A graduate from the Delhi University, Mr. Koul completed a 3 years Diploma in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa in 1981. He started his career as a Management Trainee with Jaypee Group at their hotels in New Delhi, and subsequently worked with the Hotel Corporation of India, Indotels Hotels Management Services Private Limited, and Tourism Finance Corporation of India (TFCI) in 1990 where he was responsible for appraising more than 200 hotel projects. In 1996 he created a specialized Tourism Consultancy Organisation providing need-based service to new entrants in the hospitality trade under the banner Naaz Hotel Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

Anil Sharma graduated from IIT Roorkee in the year 1982 and started his career with Bharadwaj & Associates in the year 1982 and worked with them till 1984. Thereafter, he joined Kabil Associates—a USA based firm and worked with them until 1989. He worked with them on various prestigious projects namely USIS Calcutta, US Chancery Burma, US Consulate & Consular Residence in Lahore. In addition he also worked in the US office of Kabil Associates for 6 months. In the year 1989 he started his own practice of Architecture by the name of ASA (Anil Sharma Associates). His first project in Pune was later on branded as Holiday Inn Pune. It was also awarded "The Best New Hotel of the Year in Asia Pacific Region" by Holiday Inn worldwide. Since then ASA has been involved in various reputed Hotel projects all over India and has designed two projects in Kazakhstan.

Dhruv Hoon is Vice President, Development - India and leads Hilton’s development in India. He joined Hilton in April 2019. Prior to this, Dhruv was Vice President, Hotel Development, Asia Pacific based at Marriott’s development office in India. His role involved development of Marriott’s various brands in South Asia and Vietnam. Since 2007, Dhruv held various responsibilities at Marriott and covered development in various markets including India, Indonesia, Nepal and the Maldives. Dhruv also has hotel operations experience - he is an alumnus of the Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (OCLD) and recipient of the Rai Bahadur M S Oberoi Award for outstanding all-round performance.

An architect and urban designer Pradeep Sachdeva is the principal architect of PSDA Studio based in New Delhi, India. The studio has an extensive body of work primarily focussing on the hospitality sector and place making.
PSDA Studio has designed award winning hotel and resort properties for India’s major hotel companies all over the country. These include ITC Hotels, Taj Hotels and numerous independent operators. Some of these are Samode Palace and Samode Bagh at Samode, Samode Haveli in Jaipur, the Taj Usha Kiran Palace at Gwalior, the Taj Nadesar Palace at Varanasi, Taj Theog Resort and Spa Shimla, Samode Safari Lodge near the Bandhavgarh National Park. The works for ITC Hotels include expansion of ITC Mughal Agra and soon to open properties in Amritsar and Bhubaneshwar and a colloborative effort for ITC Grand Bharat Gurgaon.
The hotels draw inspiration from the rich craft traditions, architecture, and history of the surrounding regions.
The studio has designed some of India’s most well-known public spaces including the iconic food and crafts bazaar – Dillli Haat, and The Garden of Five Senses, both in Delhi, and numerous public spaces, streets and waterfronts across India.

Over the past 28 years, Khozema has been a major driving force for several independent and collaborative projects across the globe, which has led to an extensive and diversified work experience. He has worked on a gamut of projects ranging from Mixed use developments, commercial & residential, hospitality, resort development, second home schemes, private residences etc.
He believes that contextual and sensitive design adds in-measurable value to any project. Khozema strives to create environments that not only encourage interaction, but also meet aesthetic and functional needs of the people who inhabit them. Over all, his designs cater to the clients needs holistically by designing the total experience!!

After graduating from Institute of Hotel Management, Bhopal in 1994, he joined the renowned Ambassador Group of hotels as a Trainee Management Chef and gradually he was became the head of the Sky Chef division as Master Chef. Later on he moved to Suman Motels into Corporate Planning and was instrumental in the opening of resorts and motels. After a successful tenure in hotels, Rajat joined a consulting firm specialising in food service design. He promoted HPG consulting in 1999, and today it's a well-known Consulting Company specialising in food service design, laundry design and facility planning for hospitality projects. HPG Consulting has already associated with projects for international brands like Hilton, Marriott, IHG, Accor, Starwood, Langham Hotels, Dusit International, Millennium Group, Taj Hotels, besides the local hotel groups in India.

Cyrus is a graduate from the Welcome group Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal. He was earlier head of operations at Red Fox Hotels. Cyrus has previously worked with GE Capital and the Taj Group of Hotels.

Mukund Sahasrabudhe is the Director, Technical Services at Sarovar Hotels and oversees its engineering operations across India and Africa. He is a Chartered Engineer and is a member of the Institution of Engineers, India. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune and also has a post graduate diploma in Business Management. Mukund has an overall experience of more than 30 years in various engineering industries and has held project and maintenance portfolios in electronics, chemicals, foundries, construction, and hotel industries. His earlier assignments include projects in India, Nepal, Taiwan and Tanzania. At Sarovar, his focus has primarily been on optimizing utilities cost and he has achieved significant results over the last few years in optimizing usage of electricity and other non-renewable fuels such as LPG and diesel. Highly passionate about sustainable living in both personal and professional spaces, his expertise lies in implementation of sustainable measures by ensuring 100 percent consumption of existing resources with minimum capital investment.

Ar. Prem Nath is an Iconic Indian architect with a wide spectrum of work, practicing since more than 55-years, has excelled in wide array of projects viz. Residential and Commercial complexes, IT/SEZ Parks, Integrated townships, HOTELS-RESORTS, Malls-Multiplex, High-end Residential.
Graduated from Sir J. J. College of Architecture; Prem Nath, frequently referred to as, a “Seminal Architect”, in recent years, has won multiple awards incl. “Best Hospitality Design Excellence Award”, by Construction Source India (CSI), the "DNA Sir J.J. Architecture Award'18" by Sir J.J. College of Architecture, “Icon of the Year” award 2017, "LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT" Awards.
Ar. Prem Nath has been involved with various hospitality projects, incl. 1st Health Spa & Body Rejuvenation Resort for Golden Palms, at Bangalore & India’s First Revolving Restaurant at Ambassador, Mumbai and is currently involved for a Resort Hotels at Goa & Delhi-NCR;

