Marc Thiry is the Director of Operations at GoZayaan, one of the most fascinating travel tech companies in Bangladesh. Before joining GoZayaan, Marc built a diverse career spanning multiple countries and sectors. He began at Jumia, a Rocket Internet company in Africa, where he mastered the fundamentals of operational management. He then moved to France to join Mano, an e-commerce startup, where he saw the company scale from a small team to an organization of hundreds. His journey eventually brought him to Bangladesh, where he honed his expertise at Sundora, a beauty and cosmetics company, and Maya, a healthcare startup, before landing at GoZayaan.
In this conversation, we explore Marc's journey to where he is today, his work as Director of Operations at GoZayaan, how operations work at an online travel agency, the science and art of running excellent operations, and the lessons he's gathered from working and living across continents.
We unpack what operations mean for a company and what operational excellence looks like in practice. When we discuss operations, it often carries a certain vagueness. Of course, operations vary significantly from company to company and industry to industry. Yet as an essential function for nearly every organization, there are fundamental principles that need to be understood if you want to run an effective operation. Similarly, there should be best practices, a sort of art and science of running excellent operations. In this conversation, we have tried to surface these in a manner that offers concrete, actionable insights into what good operational management feels like in its texture and details.
As you will see, the conversation provides a framework for thinking about operational excellence. As Marc explains, operations work in the background to ensure the smooth running of a company’s core function, which, in most cases, is delivering excellent products and services to customers. The best operation often feels effortless, almost invisible. To that end, if you want to design an effective operation, you have to start from the beginning of your service delivery journey and build deliberately from there.
The second component is systems and processes. As Marc explains, you also need “structure and clarity.” While exceptions will happen, exceptions shouldn’t dictate all your actions. Because it means you are constantly firefighting and your operations become slow, expensive, and impossible to scale.
The third important component is people and culture. Operational excellence isn't just about processes and systems—it is a deeply cultural function. It depends on whether your people can operate autonomously, make sound decisions under pressure, and execute independently at their highest level amid constant challenges of running a business. Marc explains how he empowers his team and how GoZayaan’s values and culture create an environment where people can experiment, learn from mistakes, and continuously get better at what they do.
Operational excellence often separates winners from the rest. Marc puts it the best in the context of his experience at Rocket Internet: “At Rocket, the philosophy was simple: ideas matter, but operational excellence is what makes a business succeed. That means having a systematic approach, building strong processes, and creating frameworks that empower people to have a direct impact on results.”
Yet despite its critical importance, it’s surprisingly hard to find practical, actionable insights on operations design and management that can be put to work. In this conversation, Marc generously shares his hard-earned insights from running operations across sectors and countries, with particular focus on how operations work at GoZayaan.
If you are a founder or operator looking to elevate your craft, this is an essential read that can help you take your game up a notch.
Happy building. Enjoy!
Ruhul Kader: Thank you so much, Marc, for taking the time. Really excited to have this conversation.
Marc Thiry: Thank you very much, Ruhul, for having me. I'm delighted to share a bit of my story and my experience with GoZayaan and startups in Bangladesh. Very excited to discuss this further with you.
Ruhul: We can start by talking about your background and your journey to what you’re doing today. I know you from your days at Maya, but if we could go even further back that would be great.
Marc: Let me start from the beginning. I’m half French, half German—born in France, but raised across several countries in Europe and the Americas. That experience gave me a travel bug early on, and I’ve always been drawn to discovering new places. I later studied in France, New York, and Japan, and my career eventually took me to emerging markets, including Africa.
I studied business and finance and started out in banking, but I didn’t feel connected to the work. That’s when I joined Rocket Internet, the German startup accelerator known for bringing proven online models into new markets. I worked mainly with Jumia in Africa—an Amazon-like marketplace—and it was there that I got my first taste of operations. I learned how different functions connect, and how execution and efficiency matter just as much as ideas.
After that, I joined Mano in France, an e-commerce startup that grew from a handful of people to hundreds in a very short time. It was fascinating to witness that kind of scale up close. I’ve also always had an interest in technology, so I even did a bootcamp in Ruby on Rails to learn how to build full-stack websites. It gave me a valuable perspective on the gap between business and tech—understanding both the “why” from the business side and the “how” from the tech side.
