PMINYC May Chapter Meeting and Panel Discussion
Power Skills
Ways of Working
Strategic
High Stakes Project Management: Risk, Resilience, and Delivering Results Through Agility
Every project manager knows the moment. The unexpected risk. The decision made with incomplete information. The need to stay steady, adapt quickly, and still deliver.
On May 27th, PMINYC brings together four practitioners from across our community for an honest conversation about leading through pressure. Representing technology, finance, consulting, and operations, this panel covers risk management, resilient thinking, agile decision making, and what it actually takes to deliver when the environment keeps changing.
On May 27th, PMINYC brings together four practitioners from across our community for an honest conversation about leading through pressure. Representing technology, finance, consulting, and operations, this panel covers risk management, resilient thinking, agile decision making, and what it actually takes to deliver when the environment keeps changing.
About the Panelists
Anchit Duggal is a transformation and execution leader delivering results in high-stakes environments, partnering with Fortune 100 and 500 organizations to drive complex, large-scale initiatives at the intersection of strategy, technology, and customer experience. He leads global experience modernization programs at Medallia, helping organizations turn legacy complexity into scalable platforms that deliver measurable business outcomes.Anchit has a proven track record of leading multimillion-dollar portfolios and navigating high-risk transformations. Most notably, he has successfully turned around at-risk enterprise programs with significant technical debt and stakeholder misalignment into high-performing, trusted partnerships, earning multiple customer outcome awards.Earlier in his career, Anchit led delivery on marquee mega projects in the Middle East, including Etihad Towers and Jumeirah Al Naseem, working with leading organizations such as Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations, Royal Group, and Al-Futtaim Group. These globally recognized developments, valued in the hundreds of millions, sharpened his ability to operate in complex, high-pressure environments with zero margin for error.He holds an MBA from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, a Master’s in Project Management, and a degree in Electronics Engineering (Hons.) from BITS Pilani, and is both PMP and Certified ScrumMaster. He also serves as a Board Member at the PMI NYC Chapter, where he is committed to developing the next generation of project leaders.Anchit is known for bringing clarity to ambiguity, leading through pressure, and consistently delivering results when the stakes are highest, making him a strong voice on risk, resilience, and execution in today’s complex project environments.Chirag Shah brings over 15 years of project management experience across hospitality, insurance, pharma, and consumer products, backed by PMP, CSM, and AIPM certifications.After years of leading enterprise programs, Chirag rediscovered his roots as a builder and launched Crestwood Digital, an AI consulting practice that helps media companies automate their manual workflows. He also co-hosts Question Everything (Except This Podcast!), a philosophy podcast exploring meaning and purpose.A long-time PMINYC chapter member and volunteer, Chirag has served as Director of the Career Development Network and Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee. He currently serves as VP of Marketing and Communications and a Board member.
Deborah Kaminetzky is the Founder of DeFacto PM, LLC, a fractional project management consultancy focused on leading high-stakes technology initiatives where risk, complexity, and business impact intersect. With over a decade of experience across CRM & ERP & ATS implementations, SaaS platforms, and cross-functional technology rollouts, she specializes in guiding organizations through critical moments where execution must be precise and failure is not an option.A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Scrum Master (CSM), and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Deborah brings a pragmatic, outcomes-driven approach to project leadership - balancing structure with adaptability to keep teams aligned and delivery on track under pressure. Her background in law uniquely positions her to navigate risk, stakeholder dynamics, and competing priorities with clarity and confidence.Deborah works with organizations as a strategic partner during the most pivotal phases of their projects - ensuring that complexity is managed, decisions are made with intention, and results are delivered with resilience. She speaks to audiences on navigating high-risk implementations, aligning business and technical teams, and leading projects where the stakes are real and the margin for error is small.
Kim Beynon is an award-winning executive, keynote speaker, and executive coach specializing in high-stakes decision-making and transformation. She helps leaders navigate the pressure and fear inherent in make-or-break situations by turning courage into a strategic advantage. She is the creator of Courageously Becoming™, a neuroscience-backed framework that helps leaders move from fear-driven reactions to clear, intentional action—enabling more effective decision-making and successful transformation outcomes. With more than 25 years of global executive experience across Deloitte, GE Capital, Macquarie, AIG, and Bridgewater, Kim has led large-scale transformations spanning strategy, finance, operations, and regulatory environments. Kim is the Immediate Past President and a board member of the Project Management Institute New York City Chapter (PMI NYC), where she previously served as President and Board Chair as well as its first Vice President of Strategy and Internal Consulting. Under her leadership, the Chapter achieved record growth and impact. In 2025, she was honored as the inaugural recipient of the PMI NYC Leadership Impact Award. Kim speaks regularly at Project Management Institute North America Leadership Institute Meetings. She has contributed more than 18 years of service on nonprofit boards and advisory committees.
About the Moderator
Kathryn Jenik is the person founders call when the business is growing but everything behind the scenes feels like it's held together with tape. As a PMP-certified fractional COO and founder of Fletching, LLC, she works with small and women-owned businesses to find and fix the operational gaps that no single job title owns but that affect absolutely everything. With a career spanning fine art advisory, association leadership, and complex operations, Kathryn brings a cross-industry fluency that lets her see problems and solutions that specialists often miss. At Art Peritus, she protected multibillion-dollar collections, built systems and a tech stack structure that expanded the client base fivefold, and implemented EOS (entrepreneur operating system) over two years which transformed how the entire company operated and the team communicated. She leads with strategic precision and a deeply people-first philosophy, fostering the kind of trust and collaboration that makes hard organizational change actually stick. A University of Texas honors graduate in Art History, she also holds a PMP certification and Cornell certificates in Project Management and Generative AI. Kathryn is based in Brooklyn, NY, and brings the same commitment to craft and community to her work with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy and the PMI New York City Chapter.
What to Expect
- Moderated panel with four accomplished PM practitioners
- Real stories across technology, finance, consulting, and operations
- Practical takeaways on risk, resilience, agility, and high-stakes decision making
- Networking with fellow PMINYC members before and after the discussion
- Real stories across technology, finance, consulting, and operations
- Practical takeaways on risk, resilience, agility, and high-stakes decision making
- Networking with fellow PMINYC members before and after the discussion
Agenda
6:00 PM - 6:30 PM: Doors Open, Refreshments and Networking
6:30 PM - 6:40 PM: Welcome and Chapter Notes
6:40 PM - 7:40 PM: Moderated Panel Discussion
7:40 PM - 8:15 PM: Audience Q&A and Closing Remarks
8:15 PM - 9:00 PM: Networking
9:00 PM: Meeting Adjourns
6:30 PM - 6:40 PM: Welcome and Chapter Notes
6:40 PM - 7:40 PM: Moderated Panel Discussion
7:40 PM - 8:15 PM: Audience Q&A and Closing Remarks
8:15 PM - 9:00 PM: Networking
9:00 PM: Meeting Adjourns
Venue Location
Blender Workspace
135 Madison Ave, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016 (Google Address)
Enter directly into our event from 27 East 31st Street, 8th Floor. Doorman will be at entrance to welcome you.
Enter directly into our event from 27 East 31st Street, 8th Floor. Doorman will be at entrance to welcome you.
Cost
Non-member: $50
Member: $45
Volunteer: $0
PDUs
Power Skills: 0.5Ways of Working: 0.5
Business Acumen: 0.5
