She has the most radiant smile in the travel fraternity and can often be seen sporting the traditional Indian attire, despite having spent a major part of her life abroad. A thorough optimist who loves to count her blessings, Sheema Vohra, Managing Director, Sartha Global Marketing LLP, is an inspiration for the women in the travel industry. From her hospitality days to her love for the USA, classical singing, travel, poetry and theatre, Sheema is the perfect example of beauty with brains and we are extremely fortunate to narrate the story of her journey to you under BOTT Spotlight.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
As I sat down to chat with her, warming up before our interview, I couldn’t help but marvel the way she carries herself, conducts business and yet remains so warm to not just her visitors but her team too, many of whom have been associated with her for long. Mingling with people comes naturally to her and as she sits comfortably in her big new office with a crazy travel schedule to back her, she gushes about her love to travel, especially to the USA, which is her all-time favourite destination. Sheema Vohra is today doing what she loves, spreading awareness regarding her beloved USA and coaxing people to make a visit. But where did it all start?
Born in Dehradun to “marvellous” parents, Sheema travelled to various places within India during her growing up years, courtesy her father’s transferable job. Majority of her schooling was done at the Maharani Gayatri Devi Public School in Jaipur, which explains the poise and grace that she carries herself with. “I was very happy in the boarding school and loved the numerous activities we were exposed to such as dramatics, sports and more. I always wanted to try my hands at something new and not do the traditional stuff. My parents too let us (my younger sister and myself) bloom the way we wanted to. I decided to go to PUSA and had an amazing time learning about hospitality and making some amazing friends but I wasn’t really serious about my professional growth. I started my career with the Maurya Sheraton and then moved on to work for a year at the ITDC in their International Trade Fair and Conventions Department and while marketing and events gave me a good kick, I remained casual about my career. It was not until I visited the USA in 1984 that my world opened to the ocean of possibilities that lied ahead,” she reminisces.
Even though she had done her hospitality education in India, Sheema enrolled herself in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and did Bachelors in Hotel Management. During campus interviews, she was picked by Marriott International where she went on to work for 5 years in the USA. “Those years in the US made me what I am today. However, I was always clear in my mind that I wanted to come back to India and I did and soon joined The Claridges as their Sales and Marketing head,” she adds. Sheema went on to work at The Oberoi Group of Hotels in their International Travel Trade department handling various international markets and was with them for three years. But fate, it seems, had other plans for her. Taking the entrepreneurial jump, Sheema joined hands with Sunil Puri and floated a company called Connexons, which was an inbound company. During the course they met representatives from Mileage Communications – a Singapore based company who wanted to open an office in India and this is how Mileage Communications India office came into existence.
“Every few years I get bitten by this bug, which leads me to explore new profiles, try more challenging avenues and be a part of newer things. So this time when the bug bit me, it took me to the Marriott International, wherein I spent 5 years of my life at their Global Sales Office in India and enjoyed it thoroughly. After gaining an enriching experience, in 2007, I decided to turn an entrepreneur yet again. This was the time when outbound was opening up in India and I got back with Sunil, who during all this time was handling Connexons and Mileage Communications. Given my love for the United States of America, I was clear from the start that I wanted to represent USA in India and keeping this goal in mind, we floated Sartha Marketing in April 2007 and San Francisco was the first client we got, which continues to work with us till date. After San Francisco we got California, followed by many others and today we have more than 15 clients in our kitty under Sartha Global Marketing and couldn’t be happier with our progress,” says Sheema, beamingly, with not an ounce of pride in her demeanour at having achieved such immense success in a short span of time.
Sartha Global Marketing is a full service marketing company offering various services, such as, Tourism Representation, Brand Management and Advertising support, Consumer Promotions, Digital marketing, Influencer Marketing, Events, Public Relations and Market Intelligence and Research. What makes them stand apart from the rest, Sheema believes, is their customised approach to each client and the fact that they are a one-stop shop for all the needs of the client looking to grab a piece of India Outbound. That’s their biggest differentiator. There is no fixed module that is passed on to the customers rather an exclusive deal is curated to position that client strongly in the India market. “Our aim is to stay relevant and sustain customisation. Competition doesn’t bother me. It will always be there. But what we must continuously aim for is quality along with sustained and customised service,” she reiterates.
Sheema Vohra, a die-hard romantic, lives high on life and enjoys all things good! With an absolutely liberating upbringing that her parents gave her, she never felt the need to bind her relations with her loved ones in any strings or names that the society would approve of. She lives life on her terms and absolutely loves doing so. While kitchen has never been her forte, she loves to spend her free time either practicing singing classical music or listening to ghazals of her favourite poet – Faiz. “I would love to see more and more women enter the travel industry. People should see the good in the industry as it has so much to offer. I have been a part of the travel trade for over two decades now and enjoyed every moment of it. The world is too beautiful and brimming with opportunities – women entrepreneurs should definitely take the plunge! I owe so much to this travel industry and there is a lot of potential still for all of us to grow and co-exist in harmony,” concludes the ever optimistic Sheema with a smile, and well, we couldn’t agree more.
