S3E5 – Leader as a Cheerleader with Charu Kokate

How are the most iconic landmarks brought to life? In this episode of Rewrite the Rules, I sit down with Charu, a passionate architect working with the legendary Moshe Safdie. Charu shares her incredible journey from learning the basics in Boston to shaping Singapore’s skyline with projects like Marina Bay Sands and Jewel Changi Airport. She opens up about the people who shaped her, the lessons from her mentors, and what it takes to lead massive, impactful projects.

Join us for an inspiring look at the power of design, mentorship, and persistence!

Discussion Topics: Leader as a Cheerleader with Charu Kokate

• How does a dream turn into an iconic design?  
• Working with a legend: A career-defining moment  
• The secret to shaping Singapore’s skyline  
• Can success find you if you stop chasing it?  
• The one design principle everyone should live by  
• Where do architects find inspiration in the everyday?  
• Leading massive projects: The hidden challenges  
• The surprising power of believing in your big idea  
• Thick skin or resilience: What really gets you through?  
• Redefining success: What truly matters at the end?

Our Guest: Charu Kokate

Senior Partner at Safdie Architects
Based in Singapore, Charu Kokate leads the firm’s efforts in Asia. An advocate for excellence in construction practice, Charu is integral to realizing and delivering complex projects that fully embody their original design intentions. She connects, empowers, and enables clients, contractors, and consultants from project inception through completion. An active mentor to emerging industry professionals, Charu empowers women in the design field, helping them to shape their career trajectories. In addition to public talks and lectures, Charu has served as a design judge internationally and in Singapore.

On behalf of Safdie Architects, she is a two-time recipient of Singapore’s President’s Design Award for the firm’s work on Marina Bay Sands (2011) and Jewel Changi Airport (2020).