Back in France, I consulted for a few businesses before an old friend told me about an opportunity in Bangladesh. I’ve always been adventurous, and I thought: why not? If it didn’t work out, I could always go back. Seven years later, I’m still here.
My first role was with Sundora, which was building an omnichannel retail platform for beauty and cosmetics. We worked to bring international brands to Bangladesh and build the distribution networks to support them. It was a classic market gap: the demand existed, but the supply wasn’t there. It was challenging but exciting to build both sides of that ecosystem, and the company continues to thrive today.
When COVID hit, I began exploring opportunities closer to my long-standing interest in online businesses. I joined Maya, which combined AI with healthcare—a sector I believe is one of the most important for Bangladesh’s future. It was eye-opening to see how technology could address healthcare gaps here, even if the timing and circumstances weren’t quite right back then. In hindsight, we were a bit ahead of the curve; today, AI is everywhere.
After Maya, I connected with Ridwan Hafiz, CEO of GoZayaan. We clicked immediately. He’s incredibly driven and has strong conviction in his vision. I first joined as a consultant, and as we worked together, it became clear there was a bigger opportunity to build something lasting. That’s how I became part of GoZayaan, where we’re now working not only to make travel easier but also to expand into adjacent services like Hometown.
So that’s a little about my background—how a passion for travel, combined with a career in startups and operations, eventually led me here to Bangladesh.
What people often need most is confidence. If you can give someone confidence, it changes how they show up.
Ruhul: This is fascinating. I would like to ask you about your experience of working at Rocket Internet and working in Bangladesh. First, about Bangladesh. You have been to Africa. You have seen markets in Europe, and you have been working in Bangladesh for several years now. This gives you an opportunity to contrast and compare these different markets. If you put all of it together, what is your take on the Bangladesh market? Where do you think Bangladesh is heading?
Marc: Yes, Rocket Internet launched several companies in Bangladesh, and while not all survived, some like Daraz and Foodpanda are still here today. That’s how they operated globally—testing proven models in new markets. Some adapt well, others face obstacles, because every market is unique. People may have similar aspirations, but cultural and structural differences shape how businesses succeed.
My own international background has helped me approach each new place with an open mind. During my studies, I spent semesters in New York and Japan, specifically to learn how business practices differ around the world. And while textbooks teach concepts and processes, the real challenge in operations is managing people—people with different backgrounds, expectations, and generational mindsets. That’s why solutions in one country don’t always translate directly to another.
Bangladesh is a fascinating example. It’s a young nation—just over 50 years old—with a complex legacy, but the pace of development here is remarkable. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve seen new airports, terminals, bridges, flyovers, and buildings reshape the country. Every week there seems to be a new business, café, or startup. There’s incredible energy among young graduates who want to build something meaningful and contribute to their country’s growth.
Of course, there are challenges too—COVID, the dollar crisis, political turbulence. These events inevitably affect people and the economy. But I think the strength of Bangladesh lies in its ability to keep moving forward despite the setbacks. There’s beauty in that imperfection. If individuals, entrepreneurs, and the private sector continue to channel their energy toward progress, the opportunities are limitless.
With one of the fastest growth rates in the world, a large young population, and a rising middle class, Bangladesh has the potential to become a major global economy in the coming decades. What matters now is execution—turning ambition into action, step by step, brick by brick. That’s something I connect with deeply in my work: it’s not just about the vision, but about building consistently every day to make it real.
Ruhul: The next question is about your experience at Rocket Internet. Rocket was an interesting phenomenon. The company played an important role in Bangladesh’s tech scene. Rocket originally started companies like Daraz, which Alibaba acquired later, and Food Panda, which was later acquired by Delivery Hero. At one point, I think all the major internet companies in Bangladesh were run by Rocket Internet. What have you learned from your experience of working at Rocket? How has that experience shaped your thinking about building businesses and running operations?
