Insight 2nd Ed_Petra Seidler

Honour Medal from the Russian Orthodox Church for charity and for founding and implementing the Easter Music Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia, from 1992 to 1998. A respected authority in the field of change manage- ment, Dr. Seidler has enjoyed the challenging nature of her work. She takes great pride in her ability to achieve the best results under very difficult circum- stances. Dr. Seidler received formal education at the University for Economics and Finance of St. Pe- tersburg, where she received a PhD in international economic relations and a PhD in finances and pro- curement. She is also recognized as a chartered translator of Russian language and a certified expert of the consolidation of accounts. How have you navigated disruptions in your industry to remain a top professional? The main point is to look outside the box at all times, and not to lose sight of my main goals and objectives. I have to be predictive and proactive, and always keep several scenarios in my mind. What are two key behaviors/personality traits that allow you to be effective in your role? One is to put myself in the place of the people I am interacting with and think how I would react or how Second Edition | Marquis Who ’ s Who Insight 9 I would like to be treated. The second is tolerance; I learned tolerance throughout my life. I also admit if I am wrong and never hold onto bad things. What is the most important issue/challenge you are dealing with in your industry right now? The COVID-19 pandemic, of course. The biggest challenge is meeting people and the behavior we have to interact face to face. I worked in Afghanistan for many years where we had to switch to digital and remote operations, so I have a big advantage. I know how to deal with people using teleconferences, the phone and email. For me, interaction is more about professional questions than seeing an individual in person. I have to teach others now and that is the challenge. How do you feel your industry has changed/evolved over time? There are big changes in consolidation moving toward consulting companies. When I first started, there were a lot of small consulting companies competing against each other, but since projects are getting bigger, the requirements for consulting companies are growing and the code of conduct also plays a big role. As such, we have a consolidation of the consulting companies. What new innovations or technologies do you feel will shape the future of your industry? The main thing is digitization, particularly in engineering. There are a lot of new software programs, visualization 3D and GIS programing, so we have a lot of new digital instruments, which are helping us achieve our goals faster and straight to the point. What excites you the most about your industry? I am working mostly with development banks and donors in regions that are suffering the most. We al- ways have to be up to date and provide state-of-the-art know-how. Right now, the main priority is supporting the country to overcome the challenges of COVID-19. I think we have the best knowledge to support the gov- ernment to continue infrastructure development in their countries, cities and villages. “ I am working mostly with development banks and donors in regions that are suffering the most. Right now, the main priority is supporting the country to overcome the challenges of COVID-19. ”