Vanita Kanoi: Redefining Career Paths and Inspiring India’s Young Professionals
Vanita Kanoi’s journey from entrepreneur to AirAsia MOVE leader shows India’s youth that careers aren’t linear—adaptability and reinvention are the real career edge.
New Delhi [India], September 27: In a country where jobs are often feared to be scarce and competition looms large, Vanita Kanoi stands out as a story of resilience and reinvention. From co-founding a startup at just 19, to steering corporate law, to now leading growth strategy for AirAsia MOVE in India, her journey challenges the conventional idea of a linear career path. For India’s youth navigating uncertainty, she offers a fresh lens: jobs are not disappearing — they are transforming, and so must we.
Entrepreneurial Spirit from the Start
At an age when most students are still weighing career choices, Vanita was already building one. At 19, she co-founded Xdimensions Syscom Private Limited, a graphics and web design startup. Within the first month, the firm had signed more than 20 clients, proving her ability to translate vision into execution.
Years later, she became an active part of Femcy, a Singapore-based women’s hygiene startup. Her work there gave her a deeper understanding of how consumer-centric apps could solve sensitive, real-world problems for women.
“As an entrepreneur, you don’t just learn business,” Vanita recalls. “You learn resilience, adaptability, and the ability to create opportunities where none seem to exist.”
A Foundation in Law and Governance
Alongside entrepreneurship, Vanita pursued a career in law. A qualified Company Secretary, she advised on IPOs, mergers, and governance frameworks. She became a Partner at Mehta & Mehta, a corporate law firm in India, and later served as a Legal Officer at Hyatt, managing compliance across industries including hospitality, biochemicals, and mining.
Her legal years sharpened her analytical and problem-solving skills. These, she would later discover, were transferable to strategy and business growth.
Expanding Horizons with an MBA
Determined to go beyond safeguarding organizations and instead help shape their growth, Vanita pursued an MBA at the Asia School of Business in collaboration with MIT Sloan.
During the program, she worked on high-impact projects across Southeast Asia:
• In Malaysia, she designed a market expansion strategy for a media group, helping the business identify growth opportunities beyond its traditional segments.
• In the Philippines, she co-created a brand book for an industrial conglomerate, aligning its corporate identity with international standards.
• In Vietnam, she developed a foreign exchange model for a multinational, optimizing cross-border transactions and mitigating currency risks.
A passionate traveler who has explored more than 20 countries, Vanita says this global exposure has shaped her worldview and decision-making:
“The MBA gave me the confidence to step beyond law. And my travels taught me that the world is a classroom — every culture, every conversation adds to how you solve problems.”
Steering Growth Strategy at AirAsia MOVE
Today, Vanita leads growth and partnerships for AirAsia MOVE in India, the OTA (online travel agency) arm of Capital A (formerly AirAsia Group). In one of the most competitive travel-tech markets in the world, her role is to design the company’s go-to-market strategy, forge partnerships with banks, payment providers, tourism boards, and lifestyle brands, and position AirAsia MOVE as a connected lifestyle ecosystem.
“India is a market of possibilities,” she says. “The real challenge isn’t opportunity — it’s whether professionals can make themselves fit for the opportunities that exist.”
Her leadership has been instrumental in deepening MOVE’s footprint in India while building bridges with stakeholders that are critical to the company’s expansion.
A Voice Beyond the Boardroom
Vanita also took the stage at TEDx Shivaji College, Delhi University and spoke about careers not as ladders to climb but as kaleidoscopes — ever-shifting, full of color, and open to reinvention.
“In India, we often hear that jobs are scarce,” Vanita reflected. “But the truth is, the market is changing so fast that staying still is the real risk.”
Reframing the Job Market
Her own journey illustrates that point. Starting in corporate law, Vanita went on to co-found a startup, and later moved into strategy and growth leadership. Each shift wasn’t about discarding her past experience but reframing it to meet new opportunities.
Her message resonates strongly as India’s workforce faces rapid change driven by technology, sustainability, and global connectivity: adaptability is no longer optional — it’s the bridge between today’s skills and tomorrow’s possibilities.
Lessons for a New Generation
For students and young professionals, Vanita’s story offers three key insights:
- Your skills travel further than you think. The challenge is recognizing where they fit next.
• Look beyond job postings. Opportunities often reveal themselves in broader market trends.
• Stay adaptable. Flexibility is the real definition of career security today.
As she concluded her talk: “A career isn’t something you simply land — it’s something you keep building.”
A Beacon of Possibility
From building a startup at 19 to contributing to women’s health innovation in Singapore, from leading corporate law to executing MBA projects across Southeast Asia, and now shaping AirAsia MOVE’s growth in India, Vanita Kanoi represents reinvention at its best.
Her story shows that India’s job market is not a dead end but a dynamic landscape waiting to be navigated with the right mindset. And as she continues to expand AirAsia MOVE’s presence and inspire young professionals on platforms like TEDx, Vanita is emerging as both a leader in business and a voice of possibility for India’s youth.
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