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We’re taking the SureWorx Podcast on the road to the Future of Construction Technology (FCON) Summit in Sydney. In our first installment of this special mini-series, we meet Shivendra Kumar, founder of Shivendra & Co, who sits down with host Nandan Thakar to demystify digital transformation for construction firms. With his signature practical approach, Shivendra breaks down how mid-sized companies can begin their digital journey through targeted, high-impact changes that deliver real results. His mantra “Technology will never be this slow again” sets the stage for an insightful discussion about evolving your business at the right pace.
Shivendra Kumar is a distinguished management consultant and digital transformation expert in the construction technology sector, serving as the Managing Director and Principal Consultant at Shivendra & Co. Often regarded as a “C-level whisperer,” he specializes in guiding construction companies through strategic digital evolution, emphasizing that technology implementation is fundamentally a change management challenge rather than just a technical one. With over two decades of experience across Australia, New Zealand, and APAC, Shivendra brings deep expertise in infrastructure, construction, utilities, and renewables. His consulting practice focuses on helping construction businesses develop sustainable digital strategies and process improvements, with particular attention to organizational change management and cultural transformation.
Speaking at FCON Sydney 2024, Shivendra highlighted the accelerating pace of technological change in construction, advocating for companies to embrace digital tools proactively. His approach emphasizes solving concrete business problems rather than pursuing technology for its own sake. He holds a Ph.D. from Griffith University and an MSc in Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, combining academic rigor with practical implementation experience. Through his consultancy and thought leadership, Shivendra continues to shape the future of construction technology adoption across the APAC region.
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00:07
Nandan Thakar
Hi everyone, it’s Nandan, Co-founder and CEO of SureWorx. I’m here at FCON Sydney 2024. I’m here with my good friend Shivendra Kumar. Welcome Shivendra.
00:19
Shivendra Kumar
Yeah, thank you very much for having me.
00:21
Nandan Thakar
I know you have a very busy day and you are core to the program so I don’t want to keep you long. But I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to pick your brains and bring out some insights, some nuggets for our listeners. So do you mind introducing yourself and what you do and your experience within the AEC and construction tech industry, please?
00:47
Shivendra Kumar
Yeah, brilliant. Always good to catch up with you and great to be here. So I run my own consulting practice. It’s called Shivendra & Co. and we work with growing mid-tier construction companies on their strategy, process improvement and technology implementation. It’s a very important space as we look at the sustainability of construction businesses in terms of this conference. It’s a great get-together of the entire technology ecosystem because we’ve got the clients, we’ve got developers, we’ve got resellers, we’ve got people who are really passionate about the industry. So it’s a great event and I’m very happy that SureWorx is here once again. I think you guys were here last year, so that shows your commitment to this course as well.
01:30
Nandan Thakar
Yeah, yeah.
01:30
Shivendra Kumar
Great.
01:31
Nandan Thakar
And so what I wanted to ask you, which is a very unique question to you and not other interviews we have done, is if I can classify you as like a CEO, a C level whisperer. Right. Companies acknowledge they need to do something, but then they rely on you or your consultants to bring clarity to what they should do. Right. So how comes later. But you sort of help them with the why and then you also help them with the how in terms of process mapping and that. So just walk us through if there is some construction mid tier company listening to this, some good practice around how to become digital first advantages of that and how would you suggest they go about taking some baby steps towards it?
02:22
Shivendra Kumar
That’s a loaded question. It’s usually a day’s workshop. But in terms of when we look at technology, the thing for everyone to acknowledge is that technology is changing the fastest it’s ever been in history. Yeah, but it will also be the slowest if we look at today as a start point. Right. So it’s only going to go faster. So the thing that growing construction companies need to acknowledge is that if they don’t jump on board now, it’s going to be too late. What used to take five years takes five months and in the future will take five weeks or five days. Right. So it’s time to get on board. So it’s a time where we can take risks. But the good part is that we’ve got vendors, we’ve got enough businesses that have tried technology and are seeing the benefits of it.
03:06
Shivendra Kumar
So it’s not a sandbox project which was the case a couple of years back. Back in the day we’d be looking for one construction related project management software. Now there’s heaps and they are niches like what your product does. It’s a niche product. Right. So there’s lots that is coming through. The advice I give to businesses always is to think through where they want to go and to look at what the gaps are and start on the journey. And in starting on the journey, it’s not to look at a big transformation of how the entire business operates. It’s finding that pain point and getting to start to solve those. And from there the incremental improvements happen. So what I would normally call is it’s not digital transformation for growing mid tier businesses, it’s more digital intervention.