Graduated with a degree in Architecture from C.E.P.T, Ahmadabad. She was trained with Architect Bernard Kohn, as recipient of scholarship from L’Institute Francaise D’Architecture. Was a Member of the Delhi Conservation Society and conducted Heritage walks in Kashmere Gate precinct. She started Spazzio Design Architecture in partnership with Sohrab Dalal. She is currently President of DPA, which has several award winning projects. She has received several awards and her work has been widely published. She has been published as one of the 20 best Architects of India as well as she has been featured as Hot 100 Contemporary Indian Architect. She has served 2 successful terms as a member of Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC), one of the most prestigious organizations in the Country. She is involved in several Suo Motu City projects taken up by DUAC. Under DUAC she has been involved in the restructuring of the building bye-laws for Delhi as well as a proposal for rejuvenation of Shahjenabad. Member of Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation

Mr. Indrajit Maitra, a Civil Engineering graduate from Government Engineering College, Jalpaiguri, West Bengal in the year 1974.
Mr. Indrajit Maitra, is also a Fellow of Institution of Engineers, Fellow of institution of Valuers, Chartered Engineer and approved Valuer from Central Board of Direct Taxes.
After graduation Mr. Maitra worked in a construction company for about 3 years and thereafter worked in India Tourism Development Corporation from 1978 to 1981. Mr. Maitra also worked in an Architectural Firm M/s. Upal Ghosh Associates for about 10 years and thereafter in the year 1991 he started his own professional practice as a Quantity Surveyor and Project Management Consultants.
Presently Mr. Maitra is the Principal Consultant in INDRAJIT MAITRA ASSOCIATES (IMA) which is a Project management Consultancy company with presence in Northern & Eastern part of India and Chairman of IM COST MANAGEMENT PVT. LTD., a Cost Management company with Pan India presence.

Mr. Anoop Bali, Chief General Manager & Chief Financial Officer of Tourism Finance Corporation of India Limited (TFCI) holds Master’s Degree in Business Administration from University of Jammu. He has rich experience of 28 years in the areas of Project Finance, Project Development, Project Monitoring, NPA Management, Risk Management, Accounts & Finance, Treasury, Corporate Advisory, etc. He has developed expertise in development and financial structuring of tourism related projects. He has participated in various prestigious conferences & seminars in India and abroad. He is also Chairman of ‘Investment Committee of India Enterprise Development Fund (IEDF)’ of IFCI Venture Capital Funds Limited and is nominee director on the board of several leading hotel companies in India.

With over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry,Rattan Keswani is a stalwart in the Indian hospitality industry. Currently, he istheDeputy Managing Director of Lemon Tree Hotels limited andDirector, Carnation Hotels Pvt. Ltd. (the management arm of Lemon Tree Hotels – a joint venture between Lemon Tree Hotels and Rattan Keswani).
Prior to joining Lemon Tree Hotels, he wasPresident,Trident Hotels(part of the Oberoi Group) from April 2008 to April 2012.Rattan was responsible for ten Trident Hotels in India, as well as Clarkes, Shimla and Maidens Hotel, New Delhi. He hasalso worked across various Oberoi Hotels & Resorts in India and overseas, including Saudi Arabiaand Sri Lanka.
An alumnus of the Oberoi Centre for Learning and Development, Rattan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. Married with two children – a son and a daughter, heis an avid reader and enjoys travel, movies, and sports – with tennis and cricket being his keen interests.

RITU is one of the founders of TID India. Her passion for design and hotels started while residing in Singapore. Her career started at Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi thereby getting insight to hotel operations. Designing for hotels was therefore the natural course and TID India was born in 1995 along with an international team and her associates in India.
With a young team of design professionals, she has designed for hotel projects ranging from budget, business to luxury hotels and resorts. She has worked with top hotel brands such as Taj, Accor, IHG; Marriott, Hilton, Shangri-La. She has guided the team to take on projects internationally – Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & Nepal. The design expertise also extends to Clubhouses, corporate offices, residences & retail.
Ritu believes that “The best experience for interior design comes with traveling to expand ones horizon to new ideas. Interior Design is about integration, creativity and thinking out of the box”

Kiran Andicot holds the position of Regional Vice President, Hotel Development with Marriott International based in New Delhi, India. Mr. Andicot joined Marriott International in January 2006 in their development planning and feasibility department. Before joining Marriott, he worked with the real estate and hospitality consulting division of Ernst & Young in Dubai and prior to that with HVS International in New Delhi. Prior to HVS, he spent over seven years working in hotel operations with the Taj and Oberoi group at various locations in India. Mr. Andicot is an alumnus of the Oberoi School of Hotel Management (now OCLD), Delhi.

James joined Carver & Associates in 1999, transitioning from a career as a commercial property insurance broker with Marsh & McLennan. Through providing and overseeing project management of FF&E procurement for over 100 hotel projects during his 19-year tenure with Carver & Associates, James brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team, with a focus on client and manufacturer relations. James will work with and oversee the Project Management team. James is a graduate of The University of Alabama, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree.

Prior to founding Carver & Associates in 1983, Larry was President of Peachtree Purchasing Company with John C. Portman, Architect and Developer. Larry’s background included experience with Real Estate Developers Cushman Corporation and Jack P. DeBoer Associates. Throughout his career, Larry enjoyed working with many elite hotel brands including InterContinental Hotels Group, Hilton, and Starwood Hotels. Larry’s 40+ years of experience combined with his entrepreneurial spirit and reputation for dependability have enabled him to develop a strong Senior Management Team at Carver & Associates. Under his leadership, the company continues its planned growth, financial stability and consistently reliable project delivery. Larry carries a Bachelor of Business Degree from Wichita State University.

Qasim Jafri with thirty five years’ experience in Hospitality industry has held positions like CEO-Imperium Hospitality, Chief Operating Officer-Nishat Hotels & Properties and General Manager of various Five Star hotels around the world.
Qasim has worked with Hilton International, Marriott International, Pearl Continental and Avari International Hotels in Europe, Canada, Middle East as well as in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
A Cornell university Alumni he has also attended hotel schools in Europe and Asia. Q J is also member of the Indo-Pak task force on Tourism and Culture, advises World Bank and SAARC on Tourism development, is President of Board of Governors of Goethe Institute Lahore, CFO of Lahore Heritage Foundation, Vice Chairman of Mashal and life member of Human Rights Commission and Faiz Foundation.
Other than his professional interests he is keenly involved in preservation and promotion of poetry, literature, music, environment and human rights.
He speaks five languages, Punjabi, Urdu, Farsi, English and German.

