India offers what few markets can: a pool of exceptionally skilled engineers and architects, which has enabled us to establish an engineering hub that also supports projects outside the country.
CEO of Archetype Group
Archetype Group is a multidisciplinary construction consultancy firm that I founded in Vietnam in 2002 with my partner, the architect François Magnier. Our ambition was, and remain, to bring French expertise and excellence in engineering and architecture to international markets.
Today, our group unifies more than 1,000 collaborators across 29 offices in 22 countries, including one office in France. We have worked on more than 1,500 projects in 50 countries.
We support our clients in architecture and master planning, building engineering and project, construction and cost management. Today, we are one of the largest private construction consultancies in Asia-Pacific, and we are proud to hold the “French Company Abroad” (EFE) label.
We established our presence in India in 2005, three years after the group was founded, and we recently celebrated 20 years in this country last year. Our initial strategy was to support our international clients, primarily French and European industrial and hospitality groups, in high-growth markets.
Our first contract was with Aman Resorts for the project and construction management of the luxury Aman Delhi hotel (now the Lodhi Hotel).
The Lodhi Hotel in New Delhi (formerly known as Aman Delhi Hotel) – Courtesy of Archetype Group
Our approach never changes: having local teams who deliver to international standards and know Indian regulations in depth. Chennai, the industrial and automotive hub of Tamil Nadu, was a natural choice. It reflected this approach and one of our first contracts was the engineering and construction management for the Michelin plant.
Thanks to our first major reference with Aman Resorts, we experienced several years of very strong growth in the hospitality sector as well as in real estate. Among the key milestones, I would mention the construction of the Spring Mills tower in Mumbai, the renovation of the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, the fit-out of the retail areas at Mumbai International Airport, and the Pullman, Novotel and JW Marriott hotels in Aerocity, Delhi.
From the mid-2010s, we supported the wave of major French and European industrial investments in India. In the industrial sector, we work for major groups such as Michelin, Saint-Gobain, Pernod Ricard, Monin, Carlsberg, Dassault, Safran, Ford, BMW, Coca-Cola, BASF and Ferrero.
Michelin Factory – CourtesyCortesy of Archetype Group
Today, Archetype India has nearly 150 employees and approximately 200 delivered projects, under the leadership of our Managing Director, Sivakumar Shanmuganathan.
The first challenge is one of scale and fragmentation. India is a federal country and each state has its own rules, timelines and practices, and pressure on costs is more intense than elsewhere.
It takes time to build trust and retain talent. In return, India offers what few markets can: a pool of exceptionally skilled engineers and architects, which has enabled us to establish an engineering hub that also supports projects outside the country.
Archetype Group – Twenty years in India – Courtesy of Archetype Group
This combination of technical depth, sector diversity and investment volume is difficult to replicate elsewhere.
India is now one of the Group’s growth drivers, led by the diversification of supply chains, industrial expansion, data centers and sustained demand in the hospitality sector.
Above all, we see India as a platform for accelerating our commitment to delivering 100% green buildings by 2032, as demand for environmental performance is growing very fast there.
More broadly, India is part of an Asian continuum in which we are already firmly established, a decisive advantage for our clients as they plan their development on a global scale.
I enjoy sharing and passing on my experience, and my mandate as a French Foreign Trade Advisor (CCE) is based on a simple conviction: more than twenty years of hands-on experience should be used for those wishing to do business abroad.
In practical terms, this means advising public authorities on the realities of our sector, helping French SMEs and mid-sized companies take their first steps internationally, and working closely with Business France and CCI France International, where I also serve as a board member and Treasurer.
I believe in the strength of Team France and in promoting the French construction expertise abroad.
The Legend in Mumbai – Courtesy of Archetype Group
For more information on this portrait or on UJA contact olivia@uja.in