Team Sehgals' aiming for the sky and beyond

Wednesday 25th September 2019 10:27 EDT
 
 

The UK's aviation industry appears to be grappling with Brexit uncertainties, reports of multiple airlines going bust and struggle around capping CO2 emissions. Today, Kartick Sehgal, director of Skylord Travel talks about her journey into the tourism industry and the marked shift in the industry in the last four decades.

“The announcement of Brexit and a consequently weaker Sterling has presented challenging times for us. Our business centre is located in Delhi and owing to currency exchange rates, there has been a subsequent increase in our overheads,” says Kartick.

Born in Nairobi, she first came to the UK in 1971 following the exodus of the Kenyan Asians. Over the years, she completed her education in London and worked as a civil servant in her initial career days. Perhaps, she inherited the art and discipline of serving at the public office from her father Manoharlal Dosar. Although an army officer, Dosar senior also worked in close association with the British High Commission in Kenya.

It was in 1979 when she unexpectedly formed an acquaintance with Rajan Sehgal, a certified Chartered Accountant from India. As Rajan established his business in 1983, she continued to work her traditional 9-5 office hours. Three years later though, she quit her job and decided to assist her husband in his business venture at a time when e-tickets was still an alien concept. It seems another century today but plane tickets then were an actual piece of paper that one received from a travel agent, at the ticket counter or in the mail. Although Kartick was instrumental in the process of manual ticket printing, she was also pivotal in bringing a digital revolution at the company.

“I undertook a training course and learnt the operations of the Global Distribution Service (GDS) system to venture into the process of online flight bookings, reservations, and availability of seats. Today, the digital revolution has significantly changed the landscape of the airline industry,” she says.

Travel and tourism industry particularly in the west has seen quite a boom over the recent years especially with the introduction of package tours and discounted holiday offers. Yet the recent collapse of Thomas Cook, one of the world's oldest tour operator, and the earlier closure of Jet Airways have concerned many in the industry.

“When a tour operator goes down, usually other operators are also carefully examined. It is very difficult to understand how an organisation as big as Thomas Cook collapsed.

“There can be various reasons but concluding is very difficult unless financial audit reports are studied, and examined especially when the aviation rules mandate that the financial information is provided every three months and the license is renewed anually,” she explains.

A hallmark of excellence in the boardroom and her kitchen, Kartick maintains that support from her husband, family, and colleagues at work has enabled her to manage her work and home life balance. The couple's teamwork is perhaps best illustrated through their charity in India which supports the old and vulnerable by providing them with hot food and blankets among other facilities. Today, aside from their business achievements, as the couple celebrate their upcoming 40th wedding anniversary, she says,

“Marriages are difficult today but with the establishment of mutual understanding, respect for one another and unconditional support helps in strengthening that relationship.”


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