Prasad Padmakarrao Chaudhari

We asked Prasad…

I would recommend a career in civil engineering because…

The projects that matter most aren't always the tallest or the most photographed.

A road that gets kids to school safely, a sewage network that stops disease, a water system that reaches a community for the first time, that's where engineering quietly changes lives.

If you want a job where your work outlives you, in the best possible way, this is it!

Complete this phrase: I’m a civil engineer, but I’m also…

I’m a civil engineer and ICE Fellow, but I’m also a passionate water and sewer advocate, a mentor, and a dad who believes building a better world starts with the legacy we leave for the next generation.

What about being a civil engineer gets you out of bed each morning?

Knowing that the decisions I make onsite protect people's health, bring them clean water, hygienic sewers and keep vital infrastructure running.

That's a big responsibility and a huge privilege.

What’s one great thing that you love about civil engineering that you didn’t know until you started working in the industry?

Before I started, I thought civil engineering was all about drawings and formulas.

Turns out our most powerful tools are empathy, communication, and teamwork. The collective synergy of diverse talents from designers to tradespeople, in perfect alignment.

Watching people's faces when a project finally delivers clean water or a safe road? No blueprint can capture that feeling.

Which civil engineering project (past or present) do you wish you’d worked on?

Without a doubt, the new Sitra Independent Water and Power Project megaproject right here in Bahrain.

It's an absolute beast of a project!

It will generate massive amounts of electricity and turn seawater into millions of gallons of fresh drinking water every single day.

Being part of a mega-scale build that single-handedly powers and hydrates a community is the ultimate example of how civil engineers aren't just building things: we are actively securing the future of our communities.

Name one civil engineering myth you’d like to bust.

That civil engineers only build roads, bridges, and boring concrete structures. We build the future! 

Civil engineering is at the heart of fighting climate change. We design massive green energy networks, protect cities from flooding, create eco-friendly school buildings, and build smart water systems.

We are basically the doctors for our planet's infrastructure.

Really, it's a people profession. We're team-builders and problem-solvers first, engineers second.

Has civil engineering helped you overcome any personal hurdles/difficulties?

Civil engineering taught me that life itself is one big project, made up of lots of smaller ones.

That mindset, plan carefully, work hard, adapt when things go wrong and has helped me get through tough times, both onsite and off.

What motivated you to become professionally qualified?

Managing complex, high-stakes infrastructure across India, Oman, the Maldives, and Bahrain requires a rigorous benchmark that validates technical mastery, leadership, and strict ethical accountability.

Becoming a Fellow (FICE) gave me that stamp of trust and a platform to mentor others coming up behind me.

What does being professionally qualified with the ICE mean for your career?  

Being professionally qualified as an ICE Fellow (FICE) is the ultimate validation and like getting a global stamp of approval of my 22-year engineering journey.

It transforms my localised regional achievements into a universally recognised credential of global excellence, technical mastery, and elite leadership.

It opens doors everywhere, and it's helped me move from just building things, to helping shape how the whole industry builds things and leave a lasting legacy by mentoring the next generation of engineers.

What’s the best thing about being professionally qualified with the ICE? 

Instant credibility and peer recognition, wherever I am in the world. It also connects me with brilliant engineers everywhere and gives me a platform to help train the next generation.

How did the ICE and your employer support you to become professionally qualified? 

My journey to becoming an ICE Fellow was seamlessly accelerated by the joint support of the institution and my employer.

The ICE's regional director, Redha Al Redha, guided me through the whole process and Udhayakymar Vijayaraju, ICE representative for Bahrain, encouraged and supported me throughout this journey.

Simultaneously, my employer provided the ideal ecosystem for this achievement.

They backed and placed absolute trust in my capabilities by empowering me to lead high-stakes, safety-critical national infrastructure to consistently demonstrate the elite leadership and technical accountability required for the FICE designation.

What do you value most about being an ICE member? 

The instant sense of belonging to a global community of engineers, all trying to build a better world.

How has being a member helped your career? 

It's turned years of hands-on, regional experience into a globally recognised badge of trust.

It has shifted my role from a field practitioner to a strategic industry influencer.

What’s the biggest/most complex thing you’ve made out of Lego?

My real 'Lego set' was way bigger than plastic bricks!

My own 'ultimate technic build' happened in the real world with UNOPS, the UN Office for Project Services.

I led the implementation of the first-ever vacuum sewer system on a remote Maldivian island.

I had to thoroughly master a completely new technology by learning how every vacuum chamber part, pneumatic valve, and central station system worked - exactly like a giant, high-tech Lego set where every single piece fits together perfectly.

It took a year of intense problem-solving, engineering adaptation, and community collaboration to take this pioneering concept from blueprints to reality.

Seeing that complex system click together and successfully deliver safe, hygienic infrastructure to an entire island community was nothing less than completing the world's most meaningful, massive, and technical Lego masterpiece.

Anything else? i.e. personal causes, hobbies

Today, my core passion lies at the intersection of infrastructure and innovation.

My primary hobby is integrating my 22 years of civil engineering knowledge with AI technologies, exploring how AI can be effectively deployed in construction practice to streamline workflows, mitigate risk, and maximise quality output.

Parallel to this tech focus is my dedication to a critical cause: keeping the human interface alive.

In an era dominated by rapid digitalisation, I actively use online social platforms to interact with professionals across diverse global industries.

I firmly believe that sharing knowledge and mentoring through meaningful human interaction is a non-negotiable requirement in our construction world.

By blending next-generation AI with authentic human collaboration, we can drive the industry forward while keeping the people-first spirit of civil engineering firmly at the centre of our legacy.