10 years at Agoda: Gauri’s path to becoming a leader and mentor

Hello, I am Gauri Vicknasvaran, Senior Director, Customer Service Delivery: Flights & New Funnels at Agoda

In my current role, I work very closely with various internal stakeholders in the Customer Experience Group (CEG) such as the Learning and Development and Project Management teams; and externally within Agoda, with Finance, Marketing and Product, to ensure we stay competitive and move forward as the world changes to ensure we provide the best connected trip experience for our customers.

My Agoda journey started back in February 2013

I joined as a Regional Customer Service Manager (formerly known as Operations Manager) in Kuala Lumpur. A few years later, I moved to Bangkok to become a Senior Manager in Partner Services, before being promoted to Associate Director of Accommodations Services. Throughout my tenure at Agoda, I have been given the opportunity to lead the Operations and Project Management teams, and have embarked on a new journey as a Senior Director leading the Global Flights and New Funnels teams. 

Now, I am back in Malaysia again, and the proud mother of a 2-year-old girl. I’m grateful that Agoda is an organization that supports working mothers and their careers, providing us with a flexible work model, 4 months of paid maternity leave, and support and understanding when there is a need to care for our little ones as we balance work and life.

Learning, growing and leading

As a leader at Agoda, I love having the ability to inspire and influence people to achieve a common goal – not just my team, but also my stakeholders. Each year, I am a mentor for Agoda’s Women Initiative Program. It’s rewarding to coach others, and as a woman, I think it’s vital that we help one another to succeed in our individual journeys. I’ve also been fortunate to work with a professional external coach to plan my mid- and long-term career plans – this is thanks to Agoda investing not just money but time and resources in empowering its leaders to be part of this program.

In my career, I’ve learned that it’s critical to showcase confidence and the right attitude, coupled with a great business case to positively influence stakeholders. I’ve also developed my strategic management skills: rather than just focusing on the day-to-day rigor, I think ahead about what our goals are for the next few years and figure out how we want to achieve them with improved efficiency. 

Life at Agoda: agility, diversity and ownership

I’ve been at Agoda for 10 years now, and never a day goes by that I don’t look back and marvel at how much we have grown as an organization. There are three key reasons why I am still here and continue to look forward to my future with Agoda. The first is agility: we cultivate openness towards change and are always agile in the way we operate and adapt.

The second is diversity, which is one of the key ingredients to our success and the reason we are where we are today. We have an open culture where we provide feedback in a direct and respectful manner, enabling everyone’s voice to be heard. Whether you’re brand new or a senior member of the team, your ideas are valued.

Lastly, it’s ownership. We take pride in what we do and each person has a great sense of ownership, not just of our individual work, but of the organization as a whole. 

Inspired by Gauri’s story? Join us and start your best career journey at Agoda now.