Son of the soil returns to it: RIP Vincent Ramos

Steena Joy

It fills me with immense sadness to hear that Vincent Ramos, Senior Vice President – Goa for the Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) passed away suddenly yesterday. He was 55.

Having known him for quite a while, I remember meeting him in person at our Hospitality Expo in Goa. He came across as a warm dynamic person who wanted nothing but the best for the industry and immensely proud of the Taj legacy. “We are the guardians of Indian hospitality. It is one Indian hospitality company, the world is proud of,” he had said in an interview.

Ramos, who was born on the picturesque island of Chorao in Goa, was also empanelled as a member on the Empowered Committees for the Goa Tourism Board. With IHCL being the largest hospitality operator in the state, he was the only representative from the private sector to be assigned this noteworthy role.

A perfectionist with over a decade of management experience, Ramos was instrumental in the expansion of IHCL across Goa, providing strategic direction to hotels within the region, comprising of a group of brands – Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta , Ginger, amã Stays & Trails, Qmin, and TajSats. He not only effectively represented IHCL but was also the voice of the industry as a whole, within the geography. The optimisation of costs and enhancement in revenue in Goa over the past two years is testimony to his drive towards excellence.

He was also actively involved with the local state authorities to achieve benchmark standards for tourism in Goa. He was appointed as Mentor for the Goa Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) Committee – Tourism vertical and was a part of the Managing Committee of the Travel & Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) as an Executive Member as well as the Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII) Goa.

Ramos completed his schooling at Monte de Guirim School and later graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management, Goa. He attained his Master’s in Business Administration from S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai. Furthermore, he has achieved prestigious academic certifications from IIM Ahmedabad, Cornell University and Nanyang University Singapore. He has
been previously awarded the ‘Unsung Hero of the Hospitality Industry’ in 2017 and ‘Most Admired General Manager of the Decade’ in 2018.

We will miss him. May his soul rest in peace.