Mrs. Cheryl Poornima Smith – Venan Dias, M.Phil. (first class) from Bharathiar University, with first class MBA in Human Resource Management from Pondicherry University, UGC NET qualified in HRM, Personal Management, Industrial Relations and Labour Laws. Holds an international diploma as an instructor for both IATA Foundation in Travel and Tourism (DTTF), and IATA Travel and Tourism Consultant (DTTC) courses from ITDI Canada, Montreal. Currently pursuing Ph.D. in Human Resource Management and Tourism with Research and Development Center, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore. She has six years of teaching experience at Post Graduate Level, as a HOD of Department of Tourism Studies, for Masters of Tourism and Travel Management (MTTM) Programme, M.A. (Tourism and Heritage Management) Programme, and IATA Classroom Courses at S.S. Dempo College of Commerce and Economics, Goa. She has presented papers in thirteen international conferences, two national conferences and published in eight peer reviewed journals. Also she has contributed a chapter titled "Talent Development in the Tourism Industry: A Deliberation on the Open Source Talent in Goa" published in the book Evolving Paradigms in Tourism and Hospitality in Developing Countries: A Case Study of India, by Apple Academic Press and CRC Press T&F Group. She also has a corporate experience of twelve years and worked with reputed travel and tourism organisations such as Czech Airline, Qatar Airways, Thomas Cook, Siemens, TRX, and TATA Interactive Systems. She has set up the IATA Authorised Training Center at S.S Dempo College. President of an NGO called Eco-Kshatriya Foundation. Her subjects of interest are research on Tourism Policies, Sustainable Tourism, Tourism Experiences, Innovative Pedagogies, Quality Management and Talent Development.