Marc: What I really took from my time at Rocket Internet is a methodology that I still apply today. Over my career I’ve moved across industries, and that’s never been a big hurdle because industry knowledge can be learned. What matters more is understanding the fundamentals of how to run and scale a business—and applying them with discipline.
At Rocket, the philosophy was simple: ideas matter, but operational excellence is what makes a business succeed. That means having a systematic approach, building strong processes, and creating frameworks that empower people to have a direct impact on results.
Startups always begin small, and the first version of a product will never be perfect. Features take time to build, customers may be frustrated, and mistakes are inevitable. But that’s all part of the process. The real value is in learning, improving, and iterating. I often go back to Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup—the cycle of idea, execution, measurement, and learning. You test an idea, validate it with real feedback, and either scale it up or adjust it.
For that to work, though, you need structure. Teams need clarity on roles, responsibilities, objectives, and how their work connects to the company’s success. When everyone understands that link, they’re empowered to contribute, and the business can grow in a sustainable, systematic way.
I try to create an environment where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities rather than failures. Blame doesn’t help anyone; understanding why something went wrong and how to improve does. Failure, when used well, is part of the process of growth and success.
Ruhul: This is such an excellent perspective. We'll get to your work at GoZayaan as Director of Operations, and how operations work at GoZayaan, in a moment. Before that, I want to talk about operations itself. Operations in the context of a company is something that people rarely talk about. Although it is at the heart of everything in a company, the understanding of operations remains vague to most people. Tell us about your take on operations as a function of a company. What exactly does operations mean, why is it important, and what does operations entail for a company?
Marc: Operations look different from one industry to another, but the core purpose is the same: making sure the end-to-end value chain works smoothly for the customer. In manufacturing, people talk about the supply chain; in online businesses like ours, it’s about ensuring the user journey is seamless.
At GoZayaan, everything starts with the customer. We built our app because we saw a clear gap. Not long ago, booking a flight or hotel meant sitting in traffic to reach a travel agency, often during limited working hours. Now, people can book anytime, anywhere, with just a few taps. But technology alone isn’t enough—the bigger challenge is trust. In Bangladesh, customers have seen too many disappointing experiences with online services. Building trust is at the heart of what we do: listening to customers, responding quickly, and showing them that we’re reliable.
Behind the scenes, our operations connect every part of the business—customer experience, product, tech, finance, supply. We smooth out the gaps where automation isn’t yet perfect, and we make sure the pieces work together toward the same goal: a great customer experience.
Our customer-facing teams handle queries when travelers get confused—whether it’s about fares, policies, or visas. For first-time travelers especially, the process can feel overwhelming and expensive. We try to simplify, breaking down complex information into something easy to digest, while still being there with human support when needed.
We also have specialized teams for flights and hotels, who verify bookings and make sure everything customers purchase can actually be delivered. On top of that, we’re building more automation so people can resolve common issues—like changes or cancellations—directly in the app. And when automation can’t cover everything, our team steps in quickly. Over the past few years, we’ve dramatically improved resolution times, and that has boosted customer satisfaction.
Of course, many factors are outside our control—airlines, hotels, and even some of the technology providers we rely on. The truth is, it takes a huge amount of effort to make things look simple from the outside. That’s what operations is really about: absorbing the complexity so the customer enjoys a smooth, stress-free experience. If customers hardly notice the work behind the scenes, it means we’re doing our job right.
Ruhul: Now, this is very interesting. I would like to dig deeper into your operation work at GoZayaan. Tell us about your work as the Director of Operations at GoZayaan. What exactly do you do on a day-to-day basis?
Marc: My day-to-day role is about making sure customers get the support they need, while also building systems so we’re not just reacting all the time. On any given day, we might face last-minute flight changes, cancellations, or customers stuck at airports. These are stressful moments, and we work closely with different teams to prioritize issues and find solutions quickly.
But operations can’t just be firefighting. The bigger responsibility is to anticipate problems and design processes that prevent them in the first place. For example, we think carefully about scalability—whether it makes sense to hire more agents to handle spikes in calls, or whether technology and smarter processes can manage the load more efficiently. It’s always a balance between delivering the best experience and keeping the business sustainable.
