After 25 years of service with the Property Council Academy, Ashak Nathwani AM has made a priceless contribution and embodied the Ismaili concept of ‘time and knowledge nazrana’, or gift.
Nathwani is one of many members who have made career-long contributions to the Property Council, and his personal story is a compelling one.
Ugandan-born Nathwani arrived in Australia in 1972 after dictator Idi Amin ordered some 50,000 people of Indian origin to leave the country. He landed with just 20 cents in his pocket, but with an engineering degree, experience as a lecturer and an unswerving desire to serve. Since then, Nathwani has made an extraordinary contribution to Australian society, whether as a pioneering member of the Ismaili community, as a Rotary Club president, or as a member of the Property Council’s Guide to Office Quality steering committee.
During his 33-year career with engineering firm NDY, Nathwani championed new approaches to sustainability and comfort before retiring in 2011. Today he is a senior lecturer with the University of Sydney in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. In 2017, Nathwani was awarded a Member of Order of Australia (AM) for his service to the Ismaili community, to sustainable design and to engineering.
Nathwani says the concept of “time and knowledge nazrana or TKN” represents two traditions of the Shia Ismaili Muslims: offering time and one’s intellectual capacity for the benefit of humanity.
“There is always more one can do,” Nathwani says modestly.
In his role with the Property Council Academy, Nathwani leaves a permanent imprint on operations and facilities management education in Australia.
Property Council chief executive Ken Morrison says “Ashak’s extraordinary breadth of roles – from hands-on experience at NDY to exposure to academic thinking through the University of Sydney – has made him a conduit for knowledge transfer that has accelerated industry innovation”.
“Ashak has sparked a passion for sustainability among so many property professionals, guiding the careers of emerging leaders and elevating the professionalism of facilities management. He has made a big impact.
“It’s tremendous that the Property Council is able to harness the contributions of so much experience of so many people for the benefit of the industry,” Morrison adds.
Among his contributions, Nathwani helped to establish the Property Council Academy’s accreditation system, forge partnerships with universities and ensure course content remains current. “Just two months ago, we introduced new workshops on COVID-19 to keep Property Council members’ knowledge up-to-date,” Nathwani explains.
Over his 25 years of service, Nathwani has crossed paths with countless property professionals, but a few stand out: Denis Coupland, Colliers International’s managing director for real estate management, and Kevin Dickinson, who held roles with Investa and The GPT Group for many years. “Their dedication and service set them apart,” he says.
There are many rising stars that give Nathwani confidence in the industry’s future, he adds, pointing to Bibiana Uzabeaga, facility manager at the University of Canberra, an example. “She is currently undertaking a PhD in facility management and gender balance. With few females in this profession, working with people like Bibiana is a breath of fresh air, bringing new ways of thinking.”
So, what keeps Nathwani up at night?
“Until recently, marking assignments,” he laughs. He has burnt the midnight oil marking Property Council Academy coursework. “It’s great to have courses, but you must also have a system in place to assess whether people have learnt the course content – which we have.”
A more serious concern – and lifelong passion – is sustainability and climate change. Every Sunday he hits the airwaves with a community radio show, the Voice of India on FM 89.7 in Sydney, to share information and insight about climate change and practical ‘green’ solutions.
Nathwani has previously represented Australia on the World Green Building Council’s technical committee tackling health, wellbeing and productivity in buildings, and is currently working on project with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) to minimise greenhouse gas emissions in institutional buildings. AKDN’s target is to achieve net zero for all the institutional buildings by 2030.
“The built environment generates around 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, so the property industry has an important role to play in saving energy and eliminating waste,” he says.
The Property Council is at heart of industry knowledge and skills development, he emphasises.
“If you understand the fundamentals it is much easier to pick the low-hanging fruit. Everyone is aware that LED lighting can save energy, but not many people appreciate how operating a building management system effectively can save five to 10 per cent on energy without further investment.”
Last year taught Australians that “as a country we can face difficulties – whether that’s bushfires or COVID-19 – and come out ahead of most countries. We can use our knowledge and experience to unite and solve other challenges. We’ve been taught a few lessons. Our focus should now be on working together to be more sustainable.”
He may be stepping down from the Property Council Academy, but Nathwani is not slowing down.
“I think I’ve done everything and then along comes a new challenge,” he says. One of those is a project with the National Maritime Museum to air condition its display submarine. Nathwani’s late wife, Samim, was an early childhood specialist and he says this project is a tribute to her. “She was passionate about teaching through experience – and this will allow young people to better understand how submarines work.”
After a quarter of a century dedicating his time and talent, what is his last word of advice to the property industry?
“One serves in an honorary capacity – a la TKN – with no expectation in return. My father always used to say being helpful to someone is the greatest and most satisfying service one can perform.”