Lalit Dahibavkar
Mumbai
Summary
Highly accomplished and results-driven professional with 16+ years of experience in Corporate Travel, Facility Management, and Administration. Proven ability to optimize costs, streamline operations, and implement efficient processes. Adept at vendor negotiations, MIS reporting, and managing 24/7 travel desks. Seeking a challenging role to leverage my expertise for organizational growth and operational excellence.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
3
3
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Manager - Administration
Blend Financial Services Ltd
Mumbai
03.2024 - Current
- Oversaw comprehensive travel logistics, including flights, car rentals, rail, Forex, and accommodations, aligning with program schedules and company needs.
- Optimized travel expenditures by negotiating with vendors and securing cost-effective arrangements within budget constraints.
- Cultivated strong relationships with key travel partners (airlines, agents, hotels), negotiating annual corporate contracts for preferential rates.
- Monitored vendor payment trackers, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines.
- Generated and presented monthly MIS reports to senior management and finance, proactively identifying and mitigating cost discrepancies, resulting in an average reduction of 12% in cost overruns.
- Maintained 24/7 travel desk operations, handling visa, Forex, ticketing, and related services.
- Oversaw all aspects of general administration, including facility maintenance, vendor management, and compliance.
- Directed office maintenance (R&M), renovations, and infrastructure projects (civil, electrical).
- Ensured adherence to health, safety, and hygiene standards.
- Managed vendor relationships, including contract negotiation, procurement (PO, LOI, AMC), and performance monitoring.
- Optimized resource utilization and cost control for utilities, supplies, and services.
- Coordinated and supervised housekeeping, security, visitor management, travel/transport, and cafeteria operations.
- Managed workstation space and parking allocation.
- Ensured compliance with government regulations and industry standards, including Shops & Establishment License.
- Liaised with local authorities (BMC, Fire Brigade).
- Organized and executed various events.
- Maintained health, fire, and safety protocols, including crisis management.
- Conducted annual fire safety drills.
- Delivered comprehensive travel management for the Managing Director, CEO, and family, achieving cost-effective travel through strategic mileage and routing optimization.
- Achieved a combined 67% reduction in travel costs through cost-optimization strategies and vendor negotiation.
- Established transparent processes for travel expense management, ensuring GST compliance.
- On-boarded new travel vendors (Satguru Travels, MakeMyTrip, Blueberry Travels, and Mangalam Travels) to enhance travel options and achieve potential cost reductions of 18%.
- Reduced accommodation costs by 34% by implementing direct hotel tie-ups, service apartments, and bed & breakfast options for employees in high-traffic cities.
- Improved vendor negotiation processes, resulting in 7% cost savings on facility maintenance contracts.
- Implemented Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for maintaining hygiene in washrooms, cafeteria, and workstations, promoting a healthy work environment.
- Managed various administrative functions, including inventory control for stationery, cafeteria, and toiletries materials.
- Oversaw soft and technical services for facility management, ensuring smooth operations.
Manager - Travel Desk; Department: MD Secretariat
D'Decor Home Fabrics Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
10.2023 - 03.2024
- Delivered comprehensive travel management for the Managing Director and family, achieving cost-effective travel through strategic mileage and routing optimization.
- Implemented a transparent online Self-Booking Tool (SBT) with FCM, significantly enhancing travel booking efficiency.
- Streamlined the travel booking process, reducing employee time spent on bookings by 60%.
- Optimized payment processes through proactive invoice tracking and efficient procedure implementation.
- Maintained strict compliance with all travel-related regulations and procedures.
- Generated and presented monthly MIS reports to senior management and finance, proactively identifying and mitigating cost discrepancies, resulting in an average reduction of 25% in cost overruns.
- Led 24/7 travel desk operations, ensuring seamless service delivery for Air, Hotel, Rail, Visa, and Forex needs.
Assistant Manager
The Phoenix Mills Ltd.
Mumbai
07.2014 - 10.2023
- Oversaw comprehensive travel logistics, including flights, car rentals, rail, forex, and accommodations, aligning with program schedules and company needs.
- Optimized travel expenditures by negotiating with vendors and securing cost-effective arrangements within budget constraints.
- Cultivated strong relationships with key travel partners (airlines, agents, hotels), negotiating annual corporate contracts for preferential rates.
- Monitored vendor payment trackers, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines.
- Generated and presented monthly MIS reports to senior management and finance, proactively identifying and mitigating cost discrepancies, resulting in an average reduction of 7% in cost overruns.
- Coordinated international group bookings, enforcing travel SOP's, and preparing detailed cost sheets and itineraries.
- Maintained 24/7 travel desk operations, handling visa, forex, ticketing, and related services.