At the same time, a big part of my role is about people. I believe there’s enormous potential here in Bangladesh—young graduates, even without prior experience, can do world-class work if they’re empowered and given the right mindset. I try to instill the idea that learning never stops, that everyone can take initiative and contribute to the company’s success. If people rely only on their managers for decisions, the organization slows down. But if you give them the tools and confidence to solve problems themselves, they grow—and so does the business.
That’s the philosophy I follow. Over the years, I’ve seen many of our team members develop into proactive decision-makers who go the extra mile for customers. When that happens consistently, it builds trust—and in this market, trust is everything. If we can deliver reliability and care at scale, that’s how GoZayaan will continue to succeed.
If people rely only on their managers for decisions, the organization slows down. But if you give them the tools and confidence to solve problems themselves, they grow—and so does the business.
Ruhul: I would like to learn more about how operations work at GoZayaan. So, the operations itself is an organization within the company. It's a small team of people. Tell us more about how operations works at GoZayaan.
Marc: Like finance or marketing, operations is its own department. At GoZayaan, our operations team is about 45 people—a sizable group responsible for keeping the business running smoothly. Much of our work is about scalability and process optimization, but it’s also very people-driven. As a manager, I’ve learned I can’t solve every issue myself; there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why I focus on encouraging ownership within the team.
Values play a big role in making that possible. At GoZayaan, we emphasize being friendly, chasing the impossible, and going fast but together. These values give us a shared framework and help everyone feel that their work has meaning beyond just collecting a paycheck.
Alongside values, I try to instill three soft skills that I believe are essential in operations:
To support these skills, I try to create an environment where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities rather than failures. Blame doesn’t help anyone; understanding why something went wrong and how to improve does. Failure, when used well, is part of the process of growth and success.
Ruhul: These are beautiful ideas and effective strategies to run a team that delivers. You mentioned that operations are different for different companies. A manufacturing company has different priorities, different departments, and different operational needs than a non-manufacturing business. It's different for a travel company. Talk about how an online travel business operates and what the core components of travel operations are.
Marc: To explain travel operations, it’s helpful to start with the user journey—because that’s where everything begins. A customer opens our app or website, searches for flights, chooses the best option, enters their details, pays, and ideally receives their ticket instantly. That’s the seamless experience we’re all aiming for.
But behind that simplicity lies a lot of complexity. As a startup, we don’t yet have the scale of billion-dollar OTAs, so we’re constantly building, improving, and overcoming limitations. There can be bugs, system glitches, or connection issues with external providers that affect the flow. On top of that, we work with dozens of airlines and suppliers. While Global Distribution Systems (GDS) exist to centralize content, many airlines now prefer to use their own platforms, each with different technologies and processes. Simplifying all of that for the user is a huge technical challenge.
That’s where operations come in—connecting the pieces, identifying where problems occur, and prioritizing solutions based on how often they happen, how much they affect customers, and how costly they are to fix. Some areas, like ticketing, we can handle directly. Our teams are trained on airline systems and maintain strong relationships with suppliers to resolve issues quickly. Other areas—like ticket changes, cancellations, or ancillary services such as extra luggage or seat selection—still require manual support because the automation doesn’t fully exist yet or isn’t compatible across all airlines.
We also need to balance standardization with customization. Travelers come from different segments—first-time fliers, seasoned business travelers, families—and their needs vary widely. Operations ensure that whether it’s a straightforward booking or a complex case, customers feel supported.
From the outside, it may look effortless: a few taps and you’re done. But in reality, there’s an enormous amount happening in the background to make that possible. Our job in operations is to absorb that complexity so the customer doesn’t have to. And over the years, we’ve made huge strides. I think that’s why GoZayaan is perceived so positively today—because we keep listening, improving, and proving to customers that they can trust us with their travel.
For me, the foundation of effective operations is structure and clarity. You need to know what’s happening in your business at all times. That starts with monitoring—defining clear KPIs and OKRs, setting up reporting, and tracking the impact of your actions.
