we can actually make a difference.”
Today, she chairs the DEI group within her own organisation and continues to advocate for action over intention.
“Sometimes you just have to do things and not wait for it to happen,” she says. “If you don’t do it, no one else would.”
Her own migrant journey gives her a personal understanding of the systemic gaps facing others.
“It is sad that our society and our industry are not meant for it yet. There needs to be a pathway.
“Just last week, I met someone who ran his own architecture firm in India for 16 years, worked in the UK, did his master’s there and still could not find a job here because he didn’t have local experience. How do you get local experience if no one gives you a chance?”
Pragya’s advice for anyone she speaks to in this space? Just try.
“If you’re passionate about something, even if you can’t do it yet, at least try. It’s about actioning,” she says.
“When you’ve been through that journey and seen the hardships, and you know there’s no other way, rather than just doing it, then you just get on with it, instead of just waiting for it to happen.”
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Mentorship and meaningful connections have shaped much of Pragya’s journey – and she is determined to pay that forward.
“I’ve always been a very social person,” she explains. “Even early on, I knew I wanted to create something where people in the industry could come together, make friends, and just talk honestly.”
That something eventually became Wine and Shine, a network Pragya started in 2018 after joining the Property Council’s 500 Women in Property program. “The program ended, but a few of us really clicked,” she says.
“We just keep meeting for drinks every now and then.”
The first few catch-ups were small, just five or 10 women. But then someone offered to sponsor drinks and a friend ran a craft workshop at one of the gatherings, things took off.
“That was kind of the first Wine and Shine,” Pragya says. “It didn’t even have a name then. But people loved it and wanted to know when the next event would be.”
Since then, Wine and Shine has grown into a sought-after, twice-yearly event, capped at 100 attendees and often selling out in hours. Even during COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne, Pragya kept the community alive. “We sent candle-making kits to everyone’s homes and ran online workshops,” she shares. “We supported small businesses and kept people connected. That’s what it’s all about.”
The idea of building community has only grown stronger for Pragya. In late 2023, she founded MAPP – the Multicultural Association of Property Professionals. “There’s a big gap in multicultural leadership representation in built environment industry,” she says. “Multicultural professionals often hit a ceiling. I wanted to create a space where people like me, people who’ve moved countries can find connection and support.”
The not-for-profit has already hosted five packed-out events with panels on bold topics like culture pride and inter-sectionality, and has garnered industry sponsorship and growing recognition. “It’s about advocacy too,” Pragya says. “If we can even do a little bit to make it better for someone else, that’s worth it.”
Now, she sponsors new participants in the same Property Council program that helped her years ago. “I just want to kind of touch where I can and help people,” she says. “The more we do that, the more we create a truly inclusive industry.”
LIFE AWAY FROM WORK
Outside of her profession, Pragya finds joy in food, travel, and sharing her adventures with others through her social media platforms on TikTok and Instagram, @we.eat.travel.love.
Her passion for travel was born from longing.
“In India, they don’t send girls alone to travel,” she explains. “You can’t really travel unless it’s with family. I always wanted to do it.”
Now, with a passport full of stamps and a camera roll full of cities, Pragya and her husband are making up for lost time – visiting places that once lived only in her architecture textbooks. “When we went to Rome, I had to see everything,” she smiles. “I drew those buildings by hand during uni, and seeing them in real life was surreal.”
While she loves the depth and heritage of historical architecture, Pragya is equally drawn to cutting-edge innovation. “I worked on a 60-storey building in Dubai where every floor rotated 60 degrees,” she says. “It’s just amazing – pushing boundaries like that. That’s what excites me.”
Melbourne, she says, gives her a bit of both. “It has a language, a body to it,” she reflects. “That blend of heritage and modernity; it’s the kind of city that speaks to both sides of my architectural soul.”