A visionary & strategic global business leader having more than 3 decades of experience with consistent record achieving business growth as well as turnaround in global, regional, multi-cultural and rapid change environments. Presently serving at IHCL as Vice President Real Estate & Development since February 2018.
Sanjeev Pahwa has graduated from Punjab University Chandigarh. He did his post-graduation in hotel management from the prestigious Oberoi School of Hotel Management. Sanjeev Started his career with the Oberoi Hotels, and worked at various senior positions across India and Abroad with companies such as Raheja Group of Hotels, National Hotel Company Muscat Oman, ITC Welcome Group, Country Development and Management Services Pvt. Ltd. Sanjeev was till recently Sr. Vice President Operations South Asia Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, and managed a portfolio of over 100 hotels which included Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inn & Suites and Park Inn by Radisson Hotels.

Shri Gupta, after completing his B.Com (Hons) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, did his Masters in Commerce from Delhi School of Economics and M.B.A.(Finance) from Faculty of Management Studies. He also holds Masters Degree in Economics from Rajasthan University besides Law Degree from Delhi University. He has also been an Associate of the Indian Institute of Bankers. Shri Gupta is a core banker who started his carrier in 1976 with Union Bank of India and later moved to the Oriental Bank of Commerce. After working for about 17 years, in nationalized banks, he joined TFCI – a specialized institution then created for the purpose of making long term credit available to Tourism related projects. Today he holds the position of Executive Director and responsible for the growth of tourism vertical of TFCI. TFCI has so far assisted more than 875 projects in tourism sector catalyzing investment of more than 30000 crore. TFCI has been instrumental for creation of additional 51000 rooms in the country in various segments of the industry representing more than 30% of the total room capacity. He is responsible for representing the corporation as well as industry in the various forums with the State and Central Government. He is also a member of the CII – National Committee of Tourism.

Graduated from Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai in 1966.
Worked with renowned Architectural firm M/s Bajpai Madan Patki Razdan, Mumbai from 1964 - 1971 on various projects involving planning, presentation drawings, working drawings and project supervision.
Was selected through a competition by East India Hotels (Oberoi Group) to work with M/s Dale Keller, an International Interior Design Consultants in Hongkong for a year. On return he was responsible for the total Interior Design and Development of the Oberoi Sheraton Hotel, Mumbai.
The firm “Prakash Mankar Associates” established in 1976 has focused primarily on Interior Design and Development of Hospitality sector with a list of reputed clients like ITC Hotels, Welcome Group, Asian Hotels (Hyatt), Radisson amongst others.

Prem, an engineer with 23 years of Hospitality experience in Architectural space layout planning, Project management, Design review, Design management, Systems installation management, budgeting, value engineering, property evaluation, property improvements, Strategic Planning, Technical Support, Plant Engineering Services, Maintenance Management.
He has designed and built many hotels ranging from Luxury brands to budget hotels across South Asia. Prem has extensive experience of managing engineering operations of complex properties like Renaissance Mumbai, Grand Hyatt Mumbai, and Oberoi Mumbai.
Instrumental in driving Marriott Serve 360 goals (Sustainability & Social Impact Goals for 2025 -

• -- Reduce water intensity by 15%, Carbon intensity by 30%, Waste by 35%. Achieve 30% renewable energy use
• -- 100% hotels to have sustainability certification
• -- Sustainable sourcing of 95% by spend.

Currently working on sustainability certification of various hotels with a footprint of about 3 million SFT
A Member of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors MRICS and an Accredited Professional of IGBC - Indian Green Building Council.
Regularly speaks and or participate in a panel discussion for various hospitality conventions, real estate conference and design meets notable are Green Building Congress, Hotel Build, IGEN, BEAMS, Hi Aims, IDE, etc.

Mr. Pushpendra Bansal is a Civil Engineer by profession ventured into the family business of construction in India at the age of 20 after completing his education. In a span of 30 years he executed jobs for reputed companies like L&T, ONGC, Essar, Food Corporation of India, Indian Railways and many more. In 1990`s he diversified into hospitality and set up 2 hotel projects, one at Surat and the other at Mumbai. He moved to USA in 2003 and acquired Hotels, Motels and Service Stations in addition to pursuing construction activities. Mr. Pushpendra Bansal is Chief Operating Officer of Lords group of Hotels. He started hotel chain named “LORDS” in the year 2007. He is well experienced in the hospitality sector with an aggregate experience of over 30 years in this line of business. At present, Lords Group is successfully managing more than 23 hotels under the brand “LORDS”. All the Hotels are operated and managed by Lords Inn Hotels and Developers Ltd. Lords Group is successfully managing its hotels under the brand names Lords Plaza, Lords Inn, Lords Eco Inn and Lords Resorts. All the hotels are operated and managed by Lords Inn Hotels and Developers Limited.

Zubin Saxena is Managing Director and Vice President Operations, South Asia at Radisson Hotel Group. He is a member of the Executive Committee of Radisson Hotel Group Asia Pacific that directs the business of the company.
Zubin joined Radisson Hotel Group as Vice President, Development, South Asia in 2015 and was responsible for leading the company’s regional expansion strategy. Zubin has played a key role in establishing Radisson Hotel Group as one of the largest and fastest growing international hotel chains in South Asia. In his current role, Zubin spearheads various strategic initiatives such as the India Unification Plan and Center of Excellence Program at RHG’s approximately 150 operating and under development portfolio hotels in the subcontinent. Overall, these programs are aimed at driving portfolio revenue, enhancing cost efficiencies, unlocking value, developing talent, strengthening owner relationships and increasing ROIs for various stakeholders.
With 20+ years of diverse global hospitality experience, Zubin possesses a strong understanding of global hotel markets, especially North America and Asia Pacific. Previously, Zubin has held senior and leadership positions with prominent global companies such as InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels and HVS-New York.
An early achiever and a go-getter, Zubin was enlisted amongst the top young Indian business leaders in the prestigious ‘40 under Forty’ by The Economic Times annual listing in 2019. He is also an active member and advisor to various industry bodies and hospitality institutes.
Zubin holds an MBA (with Distinction) from the Adam Smith School of Business and Management, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.

A leader is one who “shows the way”.
A seasoned hotelier, a trailblazer in hospitality and instrumental in the growth of Sarovar Hotels, he champions the mid-market, driving brand vision to reality. Ajay has played an integral part in the phenomenal growth story of Sarovar since its early inception, with beginning from a shared office table and the leadership of a single hotel. He has seen Sarovar achieve enormous growth, to its plethora of 86 hotels today.
An alumni of Cornell- Essec, France, Ajay is a product of the Oberoi School of Hotel Management and is a Science graduate from Delhi University. He has worked extensively in France, Scotland, Australia, Africa and India. A globe trotter and avid cyclist, Ajay has finished the cycling Tour of Nilgiris in 2017 covering 1000Km. His passion to stay fit and healthy has taught him the importance of having patience, positive energy and discipline. His work Mantra- Sincerity and hard work will always give results.
Ajay has been recognized as “Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Federation of Hotels and Restaurants Association of India (FHRAI) and received the prestigious “Hall of Fame” award by Hotelier India. He became the “CEO of the year” at the Hotelier India Awards 2017, demonstrating his prolific leadership qualities.

