In the realm of business leadership, individuals often stand out for their unique journeys and contributions. One such leader is Rupali Deolalikar-Dehade, the MD and CEO of Ara Consulting. Rupali's academic journey includes graduation in Architecture from M.S. University of Baroda and a post-graduate degree in Town Planning from ITPI, Delhi. Her expertise as an educator extends to teaching Building Materials & Construction, History, and Design at institutions such as SNDT, Mumbai; KRVIA, Mumbai; INIFD, Mumbai; and Sushant School of Architecture and Design in Gurgaon.

Rupali is the granddaughter of G.B. Deolalikar, the first Chief Architect of Independent India. G. B. Deolalikar played a pivotal role in designing and executing iconic structures like the Supreme Court of India, All India Radio headquarters, National Museum, and contributed to the post-independence reconstruction of the Somnath Temple at the behest of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Rupali has worked with Bimal Patel in Ahmedabad and with Kanvinde-Rai-Chaudhary in Delhi during the 1990s. This rich background and legacy have undoubtedly shaped Rupali's leadership approach, contributing to the success and ethos of Ara Consulting. Let’s know more about her in this one-on-one interaction.

Provide insight into your educational path and explain what motivated you to specialize in architecture and later enter the field of education consulting.

My early fascination with architecture was sparked during my growing-up years with my grandfather in Baroda. The decision to delve into education consulting was unplanned! While navigating the admissions process for my son, Ameya, I observed that prominent names in college admissions charged exorbitant fees without providing adequate support to parents. This realization stemmed from my experiences with renowned admission-counselors in Gurgaon and Mumbai, where I often found myself more knowledgeable about global admissions! After successfully guiding my son into multiple top-ranked universities worldwide, and assisting his friends in achieving similar outcomes, Ara was conceived, inspired by my son's suggestion.

Illuminate your proficiency as an education consultant and educator.

Possessing extensive expertise in undergraduate and graduate admissions across US, UK, EU, Indian Liberal Universities, Canada and Australia, I and the entire Ara team offer comprehensive support throughout the application process. Our experience extends from requirements to criteria, providing end-to-end assistance. My commitment lies in empowering students with in-depth insights into admissions, to help students achieve their aspirations of higher education in top global universities and to help make the admissions process seamless for them and for their parents.

Tell us about Ara Consulting. What are some of the firm’s key areas of expertise?

Ara Consulting specializes in end-to-end services from building a student's profile to deciding which university to accept admission in. We help with mentorship for personality development, ideation and brainstorming for profile development, regular monitoring from 9th to 12th grade, university selection, end-to-end application support, including essays, interview preparation, financial planning and documentation. With a deliberately limited number of students in each cohort, Ara has delivered 99.1 percent of all our admissions in top 100 global universities. Ara students have had a minimum acceptance rate of 50 percent and have secured scholarships exceeding Rs. 100 crores in the last two admission cycles.

Our diverse verticals cover Psychometric Tests, Architecture and Design, Standardized Tests, Internships, Projects and Research. What I am most proud of is that Ara's exponential growth has been without spending any advertising dollars, and is solely attributed to 100 percent organic referrals from students and parents. With a global reach spanning five continents and over 25 countries, Ara Consulting stands as a testament to our commitment to excellence in admissions-counseling.

Tell us about the various responsibilities you shoulder as Ara Consulting’s Managing Director.

As the MD and CEO of Ara Consulting, I focus on organic expansion and building partnerships to aid Ara students in profile development. I engage with global universities by meeting them annually. The entire Ara team and I are paranoid about ethics and integrity in every aspect of our work, especially when there are pressures to embellish their profiles through various means. Through our conduct, we set an example for our students to not just be ethical, but also be disciplined. I endeavor to set examples of pursuit-of-excellence in everything we do throughout the end-to-end admissions process, underscoring the importance of our values in every aspect of our work.

In your opinion what are the key challenges you encounter as an education consultant? What steps do you take to overcome these roadblocks?

The pressure from some parents to embellish their children's achievements, involvement of too many people, procrastination, unrealistic expectations about aspirational university-admissions and the misconception that extensive resumes are better than others, are some of the top challenges we face. Often, students aren’t disciplined or aren’t punctual. We spend lot of time educating students and their parents about all of these.

Ara places huge emphasis on quality, rejecting the notion of immediacy. Extreme discipline is advocated while actively communicating with students and parents, stressing the importance of ethics, realistic expectations, and the effort required for a great quality and successful application. By reinforcing our values consistently, Ara aims to navigate the complexities of the education consulting landscape with integrity and excellence.

Tell us about the most significant milestone you have achieved throughout your professional journey so far? What has been your success mantra?

The pivotal achievement in my professional journey has been launching Ara Consulting and establishing its presence across five continents without investing a single paisa in advertising. Our success mantra is to let our outcomes speak about Ara and the quality of work we do.

Advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs/ business leaders: We can do it. Be curious. Be learnable. Just take the plunge!

Rupali Deolalikar Dehade, MD & CEO, ARA Consulting

Rupali Deolalikar Dehade, Md And Ceo Of Ara Consulting, Holds A 5-Year Bachelor's In Architecture From M.S. University Of Baroda And A Post-Graduate Degree In Town Planning From Itpi, Delhi. She Has Taught At Multiple Architecture Colleges In Mumbai And Gurgaon. She Is A Ucla Certified College Counsellor. She Specializes In Guiding Students And Their Families With Comprehensive End-To-End Services For Global College Admissions.