At Evolis Properties, part of the CIEL Group, Nishita Chiniah is the buzzing engine behind the operations. As Facility & Shared Services Manager, she ensures our buildings thrive, our tenants feel at home, and the little yet vital details come together seamlessly
Nishita has played a key role in some of Evolis’ most dynamic operational projects, from the refurbishment of Ebène Skies to the development of Nouvelle Usine, Flexeo, and Konecteo. These landmark sites are part of a six-property portfolio that are key pillars of our growing property portfolio.
She also helped integrate the teams into the Conciergerie service at Ebène Skies, a transformation requiring empathy, consistency, and strong people leadership. The initiative was a defining moment, and its success was recognised through a Great Place to Work® certification. “It wasn’t always easy,” she admits. “But I like challenges. And, I like people.”
It’s not hard to see that Nishita has always had a mind of her own. Growing up in Forest Side, where she still lives today, she preferred chasing adventures with her cousins over playing with dolls, shaping her independent and resilient personality. “Maybe that’s what shaped my personality,” she laughs. The second of three sisters, she draws inspiration from her schoolteacher father and her mother who worked in a textile factory.”
She began her career right out of school and spent 14 years at EME Engineering, where she climbed the ladder to Procurement Manager before moving to the Seychelles for five unforgettable years as Head of Finance and Procurement. “Those were amazing years, and I look back on them very fondly,” she says. In the Seychelles, she worked hard but also reconnected with nature and the simple pleasures of life. Her husband, also working for the company, was there every step of the way. “We were a team and whatever I have achieved, has been achieved thanks to his support too.”
After more than a decade in the same company, she was ready to switch gears. She returned to Mauritius, jobless but hopeful. A risk she was ready to take. “It was time for a new chapter,” she says. What came next was unexpected: a role in the banking sector. At the then Banque des Mascareignes, she managed General Services, a job far from her comfort zone, but one that proved to be a rich learning curve. “Honestly, I didn’t think I had a shot, as I had never worked in finance or banking before,” she says. “But I was willing to learn.”
She gave it her all, even when being on 24/7 call meant making tough personal trade-offs. “There were times I had to drop everything, no matter what I was doing,” she recalls. With two boys growing up fast, one entering serious studies, the other becoming a teenager, she knew it was time to slow down a little and be more present.
A role at Sunlife opened the door to the world of hospitality, where she bloomed for three years. Then came a new opening: CIEL Properties. The role was a step down, but Nishita took it with her signature grace and quiet determination. “I knew I could grow into it,” she says. And grow, she did. Today, she leads with calm authority, with a hands-on heart, and just enough edge to keep things moving.
Nishita is known for her sense of responsibility, her adaptability, and her quiet strength. Her path to leadership has been anything but straight, full of learning curves, leaps of faith, and moments of reinvention. Her story is a quiet example of patience, grit, and knowing when to trust the process, or even leap into the unknown.
And while she takes pride in her work, it’s her children she is clearly most proud of. Her eldest son is now working in Canada after completing a degree in Aerospace Engineering, and her youngest is in his final years of secondary school. “Seeing them grow, and build their own paths, that’s my greatest reward,” she says.
