Dr Lokiah Ravikumar has a vast working experience spanning over 37 years in the Hospitality Industry covering Catering and Tourism businesses with extensive knowledge in business operations and management. He is an eminent scholar and is qualified in Hotel Management and Catering Technology from Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai and is also a Post Graduate in Tourism and has also completed Doctorate in Tourism from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He had started his career with Taj Group of Hotels followed by a stint each in State Tourism Development Corporation, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, Followed by a stint with Indian Railways from 1990-2005 (16 Years) and had moved to IRCTC during 2006 and worked for the past 17 years in various capacities. His tenure in IRCTC spreads across stints in Regional offices, Zonal Offices and Corporate office. During this period he has worked as Deputy General Manager, Joint General Manager, Additional General Manager and General Manager in the Catering, Tourism & profiles with specializations in the areas of Operations, Administration, Marketing, Product Development, and Contract Management among others.
Before taking Charge of Director (Catering Services) in IRCTC, he was posted as General Manager in IRCTC, Corporate Office, New Delhi. During his stint in corporate office, he was also handling the profile of Corporate Coordination and was also the Chief Risk officer for IRCTC.