Chitra Gurnani Daga

Thrillophilia Co-Founder and CEO

While traveling almost every weekend early in her career as a software engineer at Infosys, Chitra Gurnani Daga noticed a lack of unique and offbeat experiences — a shame in a country as diverse as India. 

This insight led her to co-found Thrillophilia in 2009. It’s a tech-driven platform dedicated to crafting personalized, multi-day adventures that reveal India’s hidden treasures.

Building Thrillophilia wasn’t without its hurdles. India is a fiercely competitive market, and without traditional Series A funding, she was nearly forced to shut down — twice.

“Looking back, though, the lack of abundant capital became a blessing in disguise. It forced us to be incredibly frugal, focusing on fundamentals and sustainable growth rather than chasing vanity metrics,” she said.

The company turned profitable in 2017 and has remained so except during Covid in 2020 and 2021. Daga managed to turn her vision into a global platform, connecting over 1 million travelers each year with over 10,000 curated experiences and multi-day tours across the world. The platform has partnered with over 3,000 global suppliers.

“A standout moment was when we reached our first million travelers, a milestone that felt surreal given the humble beginnings of Thrillophilia,” she said.

Daga has also witnessed a notable evolution in the role of women within the travel industry. Today, more experiences for solo women travelers are emerging. “I’d love to see more female-led travel initiatives and mentorship programs that nurture upcoming talent,” she said.

For aspiring women leaders, Daga advises cultivating an unwavering belief in your vision, actively seeking mentors and allies, and stepping outside your comfort zone. “Travel, by nature, is about exploring unknowns; apply that same curiosity and courage to your career,” she said.

– Peden Doma Bhutia

Amruda Nair

Araiya Hotels & Resorts Founder

Amruda Nair has spent her whole life in hotels — her family founded the Leela Group.

However, while she was exploring universities in the U.S., it was a chance encounter with three inspiring women that truly ignited her passion for travel. These pioneers, an award-winning food journalist, a celebrated chef, and a successful food entrepreneur, helped launch the Chicago Farmers Market in the early 2000s.

“Their vision showed me that hospitality is so much more than service, it’s about creativity, collaboration, and making a lasting impact. That experience has stayed with me throughout my career, reinforcing my belief that hospitality, when done right, has the power to transform both people and places,” she said.

Nair embarked on a global journey that has taken her across India, the Netherlands, the U.S., Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Today, under her own brand Araiya Hotels & Resorts, Nair manages both a thriving restaurant business in Europe and a hotel management company in India. 

Drawing on her family’s legacy, her grandfather named the Leela Group after his wife, she continues to champion strong female leadership. “Even today in the listed company that operates The Leela Mumbai, we have four female directors, much above the regulatory requirement,” she said.

“In my experience women have always had a seat at the table and this is something I hope will become a norm rather than an exception,” she said.

One of her proudest achievements is founding her own brand, particularly Araiya Palampur, her first hotel in a remote Himalayan location. The project was seen as unconventional because of its offbeat location. But it has now become a place that leverages technology for personalized guest experiences, promotes sustainability, and embraces local culture.

For young women eyeing leadership roles in travel, Nair advises: Know your worth, build a robust network, and don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo.

– Peden Doma Bhutia

Nirupa Shankar

Brigade Enterprises Joint Managing Director

Nirupa Shankar joined real estate developer Brigade Enterprises in 2009, the year Brigade opened its first hotel. For the past 15 years, she has been in charge of the company’s hotel, office, and retail businesses, at a time when Brigade’s hospitality footprint has expanded across South India, covering key states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala and into Gujarat’s GIFT City. It now has nine properties with a total of over 1,600 rooms. 

During her time at the company, Shankar has also conceptualized and launched food and beverage outlets High Ultra Lounge and Glass Kitchen & Bar to diversify the company’s hospitality offerings. In 2019, she also diversified the real estate business of the company by launching Brigade’s flexible workspaces brand called BuzzWorks. 

