Today we’d like to introduce you to Shalini Iyer.
Hi Shalini, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story really begins as a military brat. My father was an officer in the Indian Navy, so I grew up across India, mainly in Mumbai and Vizag. That upbringing gave me adaptability, curiosity, and a deep appreciation for people, cultures, and experiences.
Can you imagine doing 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade, each year in a different school, in a different city? That was my reality. It taught me very early how to walk into unfamiliar rooms, build relationships quickly, adjust with confidence, and find belonging wherever life placed me. Looking back, that became one of my earliest lessons in resilience, connection, and courage, qualities that continue to shape how I lead and partner today.
I knew I wanted to be in hospitality very early. When I was in 10th grade, I walked into a five-star hotel and completely fell in love with the energy, the service, the elegance, and the way people could create memorable experiences for others. While many around me expected the traditional path of medicine or engineering, my parents supported me 100%. That support gave me the confidence to follow what I knew was my calling.
I went on to study at Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration in Manipal, one of India’s top hospitality institutions. My internships took me to Hyderabad, Vizag for five star hotel work experience, Singapore for international marketing, and the UK for restaurant experience. Each opportunity strengthened my passion for hospitality and customer experience. Summers well spent.
I started my career in Goa as part of the pre-opening team for Park Hyatt Goa, a luxury resort in South Goa in 2002, post graduation. Those early years were intense, long days, double shifts, six-day work weeks, but they built my grit, resilience, and respect for the industry. I was promoted to Team Leader for Resort Hosts in the Front Office department, leading a team of 32 within 6 months, which became an early foundation for my leadership journey.
In 2004, I got married and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. I asked which hotel was the very best in the city, and everyone pointed me to The Ballantyne which is now a Marriott Luxury Collection property. I started there as a front desk agent, and what stayed with me most was the sense of belonging the leadership created. I was promoted three times in two years. Eventually, the chairman of the company told me he thought I would be great in sales, and in 2009 I moved into that vertical.
That shift opened the next chapter of my career, business development, revenue strategy, client partnerships, and growth across different hotel companies and roles. In 2019, I was honored to be named Global Sales Leader of the Year for the entire Aloft brand globally, which remains a very special milestone.
Along the way,
I became deeply involved with GBTA (Global Business Travel Association), first as a volunteer and then through committees and board leadership. I joined GBTA in 2016, served in multiple board roles, and was eventually voted President of GBTA North Carolina in 2023. Volunteer leadership has played a huge role in my personal and professional growth. The mentors, relationships, and opportunities to give back have shaped me in powerful ways.
I have also always loved public speaking, emceeing, moderating sessions, and bringing energy to events. During the “great pause,” I stepped away from hotels for a period and joined a consulting firm which got acquired. Then I wore the CEO hat through my own venture, Wicked Agenda, where I planned, designed, and coordinated Indian weddings, Jewish Bat Mitzvahs, and corporate client receptions.
In July 2023, my family moved to Greenville, South Carolina, and that opened another exciting chapter. I helped launch GBTA South Carolina, the 38th GBTA chapter, where I now serve as Founding President. Around the same time, I joined hubli, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, where I now serve as Director of Strategic Partnerships.
Today, I help enterprises reimagine how they manage meetings, group accommodation, and office space bookings at scale. At hubli, my work sits at the intersection of technology, meetings, sustainability, governance, and human connection. We help organizations bring fragmented corporate meeting activity into one enterprise platform with spend visibility, usage controls, sustainability metrics, and duty-of-care compliance.
I also serve as Vice Chair of the GBTA Meetings & Events Committee US, and as Chair of the Standards & Guidelines Committee for the GBTA Chapter Presidents Council, where our focus is creating playbooks, processes, and business continuity resources for all GBTA chapters across the U.S.
When I look back, my journey has been built on passion, resilience, reinvention, mentorship, and community. From walking into that five-star hotel as a teenager in India to working in global travel technology today, the thread has always been the same: I love this industry. I love connecting people. I love creating experiences.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road, but I also believe the uneven roads teach you the most.
One of my earliest struggles was simply choosing a path that was different from what many expected of me. Coming from India, there was a strong belief that success meant becoming a doctor, engineer, or choosing a more traditional profession. Some family members tried to dissuade me from hospitality, but my parents stood firmly by me. That support gave me the courage to trust my own instinct.
Growing up as a military brat also meant constant change. I went through 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade in different schools and cities. At the time, it was not always easy. You are constantly starting over, making new friends, learning new environments, and finding your place again. But looking back, that became one of my greatest strengths. It taught me adaptability, resilience, and how to build relationships quickly.
The hospitality industry itself was another real test. My early career in luxury hotels came with long days, double shifts, six-day work weeks, and the kind of pace that challenges you physically and mentally. But those years built my grit. They taught me discipline, service, humility, and how to lead under pressure.
There were also moments when I questioned whether passion was enough. My husband, with the best intentions, would sometimes encourage me to consider banking or other corporate roles that may have offered more predictable hours or better financial upside. And honestly, those conversations made sense on paper. But every time I considered stepping away, I came back to the same truth: this industry gave me energy. People, experiences, events, travel, and connection were where I felt most alive.
