When Succeeding Is The Only Option

CVENT CEO REGGIE AGGARWAL IS A CERTIFIED PHOENIX WHO HAS BRILLIANTLY RISEN FROM THE ASHES OF FAILURE. HE TELLS US HIS STORY TO NEVER BACK DOWN...

- Kanika Dhawan

Rajeev or Reggie Aggarwal’s life is worthy of being made into a movie by a film director like Mira Nair who likes to dabble with different subjects and stories.

But it’s not going to be a too-good-to-be true tale full of Bollywood masala. It’s a story of patience, passion and perseverance and a welldeserved victory.

His parents immigrated to the US in 1965. His father went to Kansas State University for a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering followed by a job at the Department of Commerce. His mother, a Masters in Sitar, became an executive with the US Government after moving to the States. Reggie has two siblings — a sister called Manjula; she worked at Cvent for 15 years as Senior Vice President, Client Services — and his brother Sanjeev is a cancer specialist.

While still young, his family moved around a lot and lived in seven to eight different cities before settling down in Alexandria, Virginia, where his parents still continue to live. Growing up in the US was initially difficult for the family. “My father came to the US with very little money and went for his Masters. 

To make ends meet, my father worked at a fast food restaurant and my mother cleaned houses and sold Avon door to door. It was tough living during our first decade in America. But once my family adjusted they got more professional careers and ended up working for the US government,” says Aggarwal.

The Aggarwal household was a middle-class environment that gave all three siblings a happy childhood despite the struggle. From the beginning, their father was involved with them and ensured they played a lot of sport including basketball and soccer. Since Reggie was slightly shy as a kid, he challenged that through debating; it instilled confidence in him and enabled him to truly enjoy academics.