Why ATPI India is one of the best places to build a travel management career

Interview with Varsha Karalkar, Head of HR at ATPI India

ATPI India is going through an exciting period of growth. Driven by the combined strength of ATPI and Direct Travel, ATPI India is currently expanding across the country, adding new offices, entering new markets, and building the teams that will power the next chapter of corporate travel management.

If you are looking for travel management company jobs in India and want to build your career with a global organisation, then working at ATPI India might be perfect for you. We are actively hiring for roles across operations, technology, product support, compliance, and digital marketing.

You can see what roles are available within our travel management company and apply directly on the ATPI India Careers page.

To understand what makes ATPI India a great place to work, we spoke with Varsha Karalkar, Head of HR at ATPI India, about the company’s growth, culture, current opportunities and what candidates can expect when they join the team.

With 25 years of experience in Human Resources, including 19 years with ATPI India, Varsha has played an integral role in supporting the organisation’s people and growth journey.

For Varsha, building a successful career begins with one key element: People.

“People are at the heart of every successful organisation,” says Varsha. “Success in any role comes from the ability to connect, collaborate, and grow together.”

ATPI India’s growth over the years

ATPI India has changed significantly since Varsha joined the company in 2007.

“When I joined ATPI India, the organisation had approximately 75 employees,” she explains. “Today, we have grown to a team of over 1,000 employees in India, and we continue to expand while actively hiring across a range of roles.”

For Varsha, what stands out beyond the company’s growth is its strong ability to retain employees and support their long-term development within the organisation.

“The average tenure of an employee at ATPI India is around five years,” she says. “That shows a strong level of engagement and commitment”.

Direct Travel & ATPI: Offering opportunities across travel management

ATPI’s acquisition by Direct Travel has accelerated the growth of both companies. Bringing together two established travel management companies has opened up new markets, new service capabilities and new career opportunities for candidates across India and beyond.

“The ATPI team is expanding quickly in India to support the corporate travel side of the business,” Varsha says.

“We offer a wide range of opportunities for professionals who want to build a career in a global organisation—from supporting clients and managing day-to-day operations to contributing across technology, compliance, product support, digital marketing and business development.”

What makes ATPI India a strong career choice in travel management?

ATPI India is a travel management company that uniquely sits at the crossroads of travel, technology and service, managing complex corporate global programmes for niche industries like maritime, energy, sports, mining, and motorsports.

For candidates exploring travel management company jobs in India, this range matters. The roles available at ATPI India cover a wide range of specialisations and a working environment that rewards curiosity, creativity, accountability, collaboration, and a passion for excellence.

Varsha has seen this firsthand across many years of building and scaling the company’s staff. In her view, what differentiates ATPI India as an employer is the combination of scale and substance.

“If you have the appetite to learn and grow within the company, then there will be many opportunities for you here at ATPI,” she says.

Employee learning and development: A core commitment at ATPI India

One of the strongest differentiators for ATPI India as an employer is its investment in learning and development

“When you start at ATPI, you receive training for the first two weeks before you begin your role,” Varsha explains. ATPI India also has an in-house training centre designed to help employees build both technical and soft skills.

“We also offer pathways to leadership for mid-level employees who are interested in advancing their careers at ATPI,” says Varsha. “This includes a structured plan with six months of training to prepare them for a leadership role. This could include training on people management, how to handle HR policies, how to handle conflicts, the different functions across ATPI and how to interact with other departments.”

This focus on learning is reflected in employee feedback as well.

“We’re very proud of our commitment to learning and development,” says Varsha. “In our staff engagement surveys, employees have consistently rated this as one of the highest-scoring areas within the company.”

Career Progression at ATPI India: Growing from within

Career progression is a key part of life at ATPI India.

According to Varsha, many leaders in the business have developed internally. In operations, around 70% of team leaders and managers started in junior roles before moving into leadership positions.

“If you have the appetite to learn and grow within the company, then there will be many opportunities for you here at ATPI,” says Varsha.

ATPI India’s employees are offered career opportunities to progress within their department, but they can also change departments and roles if they want a new challenge.

“It’s important that people don’t feel stuck in one path,” Varsha adds. “We want them to learn, explore and shift direction within the company if they want a change from their current role.”

A culture that supports people

While growth and performance are important at ATPI India, Varsha highlights that flexibility and employee well-being are equally as important.

“We want to support our employees to perform at their best, so we are open to providing flexibility like hybrid working and different shift timings, as long as it doesn’t impact on business continuity,” she says.

ATPI India also offers a range of fun activities for employees, including sports tournaments such as football, cricket and badminton. With a diverse workforce across India, ATPI also celebrates a wide range of festivals in the office.

“We have a lot of different religions and festivals in India,” says Varsha. “So we love celebrating a range of festivals in the office to recognise our diverse workforce.”

What ATPI India looks for in candidates

When hiring new talent, ATPI India looks for candidates with the right skills and experience for the role. But for Varsha, attitude is just as important.

“Skills and experience matter, of course. But attitude matters just as much. I put a lot of value on having a good attitude, being adaptable and having the appetite to learn,” she says. “These three attributes are very important to building a long career within ATPI.”

For candidates applying to ATPI India careers, preparation matters. Varsha’s advice for your interview is to be yourself, prepare thoroughly and demonstrate both the skills and attitude needed to succeed.

The future of ATPI India: Technology, expansion and the Avenir platform

ATPI India continues to expand, with plans for new office locations to be opened across the country in the next few years. The future is especially exciting because of how the travel management industry is changing.

“The future of the travel management industry involves more technology working alongside human support. So ATPI and Direct Travel are investing heavily in technology and innovation which means there will be more opportunities in those areas,” she says.

Avenir: Travel Edition, Direct Travel and ATPI’s next-generation travel management platform, plays a key part in redefining how global travel management programmes will be delivered in the future. Avenir is designed to replace the fragmented systems and disconnected regional tools that are common in business travel. The single global platform offers a space where travellers, managers and agents can access travel policies, book trips and track travel spend.

For candidates looking for travel management company jobs in India, ATPI and Direct Travel’s investment into technology offers the opportunity to join the business at an exciting time when it is growing, evolving and investing in the future.

Apply today and become a part of ATPI India

If you are looking for travel management company jobs in India, then ATPI India offers the opportunity to join a global organisation that is investing in people, technology and the future of travel management.

With structured learning programmes, career development pathways and a collaborative culture, ATPI India provides an environment where employees can grow and thrive.

“If you are interested in joining a global company which is growing, and you want to be part of the future of travel management, then I would highly encourage you to apply to work at ATPI!” – Varsha Karalkar, Head of HR at ATPI India.

Join ATPI India today by applying directly on the ATPI India Careers page.