Dear Members, Volunteers, Partners, Corporate Leaders, Academicians and Friends of PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter,

It gives me immense pride to address you at a defining moment in the journey of PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter.

Over the past year, our chapter has moved from intent to visible momentum. What began as a renewed commitment to strengthen member value, volunteer engagement, industry relevance and community impact has now started translating into tangible outcomes. Today, PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter stands as one of the most vibrant professional communities in the region — built on the passion of its members, the dedication of its volunteers, the wisdom of its past leaders, and the continued trust of the larger PMI ecosystem.

Most importantly, we have crossed the significant milestone of 5,200~ paid and active members. This is not just a number. It is a powerful reflection of trust, relevance and collective belief in the value that PMI Pune-Deccan continues to create for professionals across Pune, Western Maharashtra, the rest of Maharashtra excluding Mumbai and Nashik, and Goa.

As President & CEO, I see this milestone not as an individual achievement, but as a collective accomplishment of our Board, volunteers, members, partners, sponsors, speakers, past leaders and well-wishers who continue to invest their time, credibility and energy into the chapter.

Building on a Strong Legacy

PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter has always been known for consistency, resilience and commitment to the project management profession. Our legacy of monthly seminars, professional development programs, academic outreach, certification support, CSR initiatives and volunteer-led execution has given us a strong foundation.

The chapter’s earlier achievements — including our long-running monthly seminar series, CSR initiatives such as sustainability awareness and tree plantation drives, support to PMP and CAPM aspirants, strong volunteer engagement, financial compliance, Darpan registration and academic collaboration — created the platform on which we are now building the next chapter of growth.

Our responsibility now is to honour that legacy while making the chapter more contemporary, inclusive, digitally enabled, industry-connected and future-ready.

Recent Momentum and Key Achievements

The last year has been a period of renewed energy and structured execution. Some of the important developments include:

Membership growth and engagement: Crossing 5,200 paid and active members is a major milestone for the chapter and strengthens our mandate to serve a larger, more diverse professional community.

Continued excellence in knowledge programs: Our monthly seminars, special sessions and learning events continue to provide PDUs, thought leadership and networking opportunities to members across domains.

Launch of focused Special Interest Groups: We have started strengthening domain-led communities through Special Interest Groups such as Automotive & Manufacturing, AI & GCC, and Construction & EPC. These SIGs are designed to connect project management excellence with real industry transformation.

Automotive & Manufacturing SIG: This SIG has been created to support project, program and portfolio management excellence across areas such as Industry 4.0, digital factories, EV and battery programs, software-defined vehicles, NPD, APQP, sustainability, operational excellence and manufacturing governance. The SIG is also being strengthened through a senior Advisory Panel model that brings industry leaders, academicians and practitioners together.

MentorPRO and career-development initiatives: We have initiated structured thinking around mentorship and career progression, with the objective of supporting students, early-career professionals, mid-career managers and experienced leaders through meaningful mentor–mentee engagement.

Digital transformation of chapter operations: We continue to modernize member engagement, communication, event participation, payment flows, attendance capture, WhatsApp-based communication and digital workflows so that the chapter becomes easier to engage with.

Corporate and ecosystem outreach: We are deepening engagement with corporates, industry bodies, academic institutions, NGOs and professional communities to make PMI Pune-Deccan a platform for meaningful collaboration — not just events.

CSR and social impact orientation: Our CSR vision is being sharpened to align project management capability with social good, including collaboration with NGOs, corporate CSR teams, academic institutions and Project Managers Without Borders-type initiatives.

Volunteer governance and structure: We are strengthening portfolio-wise volunteer structures, role clarity, onboarding discipline, VEP-based engagement, documentation, continuity and leadership pipelines so that the chapter remains sustainable beyond individual tenures.

Our Direction for 2026 and Beyond

The future of project management is changing rapidly. Artificial Intelligence, sustainability, digital transformation, new manufacturing models, infrastructure growth, GCC expansion, changing workforce expectations and increasing complexity of programs are reshaping the profession.

PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter must therefore evolve from being only an events-led professional body into a broader platform for:

Professional development
Career-long learning
Industry thought leadership
Leadership development
Volunteer excellence
Academic engagement
Corporate collaboration
Social impact
Digital-first member experience

Our agenda for the coming period will be built around a few clear priorities.

