In a time when travel is not just a leisure activity but a passion for many, adept professionals like Pankaj Sawhney have been bringing a transformation in this field. Being the CEO and Co-founder of Redfox Event, a destination management company, Pankaj Sawhney has not only played a crucial role in the growth of the company but also majorly handled its operations across Asia.
We had the privilege of sitting down with Pankaj Sawhney, to dive into his journey, from his roots back in India to his remarkable performance in the tourism industry. In this insightful interview, Pankaj speaks about his vision behind starting the company and its performance. He also shares his perspective on promoting collaboration amidst the team and how beginners should start in a similar field.
Join us as we explore the mind and insights of Pankaj Sawhney, a seasoned leader who is inspiring a generation of aspiring entrepreneurs.
The Beginning
To learn more about Pankaj Sawhney and his journey so far, we asked, “Can you please provide us with some information about yourself, including your early life and education?”
Pankaj Sawhney responds, “I was born in Delhi and was kind of a shy soul in my younger days, with no idea where I was going to land up and what I needed to do. My best friend who is currently a successful software developer in California suggested doing a certification in Computers and we joined together but later after one year of studying, I didn’t find it interesting. The 90’s was just the beginning of “COMPUTERS” but probably there was something else in my life. I pursued my graduation Commerce and was getting prepared myself for master’s in business.
Travel was always my passion and area of interest and in my late 20’s I got the opportunity to work as trainee with India’s biggest brand in the tourism industry which gave me real-life experience and knowledge that we don’t study in books. As my career path moved, I traveled globally and worked in the US with a renowned hotel group. After spending 15 years in the industry, I landed up in Southeast Asia, Thailand. I am blessed with teen daughter and a beautiful family.”
Redfox And The Vision Behind
We also wanted to learn about the presence of Pankaj Sawhney’s company in the Singapore region and the vision behind its development. So, we asked, “Could you tell us about your company and its presence in the Singapore region?”
Pankaj Sawhney shared, “As we all say, life is a journey of different paths and directions; so, after spending two decades in my career, there was something more that I needed to explore, learn, and expand. In 2018, I founded the company REDFOX in Bangkok, Thailand. My vision for the company is to build a platform to provide one stop solutions with start of art technology and same time provide human touch in deliverables.
In the first year itself, the company handled 6000 passengers, registered 500 agents and the team grew to 10. As we were making progress at the beginning of 2020, we made our strategic footprints in Vietnam and today we are servicing four countries, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and it will be growing more with Singapore, Indonesia, Dubai, South Korea, and Japan.”
Yearly Achievements
Curious to learn more about the company’s recent progress, we asked, “How has the year been for your company in terms of overall performance and achievements?”
“As the world opens up in 2022 after the disaster pandemic REDFOX secured a strategic partnership from one of South East Asia’s Leading groups ADI Resourcing & Recruitment for further business expansion. 2023 turned out great as we reached our pre-pandemic revenues and saw growth of 40% from 2022 figures. In 2021 we were awarded as BEST MICE OPERATOR in Thailand by the World Travel MICE Awards and were nominated in 2022 and 2023 (results awaited) in the same category. The company also grew in accruing the business from our Europe business partners.” He replied.
Setting The Business Apart
Eager to learn how Pankaj Sawhney sets his business apart amidst the tough competition, we asked, “In the current competitive market, what does your business offer that sets it apart from others?”
Pankaj Sawhney replied, “This is one of my favorite questions which I often hear from business partners, vendors, internal and external stakeholders, and my answer is simple ‘We are not in line with others but we are forming ourselves intending to reach our goals, vision and mission.’ To answer from a layman’s perspective, we offer a seamless experience to business partners under one platform.”
Promoting Effective Teamwork
To understand Pankaj Sawhney’s insights on fostering unity and cooperation among the employees, we inquired, “What measures do you believe employees and organizations can take to build effective teamwork and foster unity within the workplace?”
Pankaj Sawhney shared, “I believe that for every employee or organization small or large it requires regular, effective, and positive communications internal & external which led to results for most of our problems.”
Words Of Wisdom For Startups, we asked Pankaj Sawhney
Finally, seeking suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs, we asked, “Do you have any advice or tips for startups looking to follow a similar pathway to your company’s success?”
Pankaj Sawhney concluded, “My advice or suggestion may not help for any startup because every startup has to begin from somewhere and each of them has a different journey, approach, goals, products and services, demography, and geography. So if I put it across in one sentence “believe yourself that you can do it no matter what others say or believe.”
Follow Pankaj Sawhney on LinkedIn.
Find Redfox Event on LinkedIn and visit their website http://www.redfox.travel.
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