Spotlight on Ami Merchant: Becoming a product manager to drive industry innovation

Product Manager Ami Merchant’s journey at Spotnana is the result of her years developing a deep understanding of corporate travel.

Her travel industry career includes customer service and operations roles at Ian Allan Travel, Thomas Cook India Limited, and WTMC.  She joined Spotnana in 2020, inspired by our Founder Sarosh Waghmar’s vision to modernize the infrastructure of the travel industry.

We spoke with Ami about her travel industry career, transition to Spotnana’s Product Team, and current responsibilities.

Can you share your career journey before joining Spotnana?

Product Manager Ami Merchant

“I have always had a strong interest in the travel industry, which led me to complete my MSc in Travel Management. Before joining Spotnana, I spent around seven years at WTMC, where I was the first employee in the Bombay office. I began as an agent and was later promoted to Team Lead and Manager for the travel and customer service teams. 

“Over time, I transitioned into a more operational role, where I contributed to managing training programs, developing processes, and establishing workflows for the teams. I also played a role in managing key accounts in the finance and technology sectors. Additionally, I helped drive the implementation of automation and mid-office systems for the organization.

“Prior to my time at WTMC, I gained corporate travel experience at various companies based in India and the United Kingdom.”

Why did you choose to come work at Spotnana?

“I joined Spotnana because of the company’s efforts to revolutionize the travel industry, and I’m excited to be a part of this transformation. 

“With a deep understanding of the corporate travel landscape and the core challenges within it, I was drawn to Sarosh’s vision of leveraging modern technology to address these issues. This approach has always been both challenging and inspiring, and it’s a mission I’m passionate about pursuing.”

Can you please tell me about your role, your responsibilities, and how your role has evolved since you started at Spotnana?

“I am a Product Manager at Spotnana, managing the teams focused on TMC infrastructure and travel agents. We’re responsible for building the infrastructure TMCs need to onboard to Spotnana, and we automate manual TMC processes. Additionally, we manage workflows and functionality required by travel agents on the Spotnana platform.

“Before becoming a Product Manager, I held roles as a Customer Operations Manager and Product Operations Manager, where I worked closely with R&D teams to provide insights on industry concepts and challenges. I also played a key role in onboarding new customers and testing the rollout of new features.”

Product Manager Ami Merchant (back row, seventh from left) at our Bombay office

What is it like to work on the Product Team?

“The Spotnana Product Team brings together smart people from around the world, pooling their experience and deep expertise from various industries. We tackle problems and solve challenges together.

“Our aim is to fully support traveler journeys within the Spotnana platform, from booking all the way through to servicing. Currently, I am working on an omnichannel customer service project to drive future innovation for the travel industry.

“I am confident in our team’s ability to drive the necessary technological innovation to transform corporate travel.”

Fun Facts!

• What’s the best trip you ever took and why? Road trip to Europe with my sister. We started in Switzerland and drove across five countries, experiencing different foods and cultures.
• What’s your favorite thing to do at the airport? Some last minute shopping and then finding a good spot by the runway or a window with a view of the tarmac. It’s fascinating to see aircrafts up close as they take off or land.
• What’s your favorite airplane snack? Some airlines serve ice cream on long-haul flights – they are my favorite 😀 
• Aisle, middle, or window seat? Aisle!
• What’s your go-to show to watch on a trip? Modern Family or Friends.
• What’s the top destination on your bucket list? Masai Mara, Kenya – during the great migration.