Ruhul: You rightly pointed out that when we see from outside, it looks like, I click here, and then it produces a ticket somewhere else. It's not like that. You have a ton of moving pieces, and a ton of partners, a ton of different things to take care of. These are great insights. I have questions about the overall travel industry in the country. I'll get to them in a moment. Let's talk some more about operations because, as you mentioned at the beginning, ideas are important, but what makes all the difference is how you execute and how excellent and effective your operation is. My question is: How do you design effective and efficient operations? What are the overarching principles or strategic components you need to think about to build an operation that helps you run the company properly? As you said, operation is at the heart of everything. It's at the core of how the company delivers its value to the customers. If you want to do that properly, from your experience, what is the science and art of running operations?
Marc: For me, the foundation of effective operations is structure and clarity. You need to know what’s happening in your business at all times. That starts with monitoring—defining clear KPIs and OKRs, setting up reporting, and tracking the impact of your actions.
It’s not enough to just launch initiatives; you need feedback loops to validate what’s working and what isn’t. Otherwise, you’re making changes blindly. By measuring outcomes, you can identify which improvements create real value, and double down on them.
Once that discipline is in place, you can move from firefighting to proactive planning. Company goals—whether growth, profitability, or customer satisfaction—can then be broken down into specific, achievable objectives for teams and individuals.
Standardization also plays a key role. Without it, you risk handling too many exceptions, which slows growth and drives up costs. A balance is needed: processes should be robust enough to scale, but flexible enough to adapt to customer needs.
At GoZayaan, we apply this mindset daily. We share operational insights across teams, highlight customer pain points, and work together on solutions. This cross-team visibility ensures that operations act as the glue in the value chain, connecting efforts and creating efficiency.
Ultimately, operations may not always generate revenue directly, but they directly influence profitability by managing costs and enabling scale. That’s why we focus on building lean, efficient systems that make growth sustainable.
Ruhul: That's beautifully put. I think that same question I would like to apply to the individual—someone who is running the operation. If you were to say what makes a great operator, what are some of the key skills and key abilities one should have, or how one can become a great operator?
Marc: In operations, analytical and problem-solving skills are essential because the job is fundamentally about solving problems every day. But it doesn’t stop at processes and tools—operations are equally about people.
People have diverse needs, strengths, and challenges. A good operator recognizes this and learns what drives each individual’s motivation and performance. That’s why I believe that just as we obsess over our customers, we also need to obsess over our teams—supporting them to grow, take ownership, and deliver their best work.
For me, leadership is about instilling soft skills alongside technical ones. Communication, critical thinking, and initiative not only improve performance at work but also enrich people’s personal lives. I’ve seen how empowering individuals with these habits helps them become more confident and resilient.
At its core, operations is an ongoing cycle of trying, learning, and improving. The same applies to people: when you give them the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and learn, they grow. And when your people grow, your organization grows with them.
It’s not enough to just launch initiatives; you need feedback loops to validate what’s working and what isn’t. Otherwise, you’re making changes blindly. By measuring outcomes, you can identify which improvements create real value, and double down on them. Once that discipline is in place, you can move from firefighting to proactive planning.
Ruhul: That's wonderful. If you have your people willing to learn, if you have your people taking initiative, solving problems, and those kinds of orientations, all your problems are taken care of. You don't have to worry about it.
Marc: Exactly. A lot of this comes from my own journey of living in different countries and adapting to new cultures. It taught me that what people often need most is confidence. If you can give someone confidence, it changes how they show up.
That’s how I see my role as a manager—less about giving orders, more about creating space for people to try things, learn, and grow. Nobody wants to come to work just to be told “do this, do that.” It gets boring, it loses meaning. But when you give someone responsibility and trust, they usually surprise you in the best way.
I’ve also seen the other side—places where management tries to control everything. At first, things may look fine, but the moment something unexpected happens, people panic because they’ve never had the freedom to think and act for themselves. I try to do the opposite: give freedom, support, and show faith.
Of course, hiring the right people matters. But once they’re on board, I think it’s just as important to believe in them. When people feel trusted, they almost always rise to the challenge. And that’s when you really see them—and the company—grow.
