Skylane, a B2G platform that offers digital solutions to steamline government visa approvals/systems, has appointed Vishal Jairath as chief operating officer (COO) and head of the government vertical.
Backed by three decades of experience, Vishal Jairath was earlier senior vice president and head-South Asia, VFS Global.
Alumnus of Osmania University and the Indian School of Business, Jairath’s career began way back in 1995, when he joined ITC Welcome Group as a humble guest service executive. About a year and a half later, he moved to McDonald’s India as a management trainee, in 1997. Within six months he was elevated to second assistant manager and soon to first assistant manager.
By 2002, after over five and a half years with McDonald’s, Jairath had reached the position of restaurant general manager.
From September of 2002 to February of 2005 he played the role of operations manager, Intertoll ICS CeCons, a South African joint venture engaged in planning, consulting, maintenance and operations of toll roads.
His next stop was VFS Global, a technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions, offering secure, reliable, efficient and innovative solutions that support global mobility. He started off as unit manager in March of 2005, working out of Johannesburg, South Africa. Less than two years into this role, he was elevated to country manager, in 2007.
By 2009 he had become general manager-operations (South and East Africa). In this role, he spearheaded a gamut of business operations across eight countries —South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia— managing efficient operations in the region.
June of 2010 saw him taking on the role of general manager-business development, Africa. By 2011, he was heading operations in South Asia. He was elevated to regional head-South Asia in 2012.
The next elevation made him senior vice president and head-special projects, identity and citizen services, VFS Global, working out of Bangkok, Thailand.
Over two years into this role, he relocated to Dubai on being promoted to senior VP and global head-attestation services. Over two and a half years later, he moved to Beijing, China after being elevated to senior VP and regional head-China (North and West) and Mongolia. Since July 2022 he had been serving as senior VP and head-South Asia,
Vishal Jairath’s deep strategic and operational expertise is expected to faclitate Skylane’s mission to revolutionise how governments manage global mobility through AI, automation and secure digital solutions.
As COO, Jairath will be tasked with forging trusted partnerships with government stakeholders, embedding integrity and transparency into Skylane’s operations, and aligning the platform with AI automation. His leadership will be central to eliminating inefficiencies and exploitative practices that plague traditional visa systems, unlocking a faster, more secure, and citizen-friendly future for global mobility.
In Jairath’s own words, his “priority is to lead with strategic clarity and build trust through intelligent automation and robust risk controls. Our vision is to help governments deliver swift, secure decisions without compromising on user experience or ethical standards.”
Mohak Nahta, founder and CEO, Skylane, is relying on Jairath’s “deep expertise, global credibility, and strategic vision” to “accelerate our ability to scale thoughtfully and responsibly.”
