Village Roadshow Theme Parks chief operating officer Bikash Randhawa departs
A head honcho at the Gold Coast’s major theme park operator has departed after a glittering three-decade career that started behind the bar. FULL STORY
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One of the Gold Coast’s best-known tourism figures - who went from bartender to boss - has quit the city’s biggest theme park operator after more than three decades.
Bikash Randhawa has resigned after a 30-year career at Village Roadshow where he rose to the high-ranking post of chief operating officer.
However Mr Randhawa - who oversaw its theme parks including Movie World, Wet’n’Wild and Sea World – isn’t going anywhere, vowing to stay on the Gold Coast and be involved in the tourism sector.
Mr Randhawa said it was time for a change – and a break
“In (30-plus) years I never had more than two weeks off, so I’m going to take three months off,” he said
“In future I want to influence tourism, I’ll have no shackles. I love the city, I support the city and I know just about every small business owners, media person and politician.”
In a lengthy post to his social media on Thursday morning, Mr Randhawa said: “After three decades with Village Roadshow Theme Parks, I am departing the business with some sadness and at the same time a lot of joy and pride.
“Clark Kirby my CEO, VRTP Board and the exceptional team at BGH (Capital), it’s been a terrific journey, challenging, rewarding and crazy at times with what we have gone through over the years, you all have been incredible since we started together, thank you for allowing me to do what I did best over the years.
“Special thank you to Robert Kirby our Chairman and (former Village CEO) Graham Burke who mentored me and taught me on how to aim for the moon and land on a star, and to never give up. My GMs and the team at VRTP you all are amazing and I look forward to watching you achieve more.”
In a typically frank admission, Mr Randhawa, a popular if outspoken figure, added: “As an operator, I was passionate, fair, demanding, compassionate when required, over the top crazy and sometimes unreasonable, but my team got me and backed me every single day.
“If I was overly focused towards anyone or a situation, it was because I recognised their talent and wanted to help them reach their full potential in that given situation. I’m proud to have promoted so many who have surpassed every expectations and have taken on roles that I had held and have done a better job than I did when I was there, that’s how one needs to recruit, look for someone better than you, it always works, looking at the team now they are bloody amazing.
“I fought for Village behind the scenes and sometimes publicly with anyone and everyone if it called for it, I spoke my mind, said things that people were scared to say or think about. I never held back but I did it for the team.
“Now, it’s time for me to finally put my feet up after a long hard commitment and relentless effort for three decades to relax and enjoy some well-deserved downtime with my wife and children. They, unintentionally became my second priority, and my work (my passion blinded me) my first. It’s time to change that.”
Village Roadshow CEO Clark Kirby said Mr Randhawa had been “a driving force ensuring the ongoing success of Village Roadshow Theme Parks”.
“His leadership, passion and advocacy for our people and properties has been felt by all who interacted with him, and he will be missed,” he said.
“Bikash leaves an incredible legacy through the numerous high-profile projects he has been integral to, including many amazing new attractions and precinct openings.
“In his position as COO, Bikash has helped navigate our business through some of our toughest periods and throughout his focus remained on delivering superior outcomes and ensuring the wellbeing of our team.
“We thank him for his unwavering commitment to ensuring our business not only survived but continues to thrive.
“Outside of our theme parks, Bikash is one of the city’s most passionate tourism ambassadors and at every opportunity he has advocated for the City of Gold Coast.
“We know Bikash will succeed in whatever the future brings, and he leaves knowing he will always be a member of our extended Village Roadshow family.”
LIFE AND TIMES OF THAT MAN BIKASH
While Mr Randhawa began working at Sea World during his university days, it was in the past decade that he became a major and influential figure in tourism.
After spending nearly 15 years cutting his teeth at the Sea World Resort’s Shorelines restaurant, he rose rapidly through the 2010s to oversee the theme park and finally, all of Village Roadshow’s operations.
His prominence saw him named one of the Gold Coast’s most influential figures, a pulpit he used to campaign in favour of tourism infrastructure and also take a vocal stand against then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in urging her to reopen the economy during the first months of the Covid pandemic in 2020.
“And I did it all because I love my city and hopefully something big comes up here so I can contribute further. I have a lot more to give,” he said, speaking of his future.
“It’s not an easy decision to give up such a big job but for me it’s not about the money.
“It’s about achieving. What people are scared to say, I say. I’m bold. I do it for the right reason and I do make people think.”
Mr Randhawa said he was keen to spend more time with his family, including his wife Tala and his two adult sons Jai, 28 and Rohan, 26.
While Mr Randhawa is best-known today for his stint as one of Village Roadshow’s top figures, his career began in the mid-1990s right at the entry level where he learned the trade from the ground up.
Born on a tea plantation in India, he moved to the Gold Coast in 1993 to begin studying at Griffith University.
It was the same year he met his wife Tala.
`I never imagined when I was a kid that I would end up here,’’ he told the Bulletin in 2012, looking back at his career.
“My father, Hardial, was the managing director of a tea plantation in Assam and as a teenager all I thought about was motorcycles and sport.
