Dear Readers,

International tourism is likely to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicting a growth of over 2 per cent compared to 2019. This is on the back of significant recovery (approximately 1.3 billion international arrivals), already recorded in 2023. The strong growth especially in Asia is led by increased air connectivity and open borders and destinations are expected to report a full recovery by the end of this year.

This motivates us to strive harder towards making cross border mobility simpler and more convenient by innovating highly secure, reliable and efficient technological solutions. And I’m sure VFS Global’s strong and diverse work force, which comprises over 11,000 employees from 129 nationalities, will play a pivotal role in this endeavour.

I truly believe that people make an organisation. The people-first approach has been at the heart of VFS Global’s culture since our inception in 2001. This has helped us grow from strength to strength and build strong partnerships based on trust with 67 governments. It has also empowered employees to grow and contribute to the larger organisational vision. VFS Global champions employee engagement, emphasising a collaborative environment that fosters innovation and job satisfaction.

Our recent achievements of becoming Great Place to Work® CertifiedTM in China and India, receiving recognition among the ET Now Best Organisations for Women 2024 and securing a high rating on Glassdoor, a leading platform for employee feedback and company reviews, reflects our unwavering commitment in achieving excellence in people management and developing a ‘fellowship of winners’. This edition’s cover story reflects all these facets and celebrates the efforts of our Human Resources (HR) department, which is instrumental in talent management and focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Over the last few months, we have won honours for our consistent efforts in DEI and Emiratisation. These recognitions motivate us to continue to place significant importance on creating a diverse, inclusive, and empowering workplace.

Diversity of thought is the essence of a healthy, entrepreneurial organisation, and our diverse culture is an important driver of our success. In this edition’s Leaders Speak section, Kathryn Martin, Regional HR Head for MENA region,shares how embracing diversity and inclusion has empowered us to foster innovation and creativity at VFS Global.

Our focus on customer centricity has consistently enabled us to set new benchmarks in the visa outsourcing industry over the last two decades. In an interview, Pankaj Kohli, Head- Transformation, speaks at length about the various measures which we have introduced to optimise our customer response management.

We remain focused on providing exceptional customer service and offering convenient and seamless experiences by working closely with our client governments. I thank you sincerely for your trust and cooperation and hope this edition of Connect proves to be an insightful read.