If you were given the option of going for a beach vacation, where would you head for? Goa? Seychelles, maybe? Or the Andaman and Nicobar islands, renowned for their pristine beaches? If you’re in a dilemma over the choice then Vikram Madhok may be the right person to turn to. But don’t be surprised if the answer from the self-confessed beach bum is a little unconventional and offbeat.
“Vietnam,” says Madhok, managing director of the Indian operations of global travel operator Abercrombie & Kent (A&K). “The country has got some of the best beaches I’ve ever seen.” Vietnam may not form part of the regular vocabulary of beach freaks. In the same vein, tour operations also didn’t come naturally to Madhok. But there was never a chalk-and-cheese situation for the 45-year-old from the day he entered the travel and tourism industry, by joining A&K as its executive director in 1997. “When I joined A&K India, we were a $4 million company. We are now pushing $15 million,” he says.
Educated at St Columba’s School, Delhi, and Mayo College, Ajmer, Madhok earned a commerce degree from Hansraj College in Delhi before flying off to southern California to do an MBA. “I was only 22 when I completed my studies,” he says. And, as with every young man, Madhok too was faced with the unenviable task of choosing a fruitful career.
Eventually, he settled for banking. “I worked with Citi Financial, a part of Citigroup, in America for four years. It was a boring job,” smiles Madhok. And it was boredom, along with an urge to return home that saw him board a flight to India in 1985. With four years of banking behind him, Madhok knew he could carry on as a banker in India, if there were no other options.
“However, consumer banking was then only arriving in India, and I soon realised that the work standards I was accustomed to in the US would take some time to hit our shores,” says Madhok. Not wanting to take a wrong step, he spoke to his friends in Delhi before zeroing in on the hospitality industry. “I thought hoteliering would be a far more interesting job,” he recalls.
So Taj Hotels it was. Starting off as a sales executive, he rose within the ranks, to leave the company after four years as a product manager. Next he worked with the Oberoi Group as a marketing manager. “I spent eight long years there, and became a corporate director before I decided to quit the industry altogether,” says Madhok.
The reason for quitting the hospitality industry was that he wanted to sell destinations to clients. “Hoteliering didn’t let me do that,” he adds. And realising that tourism was only beginning to take flight in India, he crossed over once again to join A&K India. Tourism was his next playing field. Madhok, of course, has a justification for industry hopping. “Be it banking, hospitality or tourism, I have always remained a services’ person. That’s the sector I began with, and that’s where I shall continue for a good 20 years more,” he says.
A British tourism company, originally founded as an African safari operator in 1962, A&K has now grown to become one of the biggest tour operators on a global scale. And in the Indian luxury segment, the company features amongst the top five in the business, says Madhok. “We primarily focus on inbound tourism,” he smiles.
The travel industry in India has seen a sea change since he stepped in.“There has been a paradigm shift in quality and delivery,” he says. “Travelling to and out of India has improved. What we still lack is infrastructure ? there aren’t too many hotels, for example. In that context, we are still grappling with the situation and making the most of what we have.” The situation, believes Madhok, will surely improve over time. But the man himself may not be there to reap the fruits of labour. “For me, the future is still wide open,” he laughs. “It’s going to be services, certainly. But who knows. My next job could be with an airline!”
If that isn’t wanderlust, what is?
As told to Anirban Das Mahapatra in New Delhi
