Our Friends
Raghvendra Pai
Raghu, as we fondly call him here at Active Holiday Company, is Gauri's erstwhile squash opponent and therefore connected to the beginning of Active Holiday Company's story. As a Director in the company, he puts to use his 20+ years of IT experience in Healthcare and Telecom. He has been part of successfully setting up and transitioning ITES companies and is passionate about working with startups.
Geeta Amin
At a time when india was just waking up to the idea of travelling around the world, Geeta had already backpacked solo across the length and breadth of Europe, India and USA. She's driven across Patagonia, slept in park benches in Europe, photographed in Ethiopia, camped in the jungles of Botswana. An architect by qualification and single by choice, she’s also a successful entrepreneur and the best surviving example of an Indian vegetarian traveller one can find. And when it comes to friends of Active Holiday Company, she's the best friends we have!
Shayamal Valabhjee
Shayamal is a Sports Scientist & Performance Coach with two decades experience in High Performance Sporting environments. The author of four books on Sports Science & Motivation, a TEDx speaker, recipient of the INK & Australia India Youth Dialogue Fellowship he was also declared Men's Health 'Trainer of the Year 2014'. His on field experience with Olympians & Championship winning teams & three years of living as a monk have taught him the art & science of work-life balance. He works with athletes & executives to unlock their potential, mentally, physically & emotionally. And he pushes his own physical and mental limits through ultra-marathon running and mountaineering.
Milind Soman
Best known as an Indian supermodel, actor, film producer and an avid sportsman, Milind Soman is also a sharp entrepreneur. He is the founder and passionate ambassador of Pinkathon, India’s biggest ‘women only’ marathon that attracts over 70,000 women runners each year. He is also involved in several other fitness & travel related ventures. In 2017 Milind completed the Ultraman to beat his Ironman challenge.
Shravan Gupta
An MBA in Marketing from Vanderbilt University, Shravan Gupta is the Managing Director of Travel Tours Group. A known name in the travel industry, he is deeply interested in diverse travel realted start-ups and is an activlely involved with organisations like the EO, Mumbai Angels etc.
Saumil Majmudar
A Distinguished Service Alumnus from IIT-Bombay and an IIM-Bangalore alumunus, Saumil Majmudar is the co-founder & MD of EduSports, has been an entrepreneur since 1998. He has valuable and practical experience in building an organisation from scratch including building a team, getting early customers, pivoting, raising funds, failing and finally building a platform to scale a business. He holds a Basic Mountaineering Degree from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (Uttarkashi) & is a practicing Black belt in Karate.
Ash Nath
Frequently spotted on the podium of marathon races, Ash Nath is best known for having qualified for Boston Marathon for more than 10 consecutive years. As a coach he focusses on mentoring runners to accomplish their goals through proper running form. He has run the Boston Marathon in sub-3 hours and is the fastest Indian at the Comrades Ultra-Marathon (89km) held each year at South Africa.
Suhail Kazmi
After a long and successful career in Consumer and Banking industries, Suhail Kazmi took a sabbatical from the corporate world to co-found businesses in Real Estate and Consulting. Today, he is a Partner in an executive search firm, Accord Group India and remains involved with start-ups in diverse industries. He completed his MBA in Marketing from FMS.
Upaneeta Sen
For over 4 decades Upaneeta has led one of East India's finest Destination Management Company, servicing the who's who of Kolkata with unmatched services, to all corners of the world. Her exceptional knowledge and experience are enough to impress discerning travellers but it is truly her personal touch and attention to detail that has helped her stay on the forefront of an industry that has changed drastically over the past four decades.
Claudian Fernandes
A tech entrepreneur, with over 25 years of experience in IT, Claudian is passionate about addressing challenges with tech solutions. He is enthusiastic about travelling and enjoys discovering local cuisines and cultures. A master in engineering from BITS, Pilani he likes swimming and running.
Cyrus Contractor
An expert bike-fitter, Cyrus’ mission is to encourage people to make cycling a part of their daily life. Apart from running a fabulous bike tour that allows enthusiasts to unravel South Mumbai's architectural & cultural gems he also offers personal counseling on bicycles to discerning cyclists through Fit2Bike. You may think that Starbucks is his favourite haunt but since he’s super-fussy about what he eats, when he is not doing something related to cycling and running, he’s talking cycling holidays instead of stuffing his face with food!
Gauri Jayaram
Gauri has spent over 28 years in the travel business including a 8.5 year stint as the Regional Director for S.A & M.E for the World's largest coach touring company. Her experience, combined with her love for exploring destinations differently makes her the best (wo)man for the top job at Active Holiday Company. Having taken her first road trip when she was just 5 days old, it appears that the bug never left her and she's travelled to over 65 countries (says she doesn't keep a count!). She celebrated her 40th birthday by running half a dozen half marathons in as many locations - including a race to the lowest point on earth (The Dead Sea Ultra Run in Jordan) and then trekked to the base camp of the world’s highest mountain – the Mt. Everest – a trip that became a turning point in her life. And, finally at this tender age she bought herself a hybrid bicycle to replace her depreciated car! Voted one of the Most Influential Persons in the Travel Industry by NDTV Profit and Travel News Digest (2014), she also a published author. She has lent her expertise to leading travel magazines as a writer and jury member. To her adventure means daring to follow one’s beliefs with conviction, even though sometimes they could take you to the end of the world!