What's the best
leadership advice
you've ever received?
Take great care of
your employees and your
customers and the
business will take care
of itself.
Your proudest moment
in business?
Being the co-founder of
Gillette Treo—the world's
first razor for caregivers
to groom their loved ones.
I have never felt more
emotionally rewarded
in my career.
RAPID
FIRE
42 | BC B U S I N E SS NOVEM B ER/ D ECEM B ER 2025
THE KICKOFF:
Any big career move is a gamble, but it's hard to imag-
ine a riskier choice than taking over an almost-bankrupt
Canadian travel company in the height of COVID. So why
did Sushant Trivedi do it? "The challenge," he answers
simply. Prior to accepting the CEO role at Fresh Tracks in
December 2021, he'd spent over a decade at Procter and
Gamble ("I did toilet paper, toothpaste and tampons, not
travel," he jokes), and he couldn't resist the opportunity to
transform a business that was in debt. "I thought, if I can
help turn around this company, I'm helping the country and
the overall economy," he explains. "It's a profound impact."
He took the wheel from original founder John Parker, and
the 25-year-old business focused solely on customized
Canadian itineraries was his to steer.
ACTION PLAN:
Trivedi assembled a strong, trustworthy leadership team
and created a new data analytics and technology squad
to develop a proprietary booking system to better sup-
port customer service. He ran the company in 13-week
"sprints" to be flexible in unprecedented times and suc-
cessfully navigated Fresh Tracks out of debt. Since then,
customer service has remained an essential focus, making
FINALIST
ENTREPRENEUR
OF
THE
YEAR
Sushant Trivedi
C EO, F R E S H TR AC KS CA N A DA
all the difference for the company's target
market of folks aged 60-plus. "I think industry
in general right now is so obsessed with mil-
lennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha," the CEO says,
"and I believe the older generation tends to
be ignored." By delivering customized travel
plans that consider accessibility (is a hotel
room wheelchair friendly? can a cross-country
train accommodate a CPAP machine?) rather
than focusing on online booking (every Fresh
Tracks client talks to a human advisor to plan
their journey), the business ensures each trip
is bucket-list worthy.
CLOSING STATEMENT:
Americans make up 75 percent of Fresh
Tracks' client base, but geopolitical tension
hasn't slowed the business down—it's already
hit its $50M revenue goal for 2025. Trivedi says
that U.S. clients' concerns ("will Canadians
welcome us? is it safe for us?") are alleviated
by the company's human-centric customer
care. His goal is to make Canada the world's
top destination for witnessing the northern
lights—showcasing not only the country's nat-
ural beauty but also the rich culture of Northern
Indigenous peoples. For Trivedi, education is
the biggest enemy of ignorance, and "tourism
has the ability to drive that."–A.H.