Murad joined the practice of Geoffrey Bawa and worked with him for nearly a decade. During his tenure with Geoffrey Bawa, he joined forces with Channe Daswatta and formed MICD Associates and subsequently formed ATS Consultants (Pvt) Ltd.
Some of his works are, The Four Seasons - Landaa Giraavaru Maldives, Four Seasons - Voavah Maldives, Mövenpick - Sri Lanka, Centara - Bentota Sri Lanka, Avani- Bentota Sri Lanka, Jetwing Yala Sri Lanka, Brandix India Apparel City , Vizag India, Water’s Edge Recreational Centre and Club - Sri Lanka, Golf Course and Club House Trincomalee Sri Lanka, Double Tree by Hilton, Weerawila, Sri Lanka amongst many others.
He’s an advisor to the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development in Sri Lanka and a member of the board of governors of the Arthur C Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies.

A stalwart, of the hospitality industry, Mr. Atique Rahman leveraging more than 40 years of experience, expertise across all functions of the hotel industry, spread over business hotels and leisure resorts.
Mr. Rahman, stepped into the hospitality industry in 1974, as an intern. A graduate from the State University of New York, quickly built a professional career in F&B, managing and directing the F&B Operations of the Renaissance Hotel, the Play Boy Club of America in Buffalo. Since then, he has served as Director Operations and held Regional Director positions, in the USA at Radisson Hotels International, The Park Plaza Hotel Cleveland, and Ramada Hotels International.
Results Oriented, Customer Service driven hotelier, Mr. Atique Rahman, have had an equally successful career, in Bangladesh. Played a leading role, at the Pan Pacific Hotel, the Westin Dhaka, the Ocean Paradise Hotel and Resort, and currently leading Lakeshore Hotels Operations, and the construction / finishing of Dusit Princess in Dhaka. Mr. Rahman, also is sought after, by local Owner’s as Owner’s Rep, to negotiate Hotel Management Contracts.

Karan Luthra is an alumni of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai where he completed his Bachelor’s in Management Studies. He went on to pursue his masters degree from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research. Karan started his career in the creative media field, where he worked as the assistant director for various TV commercials of Airtel, Bank of Baroda and RIN. Following this, he moved on to establish his own company, which provided cutting edge augmented reality technology for clients such as Google and TATA Motors. In 2015, Karan decided to join his father in the business of operation and maintenance of steel and power plants. Today their company is one of India’s leading provider of engineering solutions to steel pants with a combined work force of over 5000 employees. He now wishes to venture into the hospitality space to cater to the burgeoning demand in the domestic leisure space.

“Subhash Jalabhay, Mauritian Citizen, is a Founder member and chairman of SLP Engineering operating in different territories in the Indian Ocean. He has been in the Hospitality industry since 1994, starting in Mauritius and Seychelles, offering Design and Built of MEP Engineering services. Through Sri-Lanka, Maldives and India) , SLP has been committed to promote and offer MEP Engineering services with an Art, since MEP Engineering is the very much “ invisible work” amongst the top feel good factors to the guest’s appreciation of today’s Hospitality – A Good shower, Comfortable HVAC, and Good connectivity come altogether with, if not ahead of , the guests’ experience of key services in Hospitality.

Rahul Pandit is the MD & CEO of Hamstede Living, a Rental Housing JV of Warburg Pincus and Lemon Tree Hotels. He was earlier the MD & CEO of Tata Group’s Ginger Hotels. Rahul was previously a founding team member, President & Executive Director of Lemon Tree Hotels where he lead the company from a start-up to three national brands pan India. A graduate of IHM Pusa and a former member of the Indian Karate team, Rahul has studied Sales, Innovation and HR management at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, ISB Hyderabad and Cornell-Nanyang, Singapore. Rahul has worked and trained across India, USA and Singapore with Choice Hotels, Taj Hotels, Spectramind and Intercontinental Hotels. He also serves as Member, National Tourism Committee, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

He was the first CEO, BASS (now IHG) Hotels & Resorts, South & West Asia & Former PRESIDENT, ITC WelcomHeritage Hotels, where he pioneered the Heritage and Circuit Tourism movement in India before retirement in 2011. 
He is currently engaged in own investments in
CROSSRROADS Hotels and Resorts
ARTS Hospitality 
WOODBRIDGE Guest Homes

He is also:   

• Co-Founder & Hon. Secretary, Ecotourism Society of India.
• Co-Founder & Member Advisory Council, FAITH. 
• Executive Committee Member: IHHA, IHM Pusa. 
• Member: Tourism Committee INTACH, ITRHD, Rotary Club of Delhi Southend 
• Hon. President Delhi Board: Save the Children India
• Trustee: Smt. Reynoo Mathur Charitable Foundation

 
He is recipient of: 

 
1. The Karamveer Patra from ICONGO for pioneering the CODE OF CONDUCT for SAFE &HONOURABLE TOURISM , officially endorsed by UNODC and adopted by the Ministry of Tourism.
2. PATWA and several other Awards for pioneering Heritage and Circuit Tourism

  Spent Childhood and grew in Shimla. Did schooling from St. Edwards School, Shimla and then Economics Honours from S.R.C.C, Delhi University. 

Seema Bhatt is an independent consultant (based in India) working on issues related to ecotourism, biodiversity and climate change. Her particular focus of work is on strengthening the links between conservation of biodiversity and livelihoods of local communities. She views ecotourism as one such link and has coordinated two projects on ecotourism as the South Asia Coordinator for the USAID supported Biodiversity Conservation Network. Seema has since then worked extensively with various other ecotourism projects in India and other parts of South Asia. She has co-authored a book on Ecotourism Development in India published by the Cambridge University Press. Seema is a Fulbright Research Scholar and was based at the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST) in Washington DC where she explored the feasibility of ecotourism certification in India. She has since her return, been working on setting standards for ecotourism in India. Seema holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Seema is at present the Vice President of the Ecotourism Society of India.

