Through the '60s, Puneet Chhatwal spent his growing years admiring the inspiring edifices of the Indian Hotels Group rise on the Delhi skyline. For Chhatwal, therefore, assuming the position of CEO and MD of Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) seems to have been par for the course. It is not surprising that Chhatwal came to be selected for the position out of five external candidates and other Tata Group alumni and existing senior executives.
An alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Delhi, an MBA in Hospitality from ESSEC, Paris, and an Advanced Management Programme from INSEAD later, Chhatwal went on to occupy positions of leadership at various European and North American hotel groups. He was Chief Development Officer of The Rezidor Hotel Group —Carlson Hotels Worldwide, and CEO and Member of the Executive Board of Steigenberger Hotels AG — Deutsche Hospitality, before being appointed to his current role.
After his last stint in a market like Germany, where professionalism and guest standards are exacting, what lured the HSMAI European Awards 2014 winner and the First Alumni to be included in the ESSEC-IMHI Hall of Honor 2014 back to his country of origin? Chhatwal’s cognisance of the brand, his humility and emotional connect to India is plain as day in his response. “The Tata Group is a renowned global conglomerate and a values-driven organisation. Right from when I started my career 36 years back, Indian Hotels was a prominent name in the industry in general and Taj has a very strong brand equity and customer connect in particular. It is an honour to be associated with such an iconic brand and India’s most trusted entity. It is also good to be closer to family.”
CAREER WITH A VIEW
This story is from the February 2020 edition of CEO India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2020 edition of CEO India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Five Ways To Win The Consumer Of 2030, Now
To win the data and technology-enabled “smart consumer” of tomorrow, discover the five things every consumer-facing business must do right now
TWENTY FOR ‘20
WILL THE NEW DECADE BE AS TRANSFORMATIVE AS THE LAST? EY EXAMINES THE QUESTIONS THAT WILL SHAPE THE NEXT DECADE
ROBOTS ON THE MOVE
THE MARKET FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICE ROBOTS IS POISED TO TAKE OFF WITH A VENGEANCE, FUELED BY NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN 5G TELECOM SERVICES AND AI CHIPS
POST-DIGITAL CULTURE SHOCK
COMPANIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FOCUSING ON DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, BUT MANY ARE OVERLOOKING THE CULTURE CHANGE NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS
FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL
Winning sales organisations excel at these five essential capabilities
Shooting for the Stars
MANFRED BAUMANN SHARES HIS INSIGHTS INTO PROFESSIONAL PORTRAITURE
FLYING WHILE BLIND
I AM NOT ONLY AN EXPERIENCED TRAVELER; I AM AN EXPERIENCED BLIND PERSON…
THE ALCHEMIST OF HOSPITALITY
Puneet Chhatwal, the CEO and MD of Tata Group’s hospitality arm Indian Hotels Company, talks about how his company is reimagining and repositioning some of its most renowned brands, raising the hospitality bar, with an eye on the evolving customer and emerging concepts and trends
Robots Can Go All The Way To Mars, But They Can't Pick Up The Groceries?
In the popular imagination, robots have been portrayed alternatively as friendly companions or existential threat. But while robots are becoming commonplace in many industries, they are neither C-3PO nor the Terminator. Cambridge researchers are studying the interaction between robots and humans – and teaching them how to do the very difficult things that we find easy.
How To Create A Growth Mindset?
A growth-oriented mindset must be cultivated among the employees for business growth and sustenance. It requires a good understanding of people and what drives them
