'Today's Traveller Prefers Speed & Comfort At Every Step'

Born in Cuncolim, South Goa, BELSON COUTINHO has worked his way to become the VFS Global. He recollects his days growing up in Goa and his current professional role

From heading the global marketing of an airline to driving the marketing, branding and customer experience strategy worldwide for a visa facilitation company, Belson Coutinho’s professional role keeps getting better yet challenging.

But facing challenges is not new for the chief marketing officer (CMO) of VFS Global. Born in Cuncolim in South Goa, Coutinho completed high school before moving to Mumbai to graduate. Today he is among the notable Goans who have made a name for themselves in the highly competitive corporate world. He has offices in Dubai and Mumbai and is usually seen shuttling between the two places. Belson Coutinho talks to VIVA GOA about his new role at VFS Global and his plans for the company.

How different is your role as CMO of VFS Global compared to being senior vice president of Jet Airways?

From a marketing perspective, the lines between different organisations are thinning as most now increasingly focus on brand, data, technology and consumer insights to drive their business strategy. While my previous and current roles at VSF Global are unique in terms of the opportunities and challenges, the commonality would be the primary focus on creating a strong brand and a world-class customer experience strategy.

At Jet Airways, I led the airline’s global marketing, digital, social media, e-commerce, loyalty and Voice of Guest strategy. At VFS Global, my key focus areas are similar but on a much larger scale and network i.e. to drive the global marketing, branding and customer experience strategy across a vast network of 147 countries spanning five continents.