By Holly Burns
Issue 3 Spring 2010
GauRav, a graduate of the Design Management program at Pratt Institute, was recently selected by Business Week as one of twenty-one people who will change business. GauRav is the Director of Design, Development and Real Estate for Le Pain Quotidian – a European chain of bakery, restaurants and retail stores that provides organic and quality food in a rustic setting. (www.lepainquotidien.com)
GauRav and his team manage global development for the company by finding new markets for expansion, selecting real estate and managing the design and development process in the U.S., Europe and Asia. During the last 4 years he has assisted Le Pain Quotidien grow its retail real estate portfolio from 60 to over 125 stores in 17 countries while maintaining consistent brand image, promoting initiatives like sustainable design strategies and delivering the best returns to investors.
GauRav credits his combined background in architecture and business for his success in translating design conversations into strategic business decisions. He says, “Understanding the contribution design can have on business decisions, I put design at a pivotal role in the real estate selection and development strategy and use it to come up with out-of-the-box solutions contributing in favorable business terms for developer, the retailer and other stakeholders.”
GauRav earned his Bachelors of Architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, India, and his Masters Degree, concentrating on real estate and finance, from Harvard University in 2009.