“My mother, Nirmala, encouraged me by saying that, if you have a dream, go for it and don’t be scared of failing.’’
It was while he was completing his university studies when he secured a job selling food and drink at Sea World and never looked back.
“I started at Village when I was at Griffith University, as a food and beverage attendant at SeaWorld,” he said.
“I was studying at Griffith, I did a bachelor degree in hotel management and prior to that a bachelor of commerce. I did a double-degree.”
He initially worked at Shorelines restaurant and began a rapid rise through the ranks.
In 1998 he was appointed food and beverage supervisor, and just a year later became the assistant manager before finally becoming its manager in November 2000.
“I landed a job at Sea World Nara Resort, as it was then, in the food and beverage department,” he said looking back.
“My motto was always to work harder, never be sick and get to work early and leave late.’’
He first appeared in the media while working as the restaurant and bar manager at the then-Sea World Nara Resort, talking up the size of the crowds.
“Every year we have more than 200 guests staying at the resort, which makes for a fantastic party crowd,” he told the Bulletin at the time.
His hard work saw him recognised at the annual Queensland Hotels Association Awards for Excellence in 2004, picking up the gong for Best Food and Beverage Employee.
It was one of a range of awards he picked up in the first decade of his career, including a Gold Coast Tourism Bureau Award for Excellence – Winner Supervisory Category 1999; and Sea World Resort’s Employee of the Year 1998.
In mid-2007 he replaced Wayne Bonsak as the resort’s new food and beverage manager.
“I have really enjoyed my past 12 years at Sea World Resort. I am excited about this new challenge and I look forward to many more years ahead,’’ he told the Bulletin at the time.
He made headlines again in early 2008 but not for reasons he’d have liked after a speaker fell on his head during Australia Day celebrations, leaving him with a 7cm gash.
`There was a big bang and all I remember after that was that I couldn’t see out of my right eye, my head was spinning and I looked down and my hands and feet were covered in blood,’’ he said at the time.
“I could feel a lot of pressure on my head and when I looked up I saw my wife was holding something on my head to stop the blood coming out.’’
Mr Randhawa continued to run Shorelines through the late 2000s, overseeing a big revamp in 2009.
“I am thrilled with our new restaurant,” he said.
“You can see the attention to detail in every aspect of the design.
“No expense has been spared to achieve the best for our customers.
“From plate stations which provide chilled or heated plates – depending on your dish selection – to the made-to-order pancake stations for breakfast, Shoreline is an outstanding example of modern dining.”
By 2010 Mr Randhawa had been promoted to executive assistant manager of Sea World Resort and was appointed manager the following year and finally, general manager by the end of 2011.
Someone jokingly said to him at the time as he walked through the foyer of the hotel: “One day my boy, all this will be yours.’’ – paraphrasing a famous scene from the 1994 film The Lion King.
Mr Randhawa replied: “Yes, tomorrow.’’
In 2013 he began looking after the company’s convention business and oversaw the building of its multimillion-dollar convention complex at Sea World before becoming the general manager of the entire theme park in 2014.
The Bulletin recognised his growing stature in 2015 when he was named to the Power 130 list of the Gold Coast’s most influential people, where he came in at No. 70.
Just two years later in 2017, Mr Randhawa was named Village Roadshow Theme Parks executive general manager before becoming chief operating officer in 2018, the position he held until his resignation.
Through the late 2010s he oversaw the decommissioning of many of Sea World’s older rides before unveiling the New Atlantis precinct in May 2019.
The same year he was photographed swinging clubs with Hugh Jackman at Top Golf.
It was in 2020 when the pandemic hit that Mr Randhawa used his prominent position to advocate for the tourism sector as it was put on ice by border closures.
During the early days of Covid, Village Roadshow was forced to stand down more than 5000 staff.
“As a major employer we have responsibility to feed small businesses, restaurants, hotels and this is why it is important we are at the forefront of any future campaign because we are the biggest and best asset for tourism,” he said.
“This city unlike any other in Australia has the advantage of having both theme parks and a beach.
“The Gold Coast is well positioned in my view and the best in terms of any destination in Australia.”
He took aim at the tight restrictions which were introduced to prevent the spread of the disease.
“We are working to get an outcome where we open theme parks as soon as possible, given how important they are in the Gold Coast’s economic supply chain,” he said in 2020.
“This plan lacks basic business fundamentals from a commercial point of view, it doesn’t take theme parks into consideration.
“Given the enormous impact open theme parks could have on accelerating the Gold Coast economy again, we would hope for engagement with the government to come up with a way we can strike a balance.
The closing of borders again in late 2020 saw Mr Randhawa take aim at Ms Palaszczuk’s government.
He launched an extraordinary salvo on Twitter, asking “which world is this man living in?” after then-health minister Steven Miles suggested the hospitality sector was faring well.
“We are all bleeding away,” he wrote.
“It’s going to be a sh*tshow,” he said. “I’m not sure how long we can sustain this, I’m not sure how long this city can sustain this.”
Mr Randhawa oversaw the reopening of the sector and theme parks after the pandemic as Sea World and Movie World both celebrated major anniversaries and the opening of the New Atlantis precinct.
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