Kathleen Payne
President
While Kathleen’s professional background includes executive marketing management
in the financial services industry, her spirit of adventure began at any early age
growing up along the beaches of Florida’s Gulf coast and family vacations in the
Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Her passion for travel and adventure has led to marathons in Alaska and Canada,
study abroad programs in the U.K., Belgium and France, diving Australia’s Great
Barrier Reef, landing on a glacier on Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park, climbing
one of northern California’s fourteeners, windsurfing off the Mexican coast, driving
a rather large tractor (much to her delight) on a sheep farm in Scotland and cultural
immersion and study in China and India.
Kathleen’s dream of outdoor adventure led to a career transition and gaining professional
expertise in outdoor and experiential education. She has been an adventure guide
and trip leader in the US, China and India and provides ongoing consulting to a
U.S. based non-profit with the mission of creating sustainable travel and tourism.
A National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) graduate, her experience includes numerous
backpacking, mountain biking, adventure races and wilderness expeditions in the
western United States, Alaska, Canada, Australia, China and India. She is a Leave
No Trace Master and holds a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification from
the Wilderness Medical Institute of NOLS.
Kathleen holds an MBA in Marketing from Kennesaw State University and B.S. in Economics
from Florida State University, USA.
Email:
kathleen@be-outdoors.com
Boney Sharma
Chief Operating Officer and Program Director
With more than ten years experience in outdoor education and recreation including
Advanced and Method of Instruction (MOI) certification from Atal Bihari Vajpaee
Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports in Manali, Sharma has led numerous
trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas including CB Range and
Dhauladhar Range in Himachal Pradesh.
An avid adventurer, outdoor enthusiast and accomplished photographer, he completed
a mountain biking tour which included a rigorous route from Manali to Leh and Spiti
via the Rohtang Pass, the second highest road in the world. In addition, his rock
climbing experience includes routes with some of the world’s most recognized and
foremost climbers. Boney constantly hones and perfects his skills whether rock climbing
or paddling and he’s always seeking his next big adventure. Boney is certified in
swift water rescue.
As the founder of Save the Himalaya Foundation, Boney is committed to the environment
and creating awareness among students about the affects of climate change as well
as our role in fostering a better planet for tomorrow’s change-agents and leaders.
Sharma has a degree from Don Bosco College, Bangalore University Institute of Science
and Management.
Email:
boney@be-outdoors.com
Harsimran Kaur
Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Harsimran has over six years experience in the corporate sector in marketing communications
and brand management and offers sales and marketing expertise.
An avid traveler, reader and culture enthusiast, she has a special love for the
high Himalayas of northern India especially Ladakh and Kashmir and has a passion
for working with grass roots organizations and charitable giving foundations.
Harsimran spent most of 2007 volunteering as a primary school teacher in a Ladakhi
village and personally fundraised donations that ultimately provided the school
with computers and educational resources. That same year, Kaur worked as a freelance
observer for Pratham, an NGO with the vision to ensure that every child receives
a proper education. Harsimran has also worked as a guide and program leader with
an experiential education organization with summer outdoor programs for youths and
teens in India.
Kaur holds an MBA in Marketing from FMS, Delhi.
Email:
harsimran@be-outdoors.com
Suneel Kumar
Logistics and Operations Manager, Field Management
Suneel has over a decade of work in outdoor adventure and guiding and his expertise
includes advanced and method of instruction (MOI) certification from Atal Bihari
Vajpaee Institute of Mountaineering & Allied Sports.
Kumar has led, managed and operated numerous mountaineering expeditions in the Himalayas
including CB Range, Dhauladhar Range in Himachal Pradesh. He is also certified in
swift water rescue in white river rafting.
Email:
suneel@be-outdoors.com
Advisory Council
Abhishek Bhatnagar
Chief Financial Advisor
With more than eight years of management experience in the corporate sector with
specialization in financial services, Abhishek brings invaluable experience from
an account management and finance background.
Abhishek is a sports enthusiast and along with squash, cricket and golf, he is a
distance runner and budding guitar aficionado. When not hard at work and pragmatically
putting on the much-needed brakes on the dreamers in the bunch, he enjoys traveling
to distant and nearby shores, but also likes the peace and serenity of high Himalayan
passes.
Bhatnagar holds an advanced certification in corporate Finance and an MBA in Finance
from FMS, Delhi.
Email:
abhishek@be-outdoors.com
Meet Our Guide Team
Our leaders are members of the local community, so
when you travel with us not only do you gain a greater appreciation and proficiency
in the outdoors, but also a better understanding and perspective of the region,
its people and culture.
Be offers distinctive adventures with many of our trips emerging as direct recommendations
from our team. Vast experience and insight has taught them both effective planning
and the enthusiasm and spontaneity to welcome impromptu events – from locals engaging
in regional crafts to sightings of nature and wildlife.
Our team is equipped to embrace these occasions and is encouraged to showcase their
culture; in what is effectively their own backyard.
Suddenly, you find yourself experiencing the places
that you visit.
Our exceptional team is fun, energetic and passionate about the outdoors and they
bring that same enthusiasm to your experience.
At Be, you receive hands-on instruction from guides who are selected based on their
field experience, personal integrity, and genuine sense of hospitability and camaraderie.
And the majority of our expedition team are professionally trained and certified
at India’s premier mountaineering institute, Atal Bihari Vajpaee Institute of Mountaineering
and Allied Sports.
Our guides are local professionals who bring knowledge
and expertise to your adventure. Here are just a few that you may meet on our programs.
Be Employed
Be is a small outdoor adventure company with a commitment to core values and principles
including quality of service, safety and the enjoyment of our guests. We are a dynamic
group of adventurers that value our time in nature and want to share our passion
and enthusiasm for the outdoors with others.
We are always looking for outdoor adventure enthusiasts and like-minded individuals
to join our team. Please
email us at
info@be-outdoors.com for more information,
latest job postings and descriptions.