Seemant Saxena

Experience

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  Mansingh Hotels and Resorts Limited

  Jan 1997 - Jan 1999

  Assistant Manager Front Office

  Mansingh Palace Agra is one of four hotels in the Mansingh Group chain with 100 rooms and 4 Star rating.- Completed a hands-on, two-year Management Training program with emphasis on Front Office operations- Promoted to Assistant Manager, Front Office after the M.T program- Gained hands-on experience with a high volume FIT, GIT, CVGR, and Banqueting oriented operation- Was selected as one of an exclusive two-man Sales team directly reporting to the President, Mansingh Group and F.O.M – Agra. Our tasks included boosting Hotel Sales within the Corporate and Banquet markets of Agra Show less

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  Jaypee Hotels & Resorts

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2001

  Lobby Manager - Jaypee Palace Hotel & International Convention Center

  Jaypee Palace Agra is the flagship property of the Jaypee Group of Hotels with 350 rooms, an International Convention Center and a 5-Star Deluxe rating.- Joined as a Supervisor and promoted to Lobby Manager level after the first year- Part of a core Front Office team that handled VVIP events such as visit by the US President and Indo-Pak Peace Summit- Responsible for a team that handled large conferences and off-sites by CII, TAAI, Wipro etc.- Selected for the in-house “Train the Trainer” programme. Became a ‘Certified Trainer’ for Front Office operations during my tenure Show less

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  CGH Earth

  Jan 2001 - Jan 2003

  Assistant General Manager - Bangaram Island Resort

  Casino Group of Hotels, now CGH Earth, has a rich legacy of more than 60 years. Bangaram resort was the flagship property with 30 beach cottages on an uninhabited isle. It was the first-ever world-famous SCUBA diving resort commissioned in the Lakshadweep islands. The resort had a huge repeat-guest as well as a long-staying guest fraternity with a lot of emphasis on SCUBA diving during their stay- Ran a seamless operation at the flagship Bangaram Island Resort - Managed rotas for 80 member staff while overseeing accounts, MIS, logistics etc.- Handled multiple high profile visits such as Conclave for Members of Parliament, visit of Sir Paul McCartney, Indian Armed Forces Chief of Staffs Tri-Services get together etc.- Officiated as GM during the off-season period- Responsible for Guest Relations, VIP visits, local liaison, logistics of supplies, indents, local purchases, occasional Medical emergencies, guest transits by helicopter to airport island (Agatti) during monsoons (when boat transfers were forbidden), etc. Show less

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  Lacadives - India

  Jan 2003 - Jan 2011

  Lacadives is a pioneer of SCUBA diving in India with a legacy of more than 25 years between the Lakshadweep & Andaman islands.- Headed a 10 member opening team to set up a greenfield SCUBA centre at ANET in Wandoor- Undertook reconnaissance expeditions to identify brand new and safe dive sites- As the SPOC between mainland and island, handled bookings, local liaison, GOI compliances, guest relations, logistics, staff issues, and everyday operations- Responsible for extensive local liaison for compliances towards Administrative protocols, Boat registrations, issuance of Staff permits as per GOI rules.- Responsible for local Sales & Marketing of SCUBA diving throughout the tourism and travel institutions in Port Blair via dedicated ‘Sales Drives’, which the team would conduct during off-time.- Senior Instructor in training of pilot batches of the newly started ‘Andaman Marine Police’ division which required SCUBA training by Lacadives Show less Lacadives continues to operate India’s premiere SCUBA Diving Centres for over 25 years since its inception in 1995. Started by India’s famous Ad-Guru Prahlad Kakar, in the Lakshadweep islands, it ran two dive centres in Kadmat and Bangaram Island resorts from 1995-2010. Lacadives presently operates out of the 'Taj Havelock' and 'Big Tree Chidiyatapu' resorts in the Andaman islands.- Safely ran all operations at Kadmat dive centre which catered to large volume arrivals- Responsible for all certification courses and SCUBA training as the resident Instructor in the team- Managed accounts, logistics, outreach to islanders, coordination with local administration and all aspects associated with running a remote island based diving operation- Managed & trained the all-local staff and incoming interns at the dive centre, submitted performance reviews, had a hands-on approach to general logistical fire-fighting due to the remote location of the islandsDuring the monsoon off-season months: - Would assist the Mumbai HQ team with Sales, bookings, enquiries, SOP creation, website updating, administrative closure of previous season records etc.- Double hatted as SCUBA instructor or Safety diver for underwater Fashion & Film shoots - Wrote for select Indian and foreign publications on information about diving in India and Lakshadweep- Was involved as the ‘Education Officer’ for occasional Reefwatch Marine Conservation projects – the sister marine conservation NGO started by Prahlad & Mitali Kakar. Worked on writing scripts for a special project with the iconic ACAP (Asian Conservation Awareness Programme) which involved shooting public service messages by Indian celebrities speaking for conservation in India Show less

  • Base Manager

    Jan 2010 - Jan 2011

  • Base Manager

    Jan 2003 - Jan 2010
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  Dive Goa