A serial entrepreneur herself, Shankar in 2016 launched a real estate accelerator called Brigade Real Estate Accelerator Program (REAP). Under the initiative, she aims to mentor high-tech startups in the real estate business, including those in the hospitality space. 

Shankar also has a special focus on sustainability. While Brigade is working to reach net zero carbon status itself by 2045, about 35-40% of the startups under REAP operate in the sustainability sector. She has also launched a sustainability-focused venture fund called the "Earth Fund" to invest in technologies that help cities build and urbanize sustainably.

– Bulbul Dhawan

Ranju Alex

Marriott International Area Vice President - South Asia

When Ranju Alex was pursuing her degree at the Institute of Hotel Management in Kolkata, a professor told her she would likely not make it in the industry. The professor said her skin was too dark. 

Ranju cried to her mother that day, and her mother’s encouragement drove Ranju to take her professor’s shallow words as a challenge. 

Three decades later, Alex is Area Vice President for the South Asia region for Marriott International, managing nearly 170 hotels across five countries.

“I took that up as a challenge and in my campus placement, I got through four companies at the same time, so that was my first win. I then realized that I had it in me to swim against the so-called tide. Now, whenever someone says something is difficult, I make it a point to do that,” she told Skift.

Alex, now in her 50s, started her journey in the Indian hotel industry with India-based Oberoi Hotels. At 39, she joined Marriott. “I was looking for a bigger canvas to paint on.”

Her personal journey is a reflection of the same drive. At 18, Alex was diagnosed with a neurological disorder and given six months to live. With health insurance not covering her care, she says one of her relatives asked her parents, “She’s a girl. Why are you even spending so much on her treatment?” 

For Alex, it was another challenge: “I decided that if I live on after this, I will show the world what girls are capable of.”

Now Alex is trying to empower women and help them join the industry. She has started an initiative called “Project Pranita” through which Marriott has hired over 200 underprivileged girls fresh out of high school. “These are girls whose parents either don’t allow them to study further, or if they do allow it, they definitely don’t allow them to go to the hotel industry due to the stigma attached.” The aim is to keep doubling the number of beneficiaries each year.

Marriott is funding the three-year distance learning graduation program for them and paying a stipend. “After three years, they will have a hotel management graduate degree and become a permanent employee of Marriott hotels. But even during these three years, they will become financially independent.”

– Bulbul Dhawan

Naomi Dias

FCM Travel India Director of Sales

The travel industry has evolved a lot since Naomi Dias joined in 2000 as part of the first Mumbai cabin crew for Air Sahara.

After a decade-long hiatus to raise her family in Bahrain, Dias returned to the travel industry and is now Director of Sales for FCM India, part of the corporate travel business of Flight Centre Travel Group.

She recalls having to manage unwanted advances and inappropriate behavior as a cabin crew member. 

“These experiences were indeed gender-related and sometimes made the professional environment uncomfortable. However, I learned early on to conduct myself with professionalism and to handle these difficult situations effectively,” she said.

Dias said these challenges were not unique to the service industry but are issues that many women face across various sectors. She’s happy that the culture is improving. 

“Today, I'm pleased to see that there's growing respect and professionalism in the workplace for women in India,” she said.

While gender-related challenges are fading, Dias believes the real issue today is the need to attract young talent to the travel sector. 

Her team at FCM is addressing this by offering competitive wages and creating a supportive, engaging environment. She said FCM India has made strides in gender diversity, with 40% of leadership roles now held by women, a figure Dias hopes to see grow.

Her advice for aspiring women leaders? “Leverage your support systems, network actively, and master stakeholder management. Be receptive to feedback, it’s the willingness to learn and grow that drives leadership.”

– Peden Doma Bhutia

Rigzin Wangmo Lachic

Dolkhar Ladakh Founder

A decade ago, Ladakh's tourism boom brought undeniable economic opportunities, but also strain on its fragile environment. Rigzin Wangmo Lachic thought she could help by building a hotel that honors Ladakh’s heritage while championing sustainability.

The result is Dolkhar.

