A professed ‘go-getter’ from an early age, Isha Goyal, Executive Director & CEO, of STIC Travel Group has a hands-on approach, ushering passion and drive to concrete the most esteemed travel company in India.
Bharti Sharma
Isha’s childhood was a stepping stone towards the future that we’re witnessing today. As a kid, she was a regular to the office during her summer breaks and holidays. She was acquainted with the atmosphere, and the people and somehow, she knew that’s what lies ahead for her. There’s a thing about the family business when you’re born in a family business that is deeply involved in an enterprise of any sort so you end up growing up with it in you. And by the time you realise, if it is your passion or not, it is so deeply ingrained in you that whether you like it or not it is already your passion and it comes to you as second nature. Isha can’t really place how she got into the business as it was really smooth and effortless. She considers it both a tremendous responsibility and a privilege. She tells, “I am privileged to have the kind of exposure I’ve had and the experience I’ve had from a very young age. It has allowed me to transition into my current role very well because I have a perspective that most of my peers don’t have.”
Much more than a legacy…
In the ’90s during her school days, she was exposed to paper tickets, cryptic commands on the GDS and a lot of nuts and bolts associated with the travel business. Isha tends to have a deeper understanding of the foundation because of the early exposure and experience she’s had. And above all, we are talking about the experience she got at the most esteemed travel company in India, STIC Group. She proudly asserts, “The other advantage that the early exposure gave me was working in a company like STIC. Five decades is a very long time for any organisation and particularly in our industry, leaving of course the OTA’s and global organisations, most companies are either owner-run or have some sort of entrepreneurial back behind them if they are not family businesses; most travel agencies are still family businesses. STIC has been built over the last 50 years on the heads and shoulders of Mr and Mrs Goyal. They are the first generation of entrepreneurs who’ve built this business and now that I’m the CEO and the second generation. My biggest mission is to continue the path of professionalising the company, continue to work towards allowing professionals to take stronger leadership roles in the organization and put the organization on a path of independence so that STIC survives well beyond the Goyal’s, myself and the future generations.”
In this kind of environment, one is often dealing with a multi-generational workforce. Having been exposed to the business and the organisation and its journey at a young age has also helped her understand the relevance of people who’ve been around for so many years. Isha is constantly evolving, engaging with her team and discovering new ways to lead authentically and efficiently. “On one hand, we have reservation agents who are in their twenties and on the other, we have people who’ve been with the company for 30-35 years. Goes without saying, the insight on some of the mistakes that take place in a running business and how to manage or avoid them is a complimentary virtue,” shares Isha.
All the motivation in the world will not amount to anything if we don’t take action
Travel has always been an area of interest and a passion for Isha. She believes that travelling is the greatest form of education outside the structure of formal education. Explaining it further she tells, “Sure, it’s a lot of fun at times but there are enough times when it’s not and that’s a realisation that takes place over a period of time. Travelling has always been something that I loved and enjoyed doing, but I also feel that having a love for travel and running a travel business aren’t always the same things.”
As a teenager, she was passionate about a lot of things but was always inspired and enthused by art and creative projects which again ties very well with travel because the more you travel, the more culturally enriched you become. Going down memory lane, she recollects, “Apart from travel, there have been several micro-passions over the course of years, in phases. But one passion that has stood out, especially from my high school years would be writing, I’ve always enjoyed writing; found it to be my greatest outlet and has stayed with me over the years.”
Got it all from dynamic parents and people around her
Isha profusely believes that life is about learning and that one has to enrich themselves with as many role models as possible. All through her journey, she has drawn inspiration from people she has worked, met or socialised with. She feels that one should have different role models for different lessons in life. “My parents are my biggest role models. A lot of my work ethic, sensibility, and perspective towards life come from my parents, especially my mother. Also, there’s one thing that I’ve always tried to learn from Mrs Goyal is her ability to peel through layers, whether it’s information or problem-solving, she just never stops until she cracks through the situation.”
We are all familiar with that notion of having someone ‘light up the room’– to be in the presence of a person so strong, dominant and utterly engaging that all the energy is channelled immediately to them. So is the aura of Mr Subhash Goyal. “I’d like to make a distinction that Mr Goyal is a tremendous inspiration and a role model for the way he deals with the world with a sense of humility and calm. He’s humble, approachable, and friendly, all of which I’m still in the process of picking up from him. To summarise this up, these are the two main attributes from both of my parents that I aspire to achieve and overall, the legacy that they have created in itself is a huge inspiration as well as a huge responsibility to shoulder.”
Stay relevant and on top of things
It was only last year that Isha was appointed as the CEO of STIC Group. She believes that there are two tracks for a business to grow so the vision has to be two-tracked. One obviously is the growth and the monetary side of it, which she believes depends upon the changing trends or setting trends in the future so it cannot be definite. The other is the organizational side, which is very structured. Isha mentions, “My biggest mantra for the company is that whatever we do we have to be relevant. Stay relevant and on top of things because as long as what you’re doing is relevant and add value then you’re doing something right. No matter how much I’d like to answer in a very polished and flowery manner, this is not who I am and not how I do things. Personally, I’m very clear about the vision, mission, goal and objectives; it is to perpetuate the legacy.”
Get the ball rolling
Isha feels very bullish on Indian travel in general and predicts the future of the industry to be tremendous. She’s already noticing some consolidation taking place and thinks there will be more, which is good news for us all. She adds, “Our industry has evolved and professionalised more in the past 2-3 years than it has in the last decade. In my opinion, India is heading in a fantastic direction. The way demand has surged in the last six months since our borders opened up in April. If visa would not have been a challenge this summer, it would have been a huge boom period for leisure and luxury. On the contrary, if you look at the western countries, visas and logistics have been a challenge, infrastructure has been a major problem at airports, luggage dispatch, union strikes and more are hurdles that we never witnessed in India. All these problems have been features of destinations that Indians want to go to.”
Collaborate more than compete
To sum up, Isha has a simple yet strong message for the industry; “Collaborate more than compete”. “I really feel that this is already happening today, more than it used to, in the past. With all the challenges faced by the industry, and the margins we function at, collaborating more than competing is more relevant and imperative today, than it has ever been. Collaboration has been like a motto for me, it is the healthiest way to grow. So, collaborate and help each other,” concludes Isha.
