MOK SINGH’S VISION PAVES WAY FOR SITA

Mok Singh, President

LOS ANGELES – When Mok Singh first came to the United States from India as an English Literature major and Economics minor, little did he imagine that within twenty years he would become a leader and an innovator in the US travel industry.

In 1972, after graduating from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, Mok arrived in Missouri, marking the beginning of an active and fruitful era in his life. For it was in Missouri where Mok received a degree in Travel Administration and Management from Columbia College; began his career in the travel profession (World Travel Services); and later worked for Wilson Travels, where he met Roger Mahal, a friendship that would someday flower into a successful business collaboration.

After three years at Wilson, Mok moved to Los Angeles where he worked for Chicago-based Patson Travels. Initially hired as Director of Sales, within a short time, Mok’s high aptitude and intuitive understanding of the travel industry led to his promotion to the position of Vice-President of Sales and Marketing. In spite of his commendable success, Mok left the company in 1981 to pursue a long-held dream of starting his own business.

"I learned a great deal during the time I spent at Patson," Mok said. "I felt I had acquired the type of experience and know-how needed to explore opportunities elsewhere."

That he did. In 1981, Mok went into business for himself and invited his longtime friend, Roger, to join him. Travel Promotions Inc., the company Mok and Roger started together had been established for over a year, when Mok began investigating the possibility of acquiring SITA.

A well-renowned company with an illustrious history dating back to the 1930s, SITA had a solid reputation. As one of the first companies in North America to promote tours to exotic and remote destinations, SITA was an industry pioneer and trendsetter.

"I was fascinated with the idea of purchasing SITA. It was a company that had great potential and offered endless possibilities in terms of growth."

In late 1982, Mok and Roger acquired SITA, and by 1983 had merged it with their newly established company, Travel Promotions. The result was SITA World Tours.

During the time Mok was exploring the idea of creating his own business, the world around him was experiencing its own changes. Under the Carter Administration, Congress had passed a consent degree, ending an era of tightly regulated airline industry standards.

By the early 1980s, as anti-trust requirements were being dismantled, opportunities to represent airlines that did not fly to the US or Canada began to emerge. Mok quickly capitalized on this and secured his first General Sales Agent contract with Air Lanka – the international airline of Sri Lanka.

"I got involved in the entire process, from conceptualizing a business model, refining it, putting it onto paper, and finally pitching it to potential principals. Once the ideas were sold, that’s when the actual work started and I had to deliver on my promises."

One of the promises Mok made and delivered, was to create a toll free number on behalf of airlines, which would then be routed to SITA. At the time, many of Mok’s potential clients were airlines from the developing world and found this service to be invaluable.

Soon Mok’s role and promises expanded, as he began helping his clients set up joint marketing ventures and other agreements with large US and Canadian airlines. This was yet another revolutionary service Mok provided his clients, who looked forward to tapping into the lucrative US and Canadian markets.

Mok also aided the entry of his clients into computerized global distribution systems, such as Worldspan and Sabre, enabling them to gain exposure on a global level.

Mok continued to remain actively involved in every aspect of the business, from overseeing the minutest of details to the overall management of SITA’s ever-growing Airlines Division. His diligence and pioneering paid off, as SITA continued to expand steadily over the decades.

Today, SITA’s Airlines Division represents eleven clients, including Garuda Indonesia, Indian Airlines, Air Madagascar, Air Zimbabwe, Air Botswana, Kenya Airways, Lithuanian Airlines, Royal Nepal Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Daallo Airlines, and Mongolian Airlines. Headquartered in Los Angeles, SITA’s Airlines Division also operates out of offices in Houston, Chicago, New York, Vancouver, and Toronto.

What is most important to Mok, however, is not the amount of clients or offices SITA boasts. It is the family environment it has fostered over the years; made evident by the fact that four out of the six managers who oversee operations have been working for him between 12 and 16 years.

Mok also prides SITA on its most recent innovation, the creation of a Delhi-based office, which currently handles reservations for three of the eleven airlines SITA represents. Within the next year, Mok plans to transfer the remaining airlines’ reservation activities to the Delhi office.

"Our Delhi-based global center enables us to be accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, without incurring significant costs. Through this system, we can provide customers with the highest level of value and service for their money."

In addition to his role as President of the Airlines Division, Mok also heads SITA’s IT Division, which has made tremendous technological strides for SITA and its clients over the years. The IT group’s most recent achievement has been the creation of a central platform for various airlines to reside on.

"We had about ten computers in each office, with employees jumping all over the place in order to respond to incoming reservation requests for the various airlines. Our goal was to develop a central system, where going from one airline to the next was literally a click away."

This was a feat deemed impossible as each airline had its own unique reservations system. However, Mok and his team pursued their goal relentlessly, and ultimately triumphed.

The IT Division’s other accomplishments include ROVER, which bypasses the need for all GDS systems; GDS-TRAC, which audits and analyzes GDS costs; PATHFINDER, an Internet booking engine for medium-to-small-sized airlines; and SPIRIT, which establishes worldwide, toll-free numbers for airlines, enabling them to offer twenty-four/seven customer service.

"We’re very proud of our IT Division, as it provides smaller airlines with affordable technological solutions necessary to compete on a global level."

When not at the office, Mok remains actively involved with numerous industry organizations. Among them, is the prestigious International Association of Travel and Tourism Professionals (SKAL). Mok will soon serve as Vice President of Administration on SKAL’s national board, and currently serves as its Vice President of Finance.

Outside of his role as President of SITA and as an officer of SKAL, Mok dedicates his time to his primary passion, his family. He finds his greatest delight in skiing in the winter and sailing in the summer with his wife, Renu, and their three children. Mok hopes to be able to spend more time traveling with his family to some of his favorite destinations, which include England and India.