Every decision at the property — from using local materials and running a zero-waste kitchen to employing passive solar heating — aims to nurture the land and its people, she said. Lachic has also worked hard to revive Ladakh’s artisan traditions, ensuring that local crafts and produce, from organic herbs to handmade tea blends, become an integral part of the guest experience.

It’s an ambitious mission, and Lachic has to work through challenges like a harsh climate that hinders construction and budget constraints.

She has also learned that overcoming biases in a male-dominated industry isn’t easy. 

“I’ve had my share of experiences where vendors and laborers would look past me, waiting for an older male figure to give instructions. It took patience, persistence, and sometimes just showing up, day after day, to shift perceptions,” she said.

Her impact goes beyond Dolkhar. As the first woman to lead the All Ladakh Hotel and Guest House Association, she has helped shape sustainable tourism policies and championed local women entrepreneurs. 

“More and more, women are stepping into roles traditionally held by men, whether it’s managing homestays, guiding treks, or leading hospitality initiatives.”

In the future, Lachic hopes to see more institutional support for women in travel and hospitality, from access to funding and training to representation at decision-making levels.

For young women aspiring to leadership roles in travel, she offers this advice: “There are always women who have walked — and are walking — the same path. Never hesitate to reach out, ask questions, or seek guidance. And when the time comes, pay it forward.”

– Peden Doma Bhutia

Neha Arora

Planet Abled Founder

When we caught up with Neha Arora, she was just coming off an 18-hour trip from Delhi to Vienna. 

She didn’t comment on the food or the in-flight entertainment. Her main observation: “It was an old Boeing plane and it had the biggest washrooms in economy that I saw. So from a wheelchair user perspective, that was good.” 

Arora, now 40, is the founder of Planet Abled, and her clear focus is why she is a force for change in the Indian travel industry. 

Her father is blind, has been using a hearing aid for the past decade, and has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Her mother uses a wheelchair due to polio. As a result, Arora says she did not get to travel growing up. 

Her parents are now in their 70s and 80s, and they went on their first trip only a few years ago. “When I started earning, I planned a family holiday, only to find that places are not accessible. And I kind of fought everywhere and got into arguments about accessibility.” 

She launched Planet Abled in 2016.

Her first experiment was an inclusive group trip that included both differently abled travelers and non-disabled travelers. “The results were fascinating. They became friends and hung out after returning from the trips.”

Arora has stood out – sometimes over the objections of investors – by catering to different disabilities, instead of focusing on just one. 

Her conviction has enabled her to deliver travel experiences to people who have long been left out. Just one example: A 70-year-old woman, who suffered a spinal injury at the age of 11, expressed her desire to go rafting, and Arora found a vendor who was up for the challenge and made it happen. 

For others like her, Arora is opening up the world of travel in ways they never thought possible. 

– Bulbul Dhawan

Eesha Singh

No Footprints Co-Founder

In 2010, Eesha Singh was fresh out of Xavier’s Institute of Communications, and most of her peers landed in conventional advertising and marketing roles.   

Singh was determined to go her own way, and ventured into creative entrepreneurship in 2014 with No Footprints. It started as a collaboration with a friend, now her husband, who was launching a tourism project in Mumbai.

No Footprints is a travel company that curates a variety of day tours, multi-day tours, experiences and workshops. “No Footprints was built with a simple philosophy — to bring to the fore community-based stories and cultural practices that are being lost due to constant urbanization of cities,” said Singh.

For Singh, travel is a canvas for storytelling. “Every journey is a chance to connect, converse, and share a story,” she said. 

Whether it’s unearthing hidden gems in bustling cities or discovering quiet corners in saturated markets like Jaipur, she believes that travel can break down barriers and bring diverse voices together. This belief has driven her to design immersive travel experiences that invite people from all walks of life to come together and swap stories.

One of her biggest challenges is transforming a brilliant idea into a perfectly executed travel itinerary as it involves tackling several challenges.