- Successfully managed off-site travel for the Phoenix Group and incentive travel programs for commercial teams (up to 60 travellers) to destinations like Thailand, Moscow, Shanghai, South Korea, Azerbaijan, Sweden, and Almaty.
- Oversaw outsourced security and facility management personnel, ensuring optimal deployment and performance.
- Improved vendor negotiation processes, resulting in 7% cost savings on facility maintenance contracts.
- Monitored vendor payment trackers, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines.
- Managed all aspects of housekeeping, security, pantry, office support, facility, cafeteria, front desk, and repair and maintenance services for the head office.
- Negotiated and renewed AMC's for air-conditioning and other critical facility equipment.
- Facilitated accurate attendance and salary management for all outsourced agency employees.
- Streamlined communication management through the efficient allocation of data cards, mobile handsets, and corporate SIM cards.
- Managed the creation and setup of workstations and new offices, ensuring seamless integration of all facility services.
Travel Consultant
American Express India Pvt. Ltd. - Global Business Travel
Mumbai
06.2011 - 07.2014
- Oversaw comprehensive travel management services for Directors, Partners, and Consultants at McKinsey & Co., adhering to agreed-upon ISO standards.
- This included hotel and car bookings via Galileo GDS and direct vendor communication, coordination with Airline Sales for corporate and group bookings, management of rail and charter services, and updating corporate deals within Galileo for streamlined access.
- Prepared AR reports for charge code payments and issued tickets using CORREX (Galileo-integrated ticketing software).
- Recognized as 'Top Performer for the Month of April 2014' for exceptional contributions.
- Ensured smooth operation of Emergency Travel Service (ETS) shifts (0600-1430 & 1530-0000), providing critical support during time-sensitive situations.
Air Reservation & Ticketing agent
One Stop Shop Retails Pvt. Ltd. - Flightsafar.com
Mumbai
12.2009 - 05.2011
- Served as the single point of contact (SPOC) for channel, business, and sub-agent partners, managing daily operational needs.
- Handled international and domestic air ticketing (Galileo/Amadeus), itinerary creation, ticket issuance, and cancellation/refund/rescheduling processes across multiple airlines.
Air Reservation & Ticketing agent
Infoscape Pvt. Ltd. - Krisbi travel (U.S. based Travel Agency)
Mumbai
10.2008 - 11.2009
- Efficiently and independently issued domestic and international tickets using Amadeus GDS, handled inbound calls from US clients, and provided standardized formats to expedite query resolution.
Education
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting And Finance
Rizvi College Of Arts, Commerce And Science
Mumbai, India 06.2005 - 05.2008
Master in Human Resources Development & Management -
Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (Mumbai University)
Mumbai05.2021
IATA / UFTAA Consultant Level II (Diploma) -
IITC
Bandra09.2010
International Airlines & Travel Management (Diploma) -
IITC
Bandra09.2008
Amadeus -
IITC
Bandra09.2008
Bachelor of Commerce -
Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce
Mumbai03.2008
Skills
- Travel management
- Facility operations
- Vendor negotiation
- Mis and reporting
- Crisis and event management
- Compliance handling
- GDS-Systems – Amadeus, Galileo
- MS Office Suite
- Leadership and team supervision
- Multitasking, communication
- Communication
Languages
- English
- Marathi
- Hindi
Personal Information
- Date of birth: 22/Jun/1987
- Nationality: Indian
- Marital Status: Married
Languages
English
Proficient (C2)
C2
Hindi
Proficient (C2)
C2
Marathi
Proficient (C2)
C2
Timeline
Manager - Administration
Blend Financial Services Ltd
03.2024 - Current
Manager - Travel Desk; Department: MD Secretariat
D'Decor Home Fabrics Pvt. Ltd.
10.2023 - 03.2024
Assistant Manager
The Phoenix Mills Ltd.
07.2014 - 10.2023
Travel Consultant
American Express India Pvt. Ltd. - Global Business Travel
06.2011 - 07.2014
Air Reservation & Ticketing agent
One Stop Shop Retails Pvt. Ltd. - Flightsafar.com
12.2009 - 05.2011
Air Reservation & Ticketing agent
Infoscape Pvt. Ltd. - Krisbi travel (U.S. based Travel Agency)
10.2008 - 11.2009
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting And Finance
Rizvi College Of Arts, Commerce And Science
06.2005 - 05.2008
Master in Human Resources Development & Management -
Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (Mumbai University)
IATA / UFTAA Consultant Level II (Diploma) -
IITC
International Airlines & Travel Management (Diploma) -
IITC
Amadeus -
IITC
Bachelor of Commerce -
Rizvi College of Arts, Science and Commerce
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