THE UNSHAKEABLE HEROES

Creating any listing, especially when it involves industry leaders, requires a lot of thought. And even after using a well-thought methodology, many will find fault with the process.

- VINITA BHATIA

But then again, no one is perfect, and one can’t please everyone. We, at Hotelier India, understand this quite well.

After all, we were the first in the hospitality sector to start the 'Powerlist', an annual process that we have unstintingly continued over the past 13 years. To ensure that it is unbiased and qualitative, we use the collective wisdom of our editorial board and some key members of our advisory board (who prefer anonymity).

One can rank companies by their market capitalisation and net value based on cash flows from the hospitality businesses. However, the 'Powerlist' has always steered clear of this approach.

The reason is simple – we want to highlight empathetic and forward-thinking leaders who manage the show despite numerous challenges. And boy, last year did throw plenty of that their way!

This is also why Hotelier India’s Powerlist does not rank people. Instead, these visionaries are listed in an alphabetical order – because we celebrate leadership excellence rather than fiscal dominance.

This year’s Powerlist features industry stakeholders who weathered the rough times by leading from the front and worked hard to identify newer avenues to generate profitable growth. They took bold decisions to create value for all their stakeholders – employees, partners and guests – and tried to create an equitable environment to build the next rung of leaders.

Some names are regrettably missing, like the CEO of IHCL, despite the insistence of our editorial colleagues and advisory board members to include the person in the Powerlist. However, the organisation chose to abstain as the company officials noted that that alphabetical positioning of thought leaders does not consider IHCL’s stature or its valuation.