You cannot build a portfolio if every business needs all of you

Sahil Nijhawan is a Melbourne-based entrepreneur and operator-investor building across travel, technology, real estate, construction, and consumer brands. Over more than two decades, he has developed a practical view of how businesses grow: through strong operators, trusted relationships, community access, and the ability to adapt when the market changes.

His career began in travel with Ebookers and Expedia, before moving into private aviation as the first employee of what became one of Australia’s largest private fleet companies. From there, Sahil built businesses across retail travel, inbound tourism, and destination management, working in the middle of the travel ecosystem where agents, suppliers, tourism boards, sporting clubs, membership groups, and global travellers all connect.

Before joining Nexus DMC as Director and CEO Oceania, Sahil had built a portfolio of retail travel stores and an inbound tourism business generating around $22 million in annual sales. Then COVID hit, and the businesses went to zero. He shut things down and took work wherever he could find it, including real estate, supermarket shifts, and teaching RSA certification courses in schools. Real estate became the bridge back: he sold more than 30 projects in 12 months, rebuilt momentum, and later used that experience to invest in a construction company.