Spotlight on Esha Tiwari: Building Brex Travel with a customer-first mentality

At Spotnana, we know Esha Tiwari as our Senior Manager of Partner Alliance Management. She builds and manages strategic relationships with several partners across the Spotnana ecosystem. At our partner Brex, she is known by her honorary title: esha@brex.com. It was only given after years of close collaboration, problem-solving, and friendship.

Esha was instrumental in building our partnership with expense management innovator Brex and launching Brex Travel in 2023. At the heart of our partnership is the shared philosophy of putting the customer first.

We spoke with Esha about her career journey in travel, why she decided to join Spotnana, her work on Brex Travel, and her perspective on Spotnana’s culture.

Can you share your career journey before joining Spotnana?

Senior Manager of Partner Alliance Management Esha Tiwari

“I began my career in the hospitality industry with Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), a pioneering hotel builder in India and one of the country’s leading hotel chains. I moved from an operational role to their Director of Sales role, ensuring that revenue targets were met. In this role, I also facilitated partnerships in the venture capital space and the defense sector, helping partners secure corporate rates with our hotel chains. I eventually moved from sales to a managerial and executive role with Accor and set up their first property in India.

“At this point in my career, I was interested in exploring another industry. So, I joined a pre-seed venture fund based out of Canada. Realizing my passion for working with teams, I eventually returned to the hotel industry, joining Hilton Hotels. While there, I helped them set up their franchises around the United States, taking geography, demand, diversity, and sector requirements into account.

“My life in the San Francisco Bay Area eventually led me to join the tech world. I met Spotnana Founder and Chief Product Officer Sarosh Waghmar, and during our conversation, I realized that his favorite hotel in Bombay was the same one where I had worked as a management trainee. Plus, his favorite room on the property was the one I always used to love selling! Sarosh and I connected on the core principle of putting the customer first. I was thrilled that we aligned on the work ethic required to make it happen, and I was eager to join forces with this kind of leader.”

Why did you choose to come work at Spotnana?

“Spotnana is trying to solve challenges that no one in the travel industry has been able to solve. I was intrigued by this ambitious vision because I know how travel works behind the scenes.

“Tackling this challenge from a tech point of view was very exciting. I didn’t ask for a particular rank within my function because I wanted to learn from the ground up. With this perspective, I could serve our partners better.”

Can you please tell me about your work on Brex Travel?

“ Taking Brex live marked my first and most significant achievement at Spotnana. Our integration with Brex was one of the most complex integrations from a T&E point of view, from white labeling to API and webhook integrations. We created webhooks for Brex on policies so that they could integrate and showcase those policies.

“A big goal for us was reducing time to revenue, so we sat down to understand how long it takes for a customer to close. Additionally, we had to make sure that expense customers also used the travel product.

“It’s been two years, and I think the teams have done exceptionally well. The whole partnership has been amazing.”

What does collaboration with Brex look like? How has it built trust internally and externally?

“Brex and Spotnana have the same philosophy toward customers, and ideologically we are very compatible. Whenever a customer raises an issue, the executives from both teams are in the same incident war room resolving it together. Together, we sit down, troubleshoot, and assign the right folks to resolve each incident.

“ Internally, Sarosh empowers me to make decisions and move forward. That helps build trust between executives, and when you build trust with executives, you become reliable and dependable. In general, it helps me exude confidence in front of our partners and assert myself as a trustworthy point of contact. It’s very important to get that executive backing.

“Now, within the Brex and Spotnana teams, I am known as ‘esha@brex.com.’ I think that’s very rewarding to hear from both your own company and your partner.”

What are the dynamics of your team?

“We believe that learning ends when we rely on others to give us the answers. So, we make an effort to understand a problem, proposing a solution before we seek answers from each other.

“The moment you understand the problem, you’re a step closer to the solution. You’ll at least know the right questions to ask if you need to reach out for help. When you ask the right questions, you reach the right answers. That’s where the solution starts to unfold.

“Additionally, on our team, we are all equals. I never use my title to put myself above my colleagues. I love working in that kind of culture.”

Can you please share your perspective on our Spotnana culture?

Senior Manager of Partner Alliance Management Esha Tiwari (second from left) at Converge 2022 in Jaipur, India

“ I remember when I attended my first Converge, our global offsite, in Jaipur, what stood out to me was that everyone came from different familial and cultural backgrounds. Whenever we come together, we all share the same identity: Spotters. We all respect each other and our shared company culture.

“Even when we propose different solutions or ways forward, we always strive for unity and consider each other’s ideas. We also have a great culture around giving and receiving feedback. People approach this process constructively, objectively, and politely.

“Everyone is unique and has a great perspective on our world. Some enjoy dining out at Michelin-star restaurants, and others enjoy traveling to Tokyo and other cities every year. 

“Working at Spotnana truly is a fantastic opportunity to build lifelong bonds with globally-minded people.”

Fun Facts!

• What’s the best trip you ever took and why? I always loved visiting my grandparents during my childhood. Together, in India, we would visit amazing hole-in-the-wall restaurants and small shops selling local artifacts.
• What’s your favorite thing to do at the airport?  Flaunting the outfit that I’m wearing! I also love sitting at business class lounges, shopping at the duty-free store, and people-watching. Oh, massages are nice too.
• What’s your favorite airplane snack? Lotus seeds.
• Aisle, middle, or window seat? Aisle. I’ve canceled trips if I wasn’t able to find an aisle seat.
• What’s your go-to movie(s) to watch on a trip? The Devil Wears Prada. I think Meryl Streep is fantastic, and I love Anne Hathaway’s clothes. Her Chanel boots are simply unbelievable. As far as Bollywood movies, I love Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ). It’s my childhood romantic movie and my Valentine’s Day movie.
• What’s the top destination on your bucket list? Cappadocia, Turkey. I love the hot air balloons.