Zelam Chaubal
Director Kesari Tours
Kesari Tours enjoys immense loyalty from its customers and has been a leader and pioneer in conducting tours at the national and international levels. Zelam has been at the helm of its touring business and is an inspiring leader. She is an ambitious, assertive, and empowered woman who always builds a way forward to realise her vision. She visualised the MICE concept in India and successfully established that with Kesari MICE.
Zelam joined Kesari Tours in 2001 and developed Pune and surrounding markets for Kesari and developed Kesari MICE, a corporate division. Moving on to greater challenges, she has developed new destinations for Kesari and specialised tours like agro tours for farmers, Student specials tours to science centers in Switzerland, and NASA, USA. Zelam is currently a chapter lead for the women’s initiative in Tie Pune, which fosters entrepreneurship.
Zelam believes that if employees see the passion in their leader’s work, it automatically replicates. Good employees catch this aspect very fast, and then they love to work integrating with the leader’s philosophy and remain with the organisation.
“If people see growth in what they are doing, they will love to work and their engagement will increase day by day. Growth, self-responsibility, and love are the ingredients to empower and engage people you are leading.”
Zelam is open to diverse ideas, but she is also decisive. She listens to stakeholders and then takes her decision. Listening gives one a perspective of how others think, and sometimes one gets a better outcome. To connect and collaborate is also her approach in her dealings. The tourism business is about great networking, and if one is good at it, it helps a lot. The capacity to be adaptable and flexible is another trait she resonates with. Being self-aware and getting things done, no matter the challenge, are also some other leadership qualities of Zelam.
Zelam firmly believes empathy is more important than intelligence, especially when one runs a service organisation. Due to the pandemic, people have become more fragile and vulnerable. Understanding their needs before they demand is the key. She also feels that being empathetic is one of the top leadership qualities irrespective of pre-or post-pandemic. But during the pandemic or after, it is more so because people have suffered financially, emotionally, and mentally. In such a situation, empathy works more than anything else. Next Vacation: Paris. Bhutan is another place where she wants to take her family.