An Advanced Management Qualification (AMQ) degree holder from School of Business-Bond University, Australia and a Science Graduate from Delhi University, Mr. Suresh Kumar joined ITC Hotels Ltd. as a Management Trainee in 1978. In a career spanning about three decades, Suresh has held several managerial positions in ITC Welcomgroup’s prestigious hotels commencing his career as General Manager in 1987 at a young age of 29 years. Suresh Kumar took over as Vice President Operations - ITC Hotels from In April 2005 till Since October 2006, Currently Mr. Kumar is Managing Director of Fortune Park Hotels Limited which has 85 Alliance Hotels across 62 cities in India, with an inventory of close to 7000 Rooms, In his current role, Mr. Kumar also oversees the WelcomHeritage Hotels division. Mr. Kumar has been awarded a number of accolades, including ‘The Green Hotelier’ award by International Hotels and Restaurants Association (IHRA) in 1996, ‘Safari India Best Hotelier, 2004 & 2009’, ‘PATWA International Young Achievers Award’ in 2008, ‘PATWA International Achiever Award’ in 2010 and 2011. At present he is a Management Committee Member of Hotel & Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI), Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) and Executive Committee Member of Hotel Association of India (HAI).

With almost 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Dilip comes with a wealth of experience in operating hotels, in depth local knowledge and the right credentials to take the lead to drive and support Starwood’s aggressive expansion plans in the region. Dilip has worked with major Indian hospitality brands like Taj and Oberoi as well as with Intercontinental Hotels Group and Sarovar Hotels internationally. He brings with him a global perspective that has been honed through operational and development roles in India, South Pacific, Australia and Africa across luxury and upscale hotel categories. Prior to assuming his new role with Starwood, Dilip was the Chief Executive Officer of Duet India Hotels. A graduate in Economics from Delhi University, Dilip holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Hotel Management from the Oberoi Center for Learning and Development. He has also done an Executive MBA program for IHG General Manager’s with the Poon Kam Kai School of Business at the Hong Kong University. Dilip is based out of the Starwood Regional Office in Gurgaon. He is a a voracious reader and an avid golfer. Mr. Dilip is currently the Founder & CEO of Indian School of Hospitality which has tied up with the Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (LHC) for curriculum development and faculty training and the first batch is expected to start in August 2018.

Mandar holds Bachelor’s Degree from Dr. D. Y. Patil College of Architecture (Mumbai University). During his initial training period with Team One Architects Team he had the opportunity to work under eminent planner Ar. Bharat Yamsanwar which gave him stable platform to implement my talent as an individual. Later Mandar joined Charles Correa & Associates, under Mt. Charles guidance Mandar started handling High profile national and international projects like the Ismaili centre (Toronto, CANADA) right from the Conceptual level to the execution stage, the MIT BCSC (Medical Institutional Building at Boston) and the Cancer research center in Lisbon among many other projects. Mandar’s interest in Hospitality industry brought him to Marriott Group where he has been working for past 10 years as Director for Design & Project management for the Marriott & the Ritz Carlton hotels and have been instrumental in opening 21 hotels and working on another 25 hotel projects.

Shri S.P. Arora, having more than 33 years of experience in Banking and Finance is Post Graduate in Commerce, a qualified Company Secretary, Law Graduate, ICMA and Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers. Previous to joining TFCI, he had been working as Executive Director of IFCI Ltd. During his tenure with IFCI Ltd. he had worked in almost all areas in different capacities. Shri S.P.Arora has long practical experience in the field of Credit Sanctions, Resolution of Stressed assets/recovery/litigation, sale of NPAs, Risk Management, Internal audit, Venture Capital & Bond Markets, Asset Reconstruction Co. (ARC). He has also worked as Managing Director of IFCI Venture Capital Funds Ltd. during 2010 to 2014. Presently he is Managing Director of Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd. Delhi, which is a 28 years old listed Financial Institution engaged in lending, rendering technical evaluation to hospitality projects and acting as a consultant to various State Govts’ in India. Shri Arora is also the guest faculty member at Institute of Cost and Management accountants (ICMA) and Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) and other Business / Management Schools. Under his leadership TFCI has shown considerable growth in sanctions as well disbursements.

Perhaps it is his passion that has got him to accept offices in bodies like INDIAN HERITAGE HOTEL ASSOCIATION, ECO-TOURISM SOCIETY OF INDIA, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES etc., Steve Borgia is not only the country's pioneer in rural tourism, but also so very graciously travels several thousand miles professing his knowledge, experience etc. in Europe and Asia. But his focus remains in rural India and is always creative centric. He not only inspires but helps people manifest their desires. Especially the youth. He makes it appear like magic. And most importantly makes finance a non issue.

Amit Gupta is the co-founder of Studio Symbiosis Architects, commenced his studies from AA School of Architecture, London. Upon completion of the M.Arch from AADRL he joined Zaha Hadid Architects in 2006. In 2010 he started Studio Symbiosis which is an architectural & interior design studio based in Delhi, London and Stuttgart involved in projects of various scales and sectors.
The research and intent of the practice is to create performance as a design driver, to achieve Sustainable and Smart buildings. Recently his project has been shortlisted as the Finalist for WAF and Leaf award and he has been awarded with prominent international awards like International Property Awards, German Design Award, Iconic Design Award, Estrade International award, Golden A’ Design award, invited speaker at TEDx Germany, Best hotel Architect of the year, Most innovative architect of the year and got featured in CNN Style.

Britta Knobel Gupta commenced her Architectural studies in Konstanz and Lyon where after she proceeded with a scholarship for a master degree at the Architectural Association School of Architecture London. In 2006 she joined Zaha Hadid Architects and was involved in a number of seminal projects as Lead Project Architect. She has also been teaching in various architectural schools in Britain, Germany and India.
Britta Knobel Gupta co-founded Studio Symbiosis Architects in 2010. She has been awarded with the prestigious 40 under 40 in 2014 and other international awards alongside International property award for Best Hotel project of the year, Finalist in WAF and Judge at WAF 2017, Estrade International Award, Iconic Award, German Design award and Golden A’ Design Award and just recently won the best hospitality architect of the year 2017 from IDE.