One quality I truly admire in the talent here is resilience. No matter the challenges—big or small—people find a way to keep going with passion and commitment. That strength is something I haven’t seen to the same extent anywhere else.
I remember a particularly difficult period when the country was going through a lot of disruption. Personally, it felt unsettling, but what struck me was how our teams responded. Even without internet access, they found ways to stay connected with hotel and airline partners, and to support customers through calls and SMS. Some even stayed overnight at the office to make sure service continued.
That level of dedication left a big impression on me. Back in Europe, the instinct might have been to pause operations until things settled. Here, the mindset was the opposite: “our customers need us, so we’ll find a way.”
It showed me the strength of community and passion that people bring to their work in Bangladesh. That resilience is an incredible asset, and I believe it’s one of the qualities that will drive the success of businesses here in the future.
At its core, operations is an ongoing cycle of trying, learning, and improving. The same applies to people: when you give them the freedom to experiment, make mistakes, and learn, they grow. And when your people grow, your organization grows with them.
Ruhul: That's a very interesting observation. I think that's true about the people in Bangladesh. We are talking about operations at GoZayaan. I think it is only right to talk about the company. Give us an overview of the company, what you are doing today, and by extension of that, talk about your plans going forward.
Marc: Today, GoZayaan allows customers to book flights, hotels, and tours, and we’re also experimenting with visa services where they naturally connect to travel. Everything is available through our app and website.
We’re continuously improving the experience. On flights, we’re adding more transparency so customers can easily compare fare options—whether basic, with extra luggage, or business class—on the same route. We’re also developing automations for post-booking services like changes and cancellations, so customers can get faster resolutions without waiting for manual support.
Beyond flights, we’ve introduced ancillaries such as eSIMs, travel insurance, and luggage protection, and we’re working on seat and meal selection as well as real-time flight updates. Down the line, we want to provide features like fare calendars or mixed-airline itineraries to make travel planning easier and more flexible.
Hotels are a bigger challenge, since the industry here is still digitizing. Our focus is on building reliable inventory and quality content, while also adding value with extras like airport transfers or local activities. Tours are another area where we see demand for customization, so we’re working on ways to balance standardized packages with flexibility—while keeping it scalable for us and our partners.
Visa processing is still in an early stage. It comes with external dependencies and frequent regulation changes, which makes it tricky. When we experiment in this space, we’re careful to ensure that any service we add genuinely improves the customer experience.
Overall, our philosophy is simple: listen to our customers, identify what matters most, and build solutions that reduce hassle. The travel industry here is growing fast, with new airlines, terminals, and airports on the horizon. We want to be at the center of that change—empowering consumers with better prices, more control, and a smoother journey.
We’re proud of the progress so far, but we see this as just the beginning. There’s still so much more we can do to make travel in Bangladesh easier, more transparent, and more enjoyable.
Ruhul: That's wonderful. I would have preferred to ask more questions, but let's move on for today. Talk about your take on the state and the future of the travel industry in Bangladesh. What are the opportunities and the challenges?
Marc: Bangladesh’s travel industry is expanding on several fronts. A growing middle class is now traveling for leisure, while millions of migrant workers continue to travel regularly to support their families back home—an enormous and vital segment of the industry. Religious travel is another major driver, with Hajj and Umrah seeing rising demand every year. What was once a closed circle of providers is gradually opening up, giving travelers more freedom and choice in how they make these journeys.
At the same time, improvements in infrastructure—new airports, bridges, and motorways—are strengthening connections both within the country and internationally. This, combined with the rise of local tourism, positions travel as a key facilitator of economic growth.
Of course, there are challenges. Some areas of the sector still struggle to digitize quickly enough, especially among hotels and airlines. Even with strong operational systems on our side, gaps can appear when partners are less efficient. Bureaucracy can also slow things down. But these challenges are common in many developing markets, and the overall trend remains positive.