Then came the “great pause,” which forced many of us to rethink everything. It was a difficult period for hospitality and travel, and I had to make some hard decisions. I stepped away from hotels and explored consulting, and even built my own venture through Wicked Agenda. It was uncertain, uncomfortable, and at times scary, but it also taught me reinvention. Today, I work for a global tech company that is very much connected to the business travel and meetings industry & am proud of where I have landed.
So no, it has not been smooth. It has been full of pivots, pressure, long hours, doubts, and moments of starting over. But each challenge gave me something I still carry today: courage, adaptability, empathy, and a deep belief that when you stay connected to your purpose, the road does not have to be smooth to be meaningful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Today, I serve as Director of Strategic Partnerships at hubli, a global, self-serve online booking platform with dedicated booking support and account management, helping enterprises manage meetings and group accommodations through one connected ecosystem.
At hubli, we help companies move beyond fragmented meeting processes and bring everything into one place, from planning and meeting requests to sourcing, contracting, payments, registration, rooming lists, reconciliation, and reporting. The goal is simple: give organizations more visibility, more control, and measurable impact across their meetings program.
I specialize in helping enterprise clients rethink how meetings are managed at scale. Meetings are no longer just one-off transactions. They are a major part of company culture, collaboration, travel spend, sustainability goals, and duty of care. When companies can see what is happening, apply the right policies, and make data-driven decisions, meetings become much more strategic.
hubli has proven results, including 18% savings and 7 hours saved per booking, while delivering an intuitive, no-training-required user experience. What makes the platform powerful is the combination of ease of use with embedded policy controls, approvals, and real-time analytics. Direct API integrations into hotel chains also improve content accuracy and accelerate RFP responses, helping clients move faster from request to decision.
One area I am especially excited about is our enhanced Where to Meet solution, which adds sustainability intelligence by comparing carbon impact and pricing across venues, group stays, and flights. With AI-powered recommendations, companies can identify smarter, greener, and more cost-effective meeting locations before decisions are made.
What I am most proud of is that hubli is evolving the conversation from simply booking small meetings to managing all meetings, simple, complex, internal, external, regional, and global. That shift is important because companies need one connected strategy, not another disconnected tool.
What sets me apart is that I bring more than two decades of hands-on experience across hotels, sales, marketing, revenue strategy, meeting planning, event design, and now travel technology. I understand the supplier side, the buyer side, the planner experience, and the enterprise need for governance and visibility.
I am known as a connector, someone who brings people, platforms, and possibilities together. Whether I am working with clients, speaking at events, moderating industry conversations, or volunteering through GBTA, my focus is always the same: building meaningful and strategic partnerships, creating momentum, and helping the industry move forward with purpose.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I do see myself as a risk-taker, but not in a reckless way. For me, risk has always been about trusting my instinct, doing the work, and being willing to step into the unknown when the path feels aligned with my purpose.
One of my first major risks was choosing hospitality as a career. Coming from India, there was a very traditional view of success, and many expected me to pursue medicine, engineering, or a more conventional path. Choosing hotel school was not the obvious choice, but I knew in my heart that hospitality was where I belonged. That decision taught me that sometimes the biggest risk is not choosing the unknown, but ignoring what you know is meant for you.
Moving to the U.S. was another huge risk. I left behind a career path I had already started building in India and began again in Charlotte as a front desk agent. It was humbling, but it was also one of the best decisions I ever made. Starting over gave me perspective, patience, and a deeper appreciation for every role and every person in the industry.
I also took a major risk during the great pause. Like many in travel and hospitality, I had to rethink what came next. I stepped away from hotels, explored consulting, and even launched my own venture, Wicked Agenda, where I planned and designed weddings, Bat Mitzvahs, and client events. That season was uncertain, but it reminded me that reinvention is also a form of resilience.
More recently, helping launch GBTA South Carolina as the 38th GBTA chapter was another meaningful risk. Building something from the ground up takes courage, community, and a lot of belief before there is a roadmap. But when you care deeply about creating value for the industry, you step forward.
I also believe risk-taking requires humility. I thrive on positive reinforcement, and honestly, who does not? Encouragement gives you momentum. But I also take constructive feedback very seriously, because not every decision or risk goes exactly as planned.
For me, feedback is part of the growth process. It helps me pause, reflect, adjust, and come back stronger. Some risks validate your instincts, while others teach you what to do differently next time. I have learned not to see that as failure, but as information.
My view on risk is that growth rarely happens in complete comfort. The key is to take risks that are rooted in purpose, not ego. I believe in listening, learning, surrounding yourself with good mentors, and then making the leap with confidence.
Some of the best chapters of my life came from decisions that felt scary at the time. Looking back, every risk taught me something: courage, humility, adaptability, and trust. Trust in the journey, trust in my network, and most importantly, trust in myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hubli.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shalsiyer/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shalini-iyer/
- Other: https://www.gbta.org