He followed undergraduate studies at the IPT Katubedde, 1961-1963 (now Moratuwa University, Sri Lanka). And post graduate studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, 1966-1968. He worked closely with the distinguished architect Geoffrey Bawa, his mentor and Ulrik Plesner at ER&B (1962-1978); at MKA Ltd (1980-1997). He is in solo architectural private practice since 1997. His work has been published internationally in over fourteen text books and many journals including CASA VOGUE, August 1993 (Italy) which featured his first house by a lagoon. This much published unique tropical house was included among the 1000 significant buildings in a compendium of WORLD ARCHITECTURE, A CRITICAL MOSAIC, (1900-2000) published by the China Architecture and Building Press endorsed by the International Union of Architects. NEW DIRECTIONS IN TROPICAL ASIAN ARCHITECTURE (Pessaro 2005) featured three of his projects. His Lagoon House has been included in the PHAIDON ATLAS OF 20th CENTURY WORLD ARCHITECTURE (2012) covering an international selection of buildings from 1900 – 2000. DOMUS (Sri Lanka, August-September 2015) featured his work. He is the author of ‘CREATING SIMPLICITY (Vijitha Yapa, 2009) and ‘TIMELESS HOUSES, (limited edition 2014). He is a visiting lecturer and an examiner at the schools of architecture in Sri Lanka. In 2013 the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects honoured him with a lifetime award for excellence in architecture.

Navin Piplani is a conservation architect, currently appointed as Principal Director of INTACH Heritage Academy, New Delhi. He took up this post after the completion of his role as the Hamlyn-Feilden Fellow and Director of Studies at the Centre for Conservation Studies, Department of Archaeology, The University of York, UK. Navin also runs his architecture conservation practice in Delhi and has acquired knowledge, expertise and skills by working on a range of projects in India and Europe. Since 2002, he has been working as a core member of the Taj Mahal Conservation Collaborative, a multi-disciplinary team of heritage professionals, engaged in the conservation of the World Heritage Site of Taj Mahal. In 2004, Navin assisted Professor A.G. Krishna Menon, an eminent conservationist, for the preparation of the INTACH Charter for the Conservation of Unprotected Architectural Heritage and Sites in India.
Navin is the Vice President of ICOMOS International Training Committee (CIF). He has researched and published widely on heritage conservation education, training and capacity building. He was a nominated member of the Committee set up by All India Council on Technical Education (AICTE) to develop a curriculum for ‘Conservation’ skills under the ‘Culture Sector’ for National Vocational Educational Qualification Framework. He has lectured on conservation philosophy and practice at several academic institutions and professional organisations in India and overseas. Navin has edited the publication titled – ‘Imagining Conservation – the Next Twenty Years’, which was published as proceedings of an international conference held during 2012 at the University of York. He has recently edited the inaugural issue of INTACH Journal of Heritage Studies on the theme, ‘Approaches to Conservation India’

Raj Rana is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, South Asia. Raj started his hotel career in India and went overseas in 1991. After working in various senior executive positions in Europe and U.S.A, Raj returned full circle to India in April of this year. Previously Raj was head of Radisson Franchised Operations, for Carlson based at the company’s world headquarters in Minneapolis. His broad spectrum experience includes brand growth and expansion, opening hotels, managing brand conversions and ensuring profitable business operations. Raj did his Hotel Management from Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, New Delhi and MBA from New York.

Sanjay Dhingra graduated from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi in the year 1990. He started his career with Architect Sudhir Vohra and worked with him as an ARCHITECT till March 1994 and as an ASSOCIATE ARCHITECT till December 1996, on a wide range and scale of projects with varied degree of involvement. Nature of projects of having been associated with, included various outlets of NIRULA’S chain of Restaurants and other Restaurants’ Interiors; Building and Interior Design of a 40 room Hotel; Bank Branch and Departmental Store Interiors; Residential and Commercial Building Designs; Conceptual Proposal of a Highway Resort; Plotted Residential Estate for senior executives; Industrial Kitchen Planning and Equipment Design; Property Evaluation and Cost Estimation assignments. He was also involved with the Interiors’ of Littlewoods departmental stores in Bangalore and Hyderabad. In the year 1997, he started his own practice of Architecture/ Interior Design/ Project Management by the name M/s SDC (Sanjay Dhingra Consultants). From 1997 till 2000, he had rendered Interior Design Consultancy and Project Management & Site Coordination Services for Domino’s & McDonald’s outlets across India. High point of his career includes Refurbishment of Public areas at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, New Delhi for providing Interior Coordination Assistance in the year 2000. He had also rendered Interior Design Consultancy services for Barista Bars at Chennai and Bangalore in the year 2001.

Perhaps it is his passion that has got him to accept offices in bodies like INDIAN HERITAGE HOTEL ASSOCIATION, ECO-TOURISM SOCIETY OF INDIA, UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES etc., Steve Borgia is not only the country's pioneer in rural tourism, but also so very graciously travels several thousand miles professing his knowledge, experience etc. in Europe and Asia. But his focus remains in rural India and is always creative centric. He not only inspires but helps people manifest their desires. Especially the youth. He makes it appear like magic. And most importantly makes finance a non issue.

Ashok Dhawan received his Masters Degree in Architecture from Yale University, USA, in 1967.
After living and working in USA and the Middle East for 20 years, he returned to India in 1985 to start his own practice.
Mr. Dhawan has designed a vast range of projects including new towns, universities, schools, residential communities, commercial complexes, resorts and museums. His practice is deeply concerned with the design of environmentally sensitive projects in the urban context. He also collaborates with leading Architects from around the world for select projects.
His work has been published in leading professional journals. He has received several awards including the Prime Minister’s award for Excellence in Urban Planning for New Tehri Town, which was also nominated for the Aga Khan Award; the J.K. Architect of the year award; joint winner with UGA of the national competition for the IAS Academy, among others.
He has been advisor to HUDCO, INTACH, visiting Professor at SPA, New Delhi, and Chairman, Royal Society of Arts, India Chapter.

Mudassir has been at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group since 2009. Over the last decade he has worked in various roles across the planning and development function.
Currently he is a part of the development team which is responsible for ensuring company’s profitable growth in the South Asian region. Prior to joining Carlson Rezidor, Mudassir had short stints with Deloitte and Royal Bank of Scotland.

Mr. Madan Prasad Bezbaruah was Secretary Ministry of Tourism for five long years from 1997 to 2002.
He was also Minister (Economic) in the High Commission of India in London, Principal Adviser Planning Commission of India, Banking Ombudsman for Reserve Bank of India.Currently he is the honorary Permanent Representative of UN-WTO He was also a Member in the North Eastern Council in the rank of Minister of State.
He is an internationally recognised tourism expert and has been consultant to Government of Ghana, UN-WTO and ADB.
He was member of the Strategic Group of UNWTO and was elected the Chairman of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in 2000-01.
A first class Masters degree in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Harvard University, he has written three books on tourism, and is the Chief Editor of five volume encyclopaedia- “Fairs and Festivals of India”.