In fact, the opportunities are much greater than the obstacles. More destinations are opening up, direct flights are increasing, and more airlines are entering the market. While macroeconomic issues—like the recent dollar crisis—can create short-term disruption, they affect the entire industry, not just one company.
Looking ahead, I believe the private sector will play a central role in shaping the future of travel in Bangladesh. Startups and innovative companies have the agility to bring customers the services and experiences they need, complementing the efforts of government and larger institutions. With the right investments and collaboration, the industry has enormous potential to keep growing and evolving.
Ruhul: A couple of quick questions. You have worked in different countries, industries, and companies. What are some of your biggest lessons in running organizations, work, and life?
Marc: There are many lessons, but if I had to highlight three, these stand out.
The first is that work should mean more than just a paycheck. We spend years studying, and then most of our adult lives working, so it’s important to find passion in what we do. If you enjoy the work, it gives meaning to all that effort and time.
The second is the value of discipline. For a long time, I resisted it—I didn’t like authority and thought motivation was enough. But I’ve learned that motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what keeps you consistent, even on the days you don’t feel like it. In today’s world of instant gratification—where everything can be ordered, delivered, or found in minutes—we sometimes forget the value of steady effort over time. That lesson really sank in for me here in Bangladesh over the past few years.
And finally, maybe the most important: to be a good leader, you have to take care of yourself first. If you don’t have your health or energy, it’s very hard to take care of others.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve put much more focus on fitness, healthy habits, yoga, and meditation. It hasn’t been easy—waking up early and exercising was tough at first—but the benefits are huge. By midday I feel more energized and productive, and that lifts not only me but also my team. I’ve seen how these habits, when shared, inspire others to try them too.
So for me, the big takeaways are: take care of yourself so you can lead others, find passion in what you do, and build discipline because it outlasts motivation.
There’s a quote I love from Tom Brady: “Discipline is the highest form of self-respect.” That really resonates with me. I’m still learning and still on the journey, but I believe consistency in these areas will carry me forward.
Overall, our philosophy is simple: listen to our customers, identify what matters most, and build solutions that reduce hassle. The travel industry here is growing fast, with new airlines, terminals, and airports on the horizon. We want to be at the center of that change—empowering consumers with better prices, more control, and a smoother journey.
Ruhul: That's so inspiring. By extension of that, do you have any personal approach to learning and personal growth, as you mentioned you have taken on all these different things?
Marc: This has been important to me for quite some time. After my studies, when I joined Rocket Internet, I worked extremely hard and learned a lot, but it was also tough. Around the age of 24 or 25, I hit a bit of an existential crisis. I started asking myself big questions: Why am I doing this? Is life just about working, getting paid, and repeating the cycle? What does success really mean? What is ambition? What is happiness?
After that, I went on a solo trip across South America with a backpack, hoping to find some answers. Instead, I came back with even more questions. And honestly, those questions have stayed with me ever since—they continue to shape how I see work and life.
Living in Bangladesh has deepened that journey. I became involved with communities focused on wellness, yoga, and meditation, and I’ve joined retreats that helped me build self-awareness. I’ve learned that the first step in growth is understanding yourself—your habits, your reactions, and how you interact with the world around you. In a way, it’s similar to operations: before improving anything, you need to monitor and understand what’s happening.
Consistency is always the hard part, which is why community and support matter. Doing these practices alongside like-minded people makes a big difference—whether it’s yoga, meditation, journaling, or even going to the gym with a partner. These habits have helped me become more in tune with my emotions. Coming from a culture that values pragmatism and rationality, I’ve learned here how important it is to embrace emotion as well. Finding that balance has been very meaningful for me.
More recently, I also started therapy, which back home was still a bit of a taboo. It’s often misunderstood, but for me it’s been a powerful tool to better understand myself—my thoughts, emotions, and motivations. Therapy has helped me accept myself, stay grounded in difficult times, and hold myself accountable in building a healthier mind, body, and spirit.
The second is the value of discipline. For a long time, I resisted it—I didn’t like authority and thought motivation was enough. But I’ve learned that motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what keeps you consistent, even on the days you don’t feel like it.