03:53
Shivendra Kumar
What is your biggest problem? How could technology be a solution? Go try it. You learn so much more by doing and solving it. And that sets the base for future improvements or future tech implementations.
04:06
Nandan Thakar
Great. Okay, well you’ve done really good justice to that in a few minutes. What are the key success criteria that are non negotiable once that point has landed? That they should do something and they should do this technology intervention. What are the couple of things in terms of organizational change management and culture that you would suggest they adopt for best chance at success?
04:32
Shivendra Kumar
Yeah, you’ve answered the question. So I normally tell people that a technology project is not a technology project, it’s actually a people project. So we are changing how people do work. It’s how people present themselves at work. So people are a key part to any technology project. More so that it is actually not a technology project, it’s a people, it’s a change project. So it needs to be understood from day one that the right stakeholders need to be involved, but at the same time it’s a project that requires leadership. Involving people does not mean that we always go with what people might think because a vision is often held by the executives and they need to be firm and committed to that particular vision while seeking inputs. It’s a fine balance.
05:14
Shivendra Kumar
But the success of a project is always dependent on the implementation and the adoption. So we always advise to say what are some barriers to adoption and then work backwards to say, how do I ensure that when this technology solution gets implemented, there’s high adoption? To my earlier point around digital intervention, if there is a pain point in the business, employees feel that as a pain point, they’re committed to solving it because that’s the reason why they go home late or why they have to work after hours or why they have to work on Saturdays. They’ll be very enthusiastic to come and solve that. And if you’re putting a technology solution to solve a problem that’s also their biggest problem, that’s a great way to start.
05:55
Nandan Thakar
Yeah. And one of the last podcasts we did, the clear message was that if you get this right, and it is tricky to marshal this, but the advantage of doing this right, besides positive ROI and quality of work and finishing on time, improving margin, hopefully, is work life balance. And you can pitch that to your employees to say, well, if we have holistic, comprehensive adoption of tools and solutions and automation of workflows, then we get better balance too.
06:29
Shivendra Kumar
Yeah. I’m in business as well, of course, and without the technology tools and without implementing that to manage my team, it would be very difficult for me to be even in these types of events. So it’s a big idea done right. The potential or the improvement potential for the business is enormous.
06:46
Nandan Thakar
What are a couple of things that you are really excited about in the next 12 to 24 months in where the industry is at? What do you think is the game changer in terms of trends and solutions?
06:59
Shivendra Kumar
Yeah, I think trend wise, it’s good to see a lot of the clients starting to come along. I think the government has acknowledged that there is a problem, and I think there’s more enthusiasm or eagerness to drive change, which then empowers the head contractors and the contractors that are below them to embrace change, which previously was not the case. I think they’re starting to come around on the journey. I think we have a lot of tools and solutions. What’s great now is that a lot of these tools are not developed by software designers. It’s actually been designed by construction professionals and it makes it completely different.
07:40
Nandan Thakar
Their understanding of the problem statement is very deep and very nuanced.
07:43
Shivendra Kumar
Yeah. And then to couple with that, I think we’ve got a generation that’s coming through which is very technology savvy and hungry to implement technology. So while the aging workforce in construction remains a problem, there is a breath of fresh air coming through with a generation that’s much more open to embracing technology. A generation that does not accept Excel as a tool, for example. They like applications that are collaborative, et cetera. So I think these three things put together give me good reason to be excited about the future of the industry and where we are headed.
08:19
Nandan Thakar
Great, great. And finally, you produce a lot of content yourself, very valuable content. So tell everyone where they can find your company and your podcast.
08:34
Shivendra Kumar
Yeah. Thank you. I run a podcast called the Competitive Contractor Podcast. We do about 10 episodes a year, so it’s very limited, but it’s topics that are relevant from people who are, let’s say, good voices for that particular year. So I have them on the podcast. You can find me on LinkedIn or you can visit my website, www.shivendra.com, and then thanks for having me here.
08:56
Nandan Thakar
No problem.
08:56
Shivendra Kumar
Really appreciate the opportunity and good luck with your venture and for inspiring the industry’s future as well.
09:04
Nandan Thakar
It’s a collaborative game and it’s a positive loop. So great talking to you today.
