Despina Kotanidis: Building with Intention

Building Systems with Intention

At Arora Engineers (Arora), Rethinking Infrastructure® isn’t just about the built environment, it begins with how we work. As the company continues to grow, so does the need for intentional systems that connect people, data, and strategy.

Since joining Arora in early 2023, Despina Kotanidis has helped drive that evolution by streamlining processes, strengthening data integrity, and leading transformation efforts that enable smarter, more connected ways of working. Despina has focused on a central challenge: how the company collects, organizes, and uses its data.

What began as a solo effort to untangle Arora’s data landscape evolved into a broader initiative, built on hours of cleaning datasets, previewing system behavior, and listening to teams describe what wasn’t working. Through that process, she began laying the foundation for many of the transformation efforts now housed within the Office of Transformation.

Today, Despina’s role centers on how systems, data, and workflows connect across the organization. While her early contributions included dashboards and reporting, her focus quickly expanded to the structural work that enables smarter decision-making and a better user experience.

“It wasn’t about fixing one system,” she says. “It was about connecting the dots between them, and understanding where people were getting stuck, and why.”

Leading Foundational Change

Within the Office of Transformation, Despina now leads several of the group’s most critical initiatives. Her efforts include process mapping, measuring efficiency gains, integrating AI use cases, and proposing long-term improvements to how information flows across the business.

Her work often begins with translation, connecting operational needs to optimized processes, and helping leadership see where small, intentional shifts can lead to broader improvement.

“Sometimes I’m deep in the data on the back end,” she says. “Other times I’m in a meeting listening to where things feel broken or difficult. Both are part of the same process.”

Bridging People, Systems, and Strategy

Despina approaches her work with a strong technical foundation and a people-first mindset. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in computer and information technology at the University of Pennsylvania, where she focuses on software engineering, systems design, and machine learning. That learning informs not just what she builds, but how she helps others adopt and adapt to new ways of working.

“My background has always involved analysis — whether in research or operations,” she explains. “But what I care most about is how people experience their work. I aim to lead with equal warmth and competence, because transformation is only successful when it works for the people experiencing it.”

Her efforts span everything from SOP creation and internal communications to strategic advisory and AI enablement. Through it all, her focus remains the same: building systems that bring clarity, reduce friction, and enable people to perform at their best.

“I’m grateful to my colleagues, both within the Office of Transformation and across the company, who have been open to rethinking processes, sharing their time, and helping shape better ways of working. Their willingness to explore alternatives is what makes real transformation possible!”

Through her leadership, Despina continues to shape how Arora approaches transformation, not as a one-time initiative, but as an ongoing practice of learning, collaboration, and improvement. Her work embodies the spirit of Rethinking Infrastructure® by ensuring that progress at Arora starts from within, empowering teams to work smarter, connect better, and innovate with purpose.

Learn more about the Office of Transformation and how Arora is aligning people, process and culture.