For example, she needs to bring on local communities and vendors, convincing them of her vision. Singh has also faced the all-too-familiar gender bias that often sidelines women’s contributions. In meetings, she’s seen her ideas overshadowed when echoed by male colleagues.

To combat this, she built a robust support network, a mix of mentors, peers, and her co-founder husband, who proudly champions her work. This circle has not only bolstered her confidence but also reinforced her commitment to creating spaces where diversity and creativity thrive. 

– Peden Doma Bhutia

Isha Aggarwal

MakeMyTrip Director of Business, Category and Partnerships

With an MBA from Symbiosis Institute of International Business and three years of experience at a manufacturing company, Isha Aggarwal joined MakeMyTrip in 2014, a pivotal time for India’s travel industry. 

First, the industry was just beginning to embrace technology. “I still remember that when I joined the travel sector with MakeMyTrip, a lot of things were being done manually in the accommodation vertical, like maintaining records of people and room rates,” she told Skift. 

Soon, she joined a team that worked with global hotel chains to make them more accessible to Indian customers. “It was a key part of MakeMyTrip’s journey and my own journey within it that we were able to become a bridge between global hospitality brands and the Indian travelers. That is where I learned the nuances of working in the travel technology space.”

Her next big moment was when she led the initiative to add international supply to the platform as Indians began traveling more internationally. 

“This wave of travel to South Asia and Europe began, so we were trying to establish international travel to all of these countries by working with global brands for hotels and catering to the needs of Indian travelers when traveling abroad to eventually build on the wave of outbound travel from India."

And then, five years ago, MakeMyTrip wanted to focus on the high growth of corporate travel. “This segment was working in a more traditional way and there was an opportunity to bring in technology to simplify the process for the companies. I was part of the initial team that we set up for corporate travel and growing it in India in the last three to four years has been exciting for me.” 

In four years, she and her team have been able to get a new technology solution for business travel and scale it. 

“I started from a manufacturing ecosystem, and as an avid traveler, travel definitely looked way more exciting. And when I got into the travel tech ecosystem, I realized that I couldn’t be at a better place, and this space has completely changed the way Indians now travel.”

– Bulbul Dhawan

Prerna Prasad

Ecoplore Founder

For journalist-turned-travel entrepreneur Prerna Prasad, starting her own venture was never the plan. But her passion for sustainable accommodation drove her to launch Ecoplore in 2016. 

“I was planning to travel to Malaysia with my husband for our very delayed honeymoon in 2015. It actually took me a month to figure out five hotels which were eco-friendly and that was because there was no aggregator or website where I could see a list of properties,” she told Skift. 

Ecoplore aims to fix that. 

“All the hotels promoted under Ecoplore are either made of mud, wood, bamboo, or stone or are heritage buildings. None of the structures are made of cement and brick. They also need to maintain 33% greenery in their campus for us to list them.”

Most of the properties listed on Ecoplore have features like rain water harvesting, solar panels, composting, and waste management systems. A lot of them also grow their own food. 

What sets Ecoplore apart is that each property is visited by Prasad’s team before it is listed. Then it relies on guest reviews. If there are reports of breaks with sustainable practices, the team issues warnings. It delists the property after the third warning. 

Her initiative has resulted in the launch of Ecoplore’s construction vertical. “During Covid, people started reaching out to us asking how they can build a house while eliminating concrete and bricks. We ignored it for some time, but then realized that this is a segment where we can make the most impact.”

Most of the queries that the construction vertical is getting comes from individuals who want to build mud houses for their own stays as well as to put up as homestays.

Prasad is hoping to bring sustainable travel to a wide group of travelers.

“I wanted to protect whatever natural beauty we are left with. There were travel agencies that were focused on sustainability, but they only offered premium stays and catered to foreign tourists. My idea was that if you want to create a mass impact, it can’t just cater to a premium audience. The average price of rooms under our banner is INR 6,000 (under $70) per night.”

– Bulbul Dhawan

Edited by Lex Haris. Design and photo treatments by Beatrice Tagliaferri.