Avinash admits he was not surprised when he was elected to the role of Ambassador for the “Diverse and Inclusive Team” value at Travix. In his long history at Travix he often acted as a bridge in communicating between different cultures such as Dutch and Indian. He feels at ease in that role, and when asking why he thinks that is, he refers back to a long experience of working with business partners from all parts of the world during his career. He also had to make a 2000km move across the whole country of India, from Delhi to Bangalore, when he joined Travix. In his first year he encountered many challenges to adapt to a seemingly different world and he learned a lot about understanding different cultures and group dynamics.

When telling me about some projects he was working on, the Ambassador value also shines through clearly; like when he pushed the initiative that not just a few selected departments were able to work from home, but every single employee in the Bangalore office would receive the same opportunity. He simultaneously lowered the transportation costs for the company and achieved something beneficial in more than one way.

I asked Avinash if he feels like thevalue he now represents is something he also carries in his personal life, he confirms this and goes back in his memories, to the time he was the Team Captain for his Cricket Team in School: “Cricket is like our football in India, and as in every sport you have different characters in one team, from assertive to discreet people, but all come together with the same goal: to win.” Being a Team Captain, Avinash learned that people don’t always want to be treated like you would like to be treated - but much rather how they want to be treated. He continued his lessons on this topic when he joined his brother's business as a teenager, learning to treat angry customers with patience, to make sure they become returning customers. When asking how other employees can learn from his story, he advised to always try to stay unbiased and look at any process, especially communication, from a 360° point of view. His recent initiative stands in line with that value: Take out the bias of application processes, especially for higher management roles, and use AI cognitive tests as one step of the process.

Avinash has worked for Travix since 13 years and started in the customer service department, working on several projects to improve internal processes. In January 2023 he was promoted from Director of Operations to Managing Director of the Bangalore office, working more in the strategic field of the company.