  Jan 2011 - Jan 2012

  Base Manager

  Dive Goa is one of the oldest & biggest dive centres in Goa that conducts excellent SCUBA training and guided diving experiences at Goa and Netrani island in Karnataka.- Managed operations at dive centres in Goa and Netrani Island in Karnataka- Incharge of training and certifying SCUBA students along with logistics management- Liaised with CVGR affiliate-hotels during outbound trips

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  Absolute Scuba India

  Jun 2012 - Feb 2021

  Founding Partner

  In 2012, I co-founded Absolute SCUBA (India). It was the first, and continues to be the only SCUBA diving centre based out of Pune since. Operations were based on a globally popular concept of ‘Inland Dive Centres’ / 'Dive Clubs' where city & pool-based SCUBA diving centres make it much easier for a larger number of potential customers to experience and start learning SCUBA closer to home. Eventually, this leads to new divers being certified and traveling for SCUBA holidays to global diving destinations.We went on to become a trusted name in the diving community for high-quality SCUBA diving experiences and pioneering travel to off-the-path diving destinations.'Absolute' Highlights after surfacing from a nine-year-old Deep Dive: - A ‘Guinness World Record’ Absolute Scuba remains to date, the only Indian SCUBA diving centre to help establish an ‘Official Guinness World record’. We undertook an effort by Pune’s Chrysalis Entrepreneur Forum to break the existing World Record for “The longest human chain underwater”. We SCUBA-trained over 250 members, organised a large-scale effort with leading diving operators in Koh Tao, Thailand, and conducted the event as per specific Guinness World Record rules and under an Official Judge to establish the new world record. 182 Indians broke the world record for the 3rd time since it was first established.- Certifying over 500 new SCUBA divers in 8 years and conducting niche SCUBA diving holidays in India to Lakshadweep Islands, Netrani Island (Karnataka), Goa, Andaman Islands. Outbound destinations included: - Maldives (multiple resorts across Atolls & diving live-aboard cruises till ‘Deep South’ Maldives)- Thailand (Phuket, Koh Tao, Koh Samui)- Sri Lanka (Trincomalee, Negombo)- Indonesia (Bali, Komodo islands, Raja Ampat, Bunaken)- Malaysia (Sipadan Marine Park)- Philippines (Cebu, Moal Boal, Malpascua)- Egypt & Red Sea (Hurghada, Sharm el-Sheikh, numerous live-aboard cruises)- Oman (Daymaniyat Islands) Show less

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  Lacadives - India

  Sept 2021 - Jun 2022

  Dive Centre Manager and Senior Instructor

  Lacadives is India’s leading brand of Dive Centres with over 25 years of diving operations. Currently operating with three Dive Centres at Havelock and a Dive Resort at Port Blair. - Led a 27 member dive team at Taj Exotica, Havelock Island - India's only 5-Star Deluxe Island Resort where Lacadives enjoys exclusive patronage from the iconic Taj Hotels Group.- Founding team member for the premium dive centre at CGH Tilar Siro, Havelock - another legendary Hospitality brand, where Lacadives operates the second dive centre from.- Responsible for diving operations catering to a sizeable volume of business at three dive centres and three dive boats based at Havelock - Responsible for coordination with mainland based booking offices as well as associations with other premium resorts in the Andaman's for maximising traffic and revenue generation- Key responsibilities include revenue management and generation, cash flow management and liaison with the accounting team between the island and mainland- Liaison with local government agencies as well as operational partners such as the Taj and CGHEarth Group of Hotels.- Manage the HR process for the entire staff including recruitment, on-boarding, payroll, job scheduling, learning and development, attrition management etc.- Streamlined operations by creating SOPs for all aspects of dive centre management such as boats, dive equipment, infrastructure and assets, company vehicles etc.- Maintaining a diverse product portfolio that includes diving and snorkeling experiences, naturalist-led nature trails, kayaking and boat charters.- Added to the team’s Marketing efforts and revenues by - Increased visits of repeat patrons and those known to me by customising itineraries - Working with the Taj & CGH Reservations teams via product-training sessions for proper handling and conversions of leads - Overseeing the addition of social media content to the Lacadives social media channels Show less

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  SSI Scuba Schools International

  Sept 2022 - now

  General Manager Sales Marketing

  Founded in 1970, SSI (Scuba Schools International) is the world’s largest business-based training agency, with 50+ years of business experience, servicing more than 3,300 SSI Training Centers worldwide. SSI offers more than sixty programs in forty languages, including Scuba Diving, Extended Range programs like Rebreather and Overhead Environment, Freediving, Mermaid, Swim, and Lifeguard. This broad range of training programs provides water sports enthusiasts the opportunity to choose what they really want.I will be responsible for:- developing and growing the Brand SSI (Scuba Schools International) in India- working with Dive Professionals, Dive Centers, Government Bodies and Institutions to develop SSI India- being the Single Point of Contact as the General Manager for SSI in India Show less