G.M.Kapur, is a Calcuttan of long standing. After his schooling here, he completed his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the IIT-BHU and returned to do his Post Graduation in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIMC). He is a Member of the Institution of Engineers as well as a Chartered Engineer. Professionally he is an independent management consultant. He is a member of the National Governing Council, Executive Committee and Finance Committee and is State Convenor of the West Bengal and Calcutta Regional Chapters of The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and has also served on its Central Membership and Chapters Committees. He has been associated with INTACH since its inception in 1984. This organization has been active in Heritage Conservation and Restoration of Architectural, Material and Natural Heritage all over the country.

As GM Growth & Development, Smita is entrusted with the mantle of expanding the ITC Hotels’ portfolio.
The chain currently owns and manages over 100 hotels in more than 70 destinations in India, providing comprehensive hospitality solutions through 4 distinct brands that straddle different segments of the market mix.
With a Masters in Business Administration from GeNext Malaysia, Smita has over 20 years of experience in hotel development and sales with global and domestic hospitality chains including Starwood and Sarovar Hotels.
Her comprehensive understanding of the evolving hotel development landscape has held her in good stead on operator management and franchise agreements.

Sentila Tsukjem Yanger is a cultural activist, textile specialist and entrepreneur, craft revivalist and State Convener, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. An advocate on women empowerment she is widely acknowledged for her work in heritage and conservation, the promotion on the performing arts and crafts of the region, skill development of rural women and craft artisans.
She is a Member- Advisory Body on Intangible Cultural Heritage & Diverse Cultural Traditions of India (ABICHU), UNESCO Cell, Ministry of Culture, GOI.
Sentila T. Yanger was awarded the Padma Shri in 2008. She is a recipient of the SATTE-INTACH Award in 2010.

Sudeep Jain spearheads the IHG team in South West Asia and leads both the Development and the Operations team in the region.
Working with his team, his primary responsibilities include maximizing the revenues, profits, quality and service objectives of IHGs hotels in the regions. He also leads the team responsible to grow IHG’s footprint and achieve it growth goals.
Sudeep brings with him over 15 years of rich and varied experience in the hospitality industry across diverse roles in several countries. Prior to this role he led the development team for IHG in region for three years, growing IHG’s pipeline by 2x including signing and operationalizing the largest conversion deal in India.
Earlier, Sudeep led the Development function for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in South Asia. Over the three years that Sudeep was there, he led the team to sign over 50 deals with Starwood brands in the region. The team achieved almost 50% market share in signings in the relevant segments.
Prior to that he was the Managing Director at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels and Hospitality Group for India since its inception in 2008. Under his guidance, JLL HHG achieved industry leading status completing over 60 feasibility and market studies, more than 20 operator searches and mandates to sell more than 10 hotels on behalf of owners. He was selected amongst the Top 100 most Influential People in the hospitality industry by the Hotelier Magazine for the year 2013.
Sudeep was earlier with Starwood Hotels & Resorts as Vice President, Global Development Marketing and Planning based at the company’s U.S. headquarters where he worked for six years. Prior to that, he worked with Bain & Company, Inc. as a management consultant leading client teams and also as an investment banker with Merrill Lynch, Singapore.
His career has taken him across a number of places including New York, Boston, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and India enriching his experience and enhancing his global perspective. Sudeep has a Bachelor’s Degree from Dartmouth College where he double majored and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has also completed the PDP program at Cornell Hotel School to further enrich his hospitality knowledge.

Mr. Advani is promoter director of "Quantum Tourism & Financial Vistas", a boutique investment banking company focused on the real-estate and hospitality verticals. Quantum is active in the area of acquisitions, disinvestments and corporate finance. The company has successfully mediated and advised on various large real estate and hotel transactions as also assisted in fund raising - both debt & equity - for various projects. Mr. Advani was part of the founding team that set up the Financial Institution "Tourism Finance Corporation of India" and has evaluated and appraised various projects for debt funding. He has over twenty years of experience in corporate finance, investment banking and currently advises various companies on development and expansion. He is an MBA from Virginia Tech., USA; honors graduate from Shri Ram College of Commerce and Member of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).

“Every great design begins with an even better story.”
Where there’s luxury, there’s Bobby Mukherji & Associates. Acclaimed for lending his acumen to Architecture, Urban planning and Interior Design, the highly feted Bobby Mukherji brings his expertise in all things luxurious, to the projects he undertakes.
His repertoire of projects spans hospitality, commercial, residential, recreational and aviation segments, where concepts, design, and attitude of each project is carefully analyzed. Bobby Mukherji ’s keen eye for detail, going through multiple layers of research and working on something that is one-of-a-kind, have become his calling card.
Widely travelled around the world and exposed to international trends and aesthetics, this graduate from The Academy College of Architecture, Mumbai and a first-generation entrepreneur, returned to India to set up Bobby Mukherji & Associates in 1993.
Today Bobby’s designs are recognized by their foremost quality and chic style that is at par with international standards. Bobby though believes the seeds of creativity were sown in him when he was still a child. Visualizing playing blocks as creative structures, the foundation of an architectural career was laid early on. He was the youngest amongst 10 alumni students felicitated for their achievement in the area of design and architecture. Having won over 27 national and international awards, the firm has secured the position of being the only Indians common to eminent International Hospitality Brands like The Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, Carlson Rezidor and The Hard Rock Café across their various brands alongside homegrown brands like The Taj Palaces & Resorts, Lemon Tree Premiere, The Royal Orchid Group, The Lalit Group of Hotels and Sahara Hospitality Ltd among many others.

Studied B.Arch - College of Engineering Trivandrum, Kerala. Worked as volunteer for various cost effective projects in COSTFORD an NGO under the chairmanship of Late Dr. Laurie Baker Worked with Ar. Shobak Thomas & M/S Architectonica. Worked as Partner & Principal Architect in Elements Architects Trivandrum.
Founded MKJ DESIGNS in 2011at CHENGANNUR in Alappuzha District , Kerala. MKJ DESIGNS is an architecture and interior practice with a reputation for designing innovative, responsive and beautiful buildings. Our firm’s work lies at the intersection of architecture, eco-sensitivity and tradition. We meet every design challenge with clarity, elegance and refinement. We have designed Resorts, Home-stays, Houses, Residential and Office interiors and Commercial spaces. MKJ DESIGNS is dedicated to architecture that fosters connections – people to place; building to landscape, setting, and infrastructure; past to future. The firm’s work is clear in concept, refined in detail, and innovative in material and systems exploration.

