MR. MADHAVAN MENON
NON EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
Mr. Madhavan Karunakaran Menon was appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of SOTC Travel Limited w.e.f 1st August, 2017.
Mr. Menon completed his MBA from George Washington University and undergraduate degree from American University of Beirut.
Mr. Menon has a varied background, having commenced his career in banking at Grindlays Bank, Citibank and Emirates Bank and in Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company.
Mr. Menon is a member on the Board of Thomas Cook (India) Limited, the Promoter of SOTC, and holds directorship in various subsidiaries of the company and Catholic Syrian Bank (member of Fairfax India Ltd) and others. He is also the Chairman of the Fairfax India Charitable Foundation that focuses on bringing down the cost of treating kidney related ailments in India.
MR. VISHAL SURI
Managing Director
Mr. Vishal Suri is the Managing Director at SOTC Travel Limited. A strategic leader with over 3 decades of working experience and 15 illustrious years of expertise in the travel industry, Mr. Suri spearheads the business with his innovative and proactive strategic planning and strong management skills.
A well-structured, dynamic and result-oriented leader, Mr. Suri ardently believes in inspiring his colleagues to think par excellence, and developing a culture of success, collaboration and excellence in the Organization.
Prior to his elevation to the current role, Mr. Suri was the Chief Executive Officer-Tour Operating at SOTC Travel (formerly Kuoni India). He joined Kuoni-Tour Operating in August 2012 post his 7-year long stint with Thomas Cook India, where he was the Chief Operating Officer- Leisure Travel (Outbound & Domestic). In the course of his career, Mr. Suri has successfully led roles while rolling out new products and business models in consumer businesses. Known for his exceptional people skills, Mr. Suri holds a sound reputation of managing and developing dynamic teams.
Mr. Suri is extremely passionate about the tourism industry and believes in delivering extraordinary experiences to every customer. He holds a graduate degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and attended Executive Management Programs at leading business schools like IIM Bangalore, Henley Business School UK & London Business School UK to constantly keep widening his horizons as a trailblazer.
Mr. Vishal Suri was appointed as the Managing Director on the Board of SOTC Travel Limited w.e.f June 1, 2017.
MR. DEBASIS NANDY
Additional Non-Executive Director
Debasis Nandy, 52, is a Chartered Accountant and a Finance Professional. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Debasis has been a part of the Executive Development Programme at Wharton and London Business School.
Debasis has been with Thomas Cook India since 2008 and is presently the President & Group Chief Financial Officer. He has over 30 years of diverse experience in the field of Finance & Accounts, with stints at Piramal Healthcare, Aviva, ICI and Indian Aluminium.
Debasis is responsible for and oversees the Finance & Accounts function of Thomas Cook India Group Companies, which span across 4 continents and 24 countries.
With his expertise and diverse experience, Debasis plays a significant role in the performance of the Company and is a key member of the Group Management Committee.
MR. NILESH VIKAMSEY
Non-Executive Independent Director
Mr. Nilesh Vikamsey is a senior partner at KKC & Associates LLP (Formerly - Khimji Kunverji & Co LLP) – an 86-year-old Chartered Accountants firm. He is an Independent Director in many other Listed and Unlisted Companies, alongwith Thomas Cook (India) Limited. He is a Past President of ICAI. He was a Director & the past Chairman of Federal Bank Limited and member of IRDA.
Mr. Vikamsey is presently a member of the Advisory Committee on Mutual Funds of SEBI, Chairman of National BFSI Committee and Vice President of West India Council of Indo American Chamber of Commerce & Core Group Member of Bombay Chartered Accountants’ Society (BCAS). He is Member of Advisory Boards of Blacksoil Group, IC3 Institute, MentorMyBoard & Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Ltd (MAHAPREIT) Alternate Investment Fund (AIF). He is a trustee in ‘Sayagyi U Ba Khin’ Memorial Trust (Vipassana International Academy, Igatpuri) & few educational trusts in Mumbai.
He was an observer on the Board of International Federation of Accountants and Member of IFAC’s Technology Advisory Group, was Chairman of SEBI’s Qualified Audit Report Committee and was member of Corporate Governance Committee chaired by Uday Kotak, Primary Market Advisory Committee and Committee on Disclosures and Accounting Standards (SCODA). He is member of International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) Reference Group for Audits of Less Complex Entities. He is a Speaker/Chairman, at various seminars, meetings, lectures held by various Committees, Regional Councils, Branches & Study Circles of ICAI and various other organizations.
Mr. Nilesh Vikamsey joined the Board of SOTC Travel Limited on August 16, 2017.
MRS. KISHORI UDESHI
Non-Executive Independent Director
Mrs. Kishori Udeshi has an M.A. Degree in Economics from Bombay University. She moved on to a professional career in central banking and became the first woman to be appointed as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
She was the first Executive Director of the RBI to be nominated on the Board of State Bank of India. As Deputy Governor, one of her portfolios was the regulation and supervision of the banking and non-banking sector. She represented the RBI on the Core Principles Liaison Group and the Core Principles Working Group on Capital, of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, set up by the Bank for International Settlements, Switzerland. As Deputy Governor she was on the Board of SEBI, NABARD, Exim Bank and was the Chairman of Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran (Pvt.) Ltd., Bangalore as also Chairman of the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation.
In 2006 the Reserve Bank of India appointed her as Chairman of The Banking Codes and Standards Board of India. She demitted this office in December 2011. She was a Member of the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission chaired by Justice SriKrishna, set up by the Government of India.
Mrs. Udeshi is currently a Director of Haldyn Glass Limited, ION Exchange (India) Limited, Cartrade Tech Limited and Kalyan Jewellers Limited , while also being on the Board of Thomas Cook (India) Limited.
Mrs. Udeshi joined the Board of SOTC Travel Limited with effect from June 1, 2017.
MR. RAHUL BHAGAT
Non-Executive Independent Director
Recognised by The Asian Banker on their List of Leading Practitioners, Mr Rahul N Bhagat is a versatile Consumer Banking professional with over 3 decades of experience.
Mr Bhagat began his career at ANZ Grindlays Bank (1989-1997) before joining Bank of America as Vice President (1997-1999). When BankAm sold their consumer banking portfolios across numerous Asian markets, Mr Bhagat joined HDFC Bank where he spent the next 16 years (1999-2015). As Country Head – Retail Liabilities, Marketing & Direct Banking Channels, Mr Bhagat reported to the CEO for 10 years, managing a diverse portfolio that was instrumental in building the bank’s reputation as the leading consumer and digital banking franchise. He thereafter partnered Vodafone India Ltd in successfully applying for a Payments Bank licence and was appointed CEO (designate) of the proposed bank (2015-2017).
During his extensive banking career, Mr Bhagat’s contribution and leadership has been recognised through invitation to numerous Boards and Committees, including: Standing Committee on Retail Banking, Indian Bank’s Association; Executive Committee - National Securities Depository Limited; Customer Global Advisory Board, NCR Corp (USA); Global Advisory Board, Diebold Inc (USA).
Mr Bhagat is actively involved in the fields of Education and Heritage Conservation. He was a Member of the Board of Governors of The Doon School (2016-2022) and is a Founder Director of the World Monuments Fund India Association. He also serves as an Independent Director on multiple commercial boards and uses his experience to invest in and mentor early stage Fintech and Retail focused entrepreneurs.