1. Elevating Member Value

Our members are at the centre of everything we do. We will continue to create programs that help members learn, grow, network, earn PDUs, explore leadership opportunities and stay relevant in a rapidly changing professional world.

We will focus on practical, industry-connected learning rather than only theoretical sessions. Members should see the chapter as a place where they can build capability, credibility, visibility and meaningful professional relationships.

2. Strengthening Industry-Focused Communities

Our Special Interest Groups will play an important role in the next phase of chapter growth. Automotive & Manufacturing, AI & GCC, Construction & EPC and other future SIGs will help us create deeper conversations around real-world project challenges in specific sectors.

These SIGs will bring together practitioners, CXOs, PMO leaders, academicians, researchers, consultants and young professionals through roundtables, panel discussions, factory connects, whitepapers, benchmarking studies, case studies and capability-building programs.

3. Expanding Mentorship and Career Support

Project management is not only about certification. It is also about judgement, leadership, communication, influence, stakeholder management, ethics, resilience and career navigation.

Through initiatives like MentorPRO, we aim to build a structured mentoring ecosystem where experienced professionals can guide emerging leaders, students can understand the project profession early, and mid-career professionals can receive support during transitions into leadership, PMO, consulting, digital transformation and strategic roles.

4. Deepening Corporate and Academic Partnerships

The chapter’s future impact will depend significantly on how well we engage with employers, academic institutions, industry bodies and professional associations.

We will work with corporates to create leadership masterclasses, domain-specific learning programs, sponsored knowledge events, employee engagement programs, PMO capability sessions and industry roundtables.

We will work with academic institutions to introduce students to project management early, support career readiness, encourage student memberships and build bridges between classroom learning and practitioner experience.

5. Driving Social Impact Through Project Management

As project professionals, we have a responsibility to contribute beyond our workplaces. The discipline of project management can help NGOs, social enterprises, CSR teams and community initiatives deliver better outcomes.

Our CSR and PMWB-aligned initiatives will focus on bringing project management skills to social good — helping organizations plan better, execute better, measure impact better and scale community initiatives more effectively.

6. Creating a Stronger Volunteer Leadership Engine

Volunteers are the soul of PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter. Every event, every campaign, every communication, every member interaction and every new initiative is powered by volunteer energy.

We will continue to create clearer roles, better onboarding, stronger mentoring, portfolio-level structures, recognition mechanisms and leadership-development opportunities for volunteers.

Our goal is to ensure that volunteering with PMI Pune-Deccan becomes a respected and rewarding leadership journey.

7. Strengthening Governance, Transparency and Operational Discipline

As the chapter grows, governance becomes even more important. We will continue to strengthen documentation, compliance, financial discipline, role clarity, data protection, brand consistency, digital repositories, board processes and chapter operating procedures.

A growing chapter must be energetic, but it must also be disciplined. We owe that to our members, PMI, partners and volunteers.

An Invitation to Participate

The next phase of PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter cannot be built by the Board alone. It needs active participation from every stakeholder.

To our members: engage more deeply, attend programs, volunteer, share ideas, mentor others and help us create a stronger professional community.

To our volunteers: continue to bring your energy, discipline and ownership. You are the chapter’s execution strength.

To our corporate partners: collaborate with us to build capability, thought leadership and professional excellence within your organizations and industries.

To our academic partners: join us in preparing the next generation of project professionals.

To NGOs and social-impact organizations: partner with us to bring project management discipline to initiatives that create meaningful change.

To our past leaders and senior members: continue to guide us with your wisdom and institutional memory.

Looking Ahead

We are entering a phase where PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter can become not only a large chapter, but a truly influential one — a chapter known for member value, professional excellence, industry relevance, volunteer leadership, ethical governance, digital maturity and community impact.

Our milestone of 5,100+ members gives us confidence. Our volunteer base gives us strength. Our Board gives us direction. Our members give us purpose.

Together, we will continue to build a chapter that is inclusive, future-ready, professionally respected and deeply connected to the evolving needs of the project management community.

Thank you for your trust, support and continued engagement.

Let us build the next chapter of PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter — together.

Warm regards,

Rinoo Rajesh
President & CEO
PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter

www.pmipunechapter.org | president@pmipunechapter.org | www.rinoorajesh.com | www.pmipunechapter.com | LinkedIn: Rinoo Rajesh/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/rinoorajesh | LinkedIn: PMI Pune-Deccan/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/pmi-pune-deccan-india-chapter