Ruhul: That's wonderful. I think there are a lot of actionable and helpful suggestions for people who want to grow personally and learn to navigate this complex modern life. I want to learn a little more about your personal background, which I didn't get to ask at the beginning. You were born in France and studied and worked in different parts of the world. How does your experience living in different countries and cultures influence your decisions in terms of what you do and how you see the world, shape you as an individual?
Marc: Sure. To clarify, I was born in France—my mother is French, my father is German—but I grew up moving between different countries. By the time I was four, we had left France. I lived in the US, then spent five years in England, five in Germany, some time in Ireland, and of course later moved again for studies and work.
That constant movement shaped me a lot. I don’t feel purely French or purely German—I often describe myself as a third culture kid. Growing up in different environments gave me perspective and helped me adapt, but also left me with a sense that identity is more fluid than fixed.
One big lesson is that the world is far more beautiful than what we often see in the media. For example, before I came to Bangladesh, most of what you’d find online was about floods, poverty, or child labor. But when I arrived, I discovered incredible natural beauty, rich culture, and some of the warmest, most resilient people I’ve met. I even brought my parents here recently, and they were amazed. It reinforced for me how much media shapes perception—and how misleading that can be.
Of course, living in a place with strong cultural differences isn’t always easy. There are contradictions with what I grew up with, and it can be challenging. But that’s where communication and openness matter. Instead of focusing on blame or division, I believe we need to lean into values that resonate everywhere—kindness, community, empathy. These are universal, and if we embody them, they make understanding across cultures much easier.
The world is complex—it’s full of contrasts—but also full of beauty. For me, this journey has been deeply introspective. I’ve learned more about myself, about others, and about what matters. And I hope that in my own way, I can contribute something positive here in Bangladesh, where there’s so much potential and where those values of resilience and community are already so strong.
The world is far more beautiful than what we often see in the media.
Ruhul: I wanted to ask this question, but if you don't want to answer, feel free to skip. You were born in the West, grew up and lived there. Many people in countries like Bangladesh would prefer to move to places where you come from. How did you decide to live and work in Bangladesh? And by extension of that, what are some things that you love about Bangladesh, and some things that you would like to change or improve or be different?
Marc: I get that question often—“Why would you come to Bangladesh when so many people here want to leave?” For me, it comes down to curiosity and a love of immersion. I’ve always been drawn to experiencing cultures deeply, not just visiting for a week. That’s why I’ve lived and worked in different parts of the world—Africa, Asia, Europe—because challenges are where you really learn and grow.
Bangladesh, in particular, has been a very special place to me. The hospitality, the kindness, and the strong sense of community are unlike anywhere else. Whether it’s colleagues, friends from yoga and wellness groups, or simply people I’ve met through travel, the generosity and warmth here always stand out. And on top of that, it’s a beautiful country—from the Sundarbans to Sylhet to Saint Martin’s—and I’ve enjoyed exploring it over the years.
Of course, there are challenges—as in any country. But what excites me is the potential. Bangladesh has a huge youth population, a growing middle class, and so many bright minds. Many of the most successful Bangladeshis are currently abroad, leading in major companies and institutions. Imagine the impact if more of that talent, knowledge, and experience came back to invest, create, and mentor here. That’s how the country could accelerate its growth—through a kind of reverse brain drain.
For me, being here is both humbling and inspiring. I’ve learned to be grateful, to value resilience and community, and to contribute where I can. I don’t see myself as the center of attention—success here is always collective, built by teams and communities. And I think that’s what makes Bangladesh exciting: the opportunities are immense, but so is the spirit of the people. With the right governance, investment, and collaboration between the private sector and the diaspora, I believe the future here could be extraordinary.
Ruhul: Beautifully put, Marc. That was the last question. This has been a beautiful conversation for me. Thank you so much for being generous with your time and insights.
Marc: Thank you so much. I just hope that what we're doing at GoZayaan is contributing in its own way. There's still so much that we want to build. We have a lot of things underway. In the coming months, you will see some big changes. Make sure to check back on our websites and apps. There's going to be a lot of upgrades that I hope people will love. Thanks again for this discussion.
