Lsha Goyal

Executive Director & CEO STIC Travel Group

An alumnus of the Indian School of Business, lsha took over the management team at STIC ten years ago after undergoing hands-on training through different roles in the organisation. A second-generation business leader, lsha spearheads a nation-wide team of STIC Travel Group, a company established in 1973 by Subhash and Gursharan Goyal.

Well-versed with aviation, corporate and leisure segments of the travel industry, her mission has been to build upon STIC’s strong foundation as one of India’s leading GSA companies into a first-choice brand supported by professional systems, highly trained individuals and top-notch infrastructure. Her priority is to nurture a culture geared to adapt to changing industry dynamics and customer demands.

As a business leader, Isha identifies empathy, courage and honesty to be her key traits. She believes in empowering her team and feels that the best way to empower people is to step back and let them do what you have hired them to do. More often than not, she has found that approach to be reliable and rewarding. Empowering comes from trust, courage, and open communication. Trust yourself first to bring together the best team for the job, communicate freely and often, ensure that you understand your team as much as they understand you; and finally, have the courage to let go.

“Engagement, for me, is about relatability and a personal connection. During the pandemic, more than ever, we found that by simply listening, understanding and respecting the unique circumstances and challenges of our employees, we became more united and stronger in our resolve to grow and prosper as a team. My approach is always to keep a dialog open, and ensure communication happens through multiple channels and often.”

Isha believes that empathy sits at the heart of good leadership – it comes from a place of respect and humility. A leader can’t always solve every problem or remove every roadblock. Sometimes there are no solutions to be provided. But a leader can always listen, understand, and empathize, and that alone can go a long way in instilling the confidence and courage required to keep going.

Next Vacation: Isha looks forward to taking a road trip in New Zealand someday, a destination that has been on her bucket list for years.