AWARDS –

• Malayala Manorama Parpidam Best Home Award 2011 –Mr.Sooraj’s Home at Trivandrum.
• CSI Ecological Concerns-Green Home Award -2013 – Mr. Eapen Mathew’s house at Nedungadapally, Kottayam.
• Vanitha Veedu Architecture Award 2017- Hospitality Project –Commendation
• WB - Washroom Design Challenge 2017 Luxury Washrooms for Residence category-National Level - 1st Prize
• WB - Washroom Design Challenge 2018 Washrooms for Pubic space - Zone 6- Commentation
• Indian Institute of Architects National Awards 2018 – Hospitality Project- Finalist.

EVENTS -

• Participant – CERSAIE – Bologna, Italy -2018
• Particiant– Beyond Bricks – Tribute to Laurie Baker- Organised by IIA Trivandrum Centre– Art Installation with One Lakh Waste bricks of Pongala Festival – 2nd March 2018
• Participant – Building for a Billion –An India Next Initiative 2017-18 –Competition of Design on Housing for Urban Poor
• Jury Member – Various Architecture colleges in Kerala.
• Panalist – Think Turf Series - Smart Living Forum - an initiative by Voltas in partnership with Architect & Interiors organized at Kochi on 10th October 2019

With an instinctive eye for detail and tastes honed by global travel, Amy’s creative aspirations and expertise creates unique and individual interior spaces, be their intent to inspire, delight or comfort.
With over 20 years of international experience, she started her career in the European luxury residential market, expanding into hospitality after moving to Dubai, where she designed for most, if not all International Hospitality Brands, before working as Design Director for Kerzner International, who manage luxury resort brand One&Only and Atlantis Hotels.
Amy now heads the JPA Design Team in Singapore, where she crafts inimitable, immersive and innovative environments, with a focus on guest experience.

Vikram Choubal is Vice President of Project Management Global Design for Asia Pacific region and heads the team based out of the regional office in Mumbai at Marriott International. He and his team are responsible for the discipline in design and project management for all the hotel brands in the region. From 2010 to 2012 he had been with the Phoenix group and was successful in commissioning of the large market cities in Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Vikram has extensive experience in the hospitality industry which included, Vice President for Taj Hotels and responsible for all disciplines including Fit-out, Procurement, Finance, Site team and Construction from 2012 to 2015. Prior to Taj, Vikram worked 14 years as Vice President of Engineering for Oberoi Group of hotels in Engineering, Operations and Projects. Prior to working with the Oberoi, he has worked in the merchant shipping industry and has sailed on oil tankers for 14 years, gaining a hands on experience and the chance to work with various nationalities.

Rohit Hans is a Director of Development at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. Rohit joined Hyatt in 2011, and has since been focusing on Hyatt’s expansion efforts in India. Having spent over 19 years in the hospitality industry, he has worked in various functions like operations, feasibility and development. Before joining Hyatt, he was handling development for ITC's Fortune Hotels in India. An alumnus of Institute of Hotel Management PUSA - New Delhi, Rohit holds a master’s degree in tourism management, and a certificate in hotel real estate investments and asset management from Cornell University.

A day dreamer, Himmat left the corporate world in 2007 when he was Chief Operating Officer- India & South Asia - Kuoni Destination Management. He then pursued his decades old dream to create a hospitality brand which took inspiration from the earth; used local resources to build and delivered ultimate experiences to the guests. The two brands - Tree of Life Resorts & Hotels and Tree Leaf Hospitality operate in Jaipur, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Marari Beach (Kerala), Udaipur and Varanasi. Agra, along with two other properties are under development. A hotel management graduate, he started his career in 1978, with the Taj Group of Hotels and then moved to tourism in 1981, with most of his career with SITA / Kuoni Travel, which included postings in Frankfurt, London and Paris for a decade.

Rajeev Agarwal is a graduate from the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi. He established an architectural design studio in New Delhi, in 1998 as 'Rajeev Agarwal Architects' and has since worked on a range of projects including exhibition galleries, residences, resorts, institutions, master plan developments to low cost appropriate architecture in the last 15 years. He has been a member of the visiting faculty at School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi He has also widely participated in discussions on various design fields including architecture & their implication on places and people.

Mrs Bindu Manchanda has been working at INTACH for the past 22 years as Director Projects in the Architectural Heritage Division. She is also the Head of the Heritage Craft & Community Division. As part of her responsibilities, she is she has been involved with restoration projects, project management, adaptive reuse of heritage buildings and development of Heritage Precincts in various parts of India. Also she has been actively involved in projects related to the preservation, promotion and development of traditional crafts...
She is the author of JAISALMER CITY OF GOLDEN SANDS AND STRANGE SPIRITS and FORTS AND PALACES OF INDIA.

K.B. Kachru is chairman emeritus and principal advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, and has been instrumental in building the business in India since 1998. K.B continues to be on the board of the Group’s South Asia business entities.
Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel groups with overall brand portfolio of over 1,400 hotels. In India it presently operates over 92 hotels (10,629 rooms).
He was previously chairman, South Asia, of the Group, since 2013. Prior to that, K.B served as executive vice president, responsible for the overall strategy, hotel development, management and functional support of key markets within South Asia, overseeing Radisson Hotel Group’s joint venture companies in India.
K.B. is an active member of various Tourism and Hospitality Advisory Committees at the state and national level. He has been on the board of directors for the Tourism Corporation of various state governments and on the board of governors of the Institute of Hotel Management in New Delhi. He also served as an executive member of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) India Chapter, the American Society of Travel Agents of India, Hotel Association of India (HAI), Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) and India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB). He also spearheaded the formation of the Institute for International Management and Technology in collaboration with Oxford Brookes University, UK, and was also responsible for the introduction of arrival passenger duty free shopping at India’s international airports.

Senior Journalist Vineet Narain’s name is a synonym to anti-corruption crusades in India. In 1993 he exposed the now famous Jain Hawala Scam and through a PIL in Supreme Court got dozens of Union Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers and opposition leaders charged for corruption for the first time in Indian history.
During 1997-2001, Narain dared to expose the immoral conduct of the members of top judiciary of the country. His investigative reports were backed with concrete evidences.
He has authored two volcanic books in Hindi on the above crusades titled ‘Bhrashtachaar, Aatankvaad Aur Hawala Karobar’ & ‘Adaalat ki Avmaanana Kaanoon