“Lockdown gave us both time to reflect” - Mitesh Parmar, Director and Co-founder, Wellspace Architects

Mitesh Parmar walked away from a career in global product management to establish a more purposeful business with his architect wife. He is grateful to the business coach he met through the IoD and he is now an IoD Connect Ambassador.

My parents are from India and favoured traditional professions such as law and medicine, but my early love of tinkering with gadgets and a strength in maths led me to study electronic and software engineering at University of Leicester. I began developing software solutions for machines in the food sector but soon transitioned into sales and product management roles. I love working with people and my combination of commercial as well as technical skills proved effective. Ten years on, I was a global product manager for an innovative product which could X-ray semi-conductor electronics and later product manager of what is known as black boxes (orange really) used in trains.

I began to tire of the corporate world and when the company I worked for at the time, went under in 2019, I had time to stop and think. Around the same time I could see that my wife, who is an architect, was being put under extreme pressure. On top of a long commute she was working long hours and it was affecting her health. When Covid struck I had to shield because I have an auto-immune disease. Lockdown gave us both time to reflect. We began to see our situation as an opportunity to do something more worthwhile and took the decision to go into business together.

As an engineer I like to solve problems and we had noticed a growing dissatisfaction with workplace environments which has been highlighted post-Covid. We set up Wellspace Architects to create spaces that enhance people’s lives by sustainably designing for better living, wellbeing, health, and happiness. My wife provides the architecture and I bring all my skills and experience to the rest of the business. We integrate various principles, looking at human psychology and research to create positive emotional experiences within everyday design, particularly based on the Global WELL? Building Standard.

Undeniably there are pros and cons to working with your partner. Before we set up the business we hardly saw one another, now our entire life revolves around work. Our business is the conversation topic at breakfast, lunch and dinner and it is challenging to have no second regular income. But it is also empowering. We have the freedom to organise our lives how we want and we feel like we are making a positive difference.

I joined the IoD because I want to be a better business leader. I recognise that I don’t know what I don’t know and that the IoD is the place to learn. We want to grow our business so I am keen to get things set up correctly from the start. I enjoy networking with leaders who all want to be better. I was lucky enough to be introduced to a Fellow of the IoD, who is now advising us personally. I can be confident that he knows what he is talking about because he has been through the rigorous IoD Chartered Director Qualification .

I am a natural networker; curious and keen to learn, so I jumped at the chance to become an IoD Connect Ambassador. My goal is to raise awareness of the opportunities the IoD offers and encourage more people to get involved. I am currently talking to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) about a joint event on how Architects can be better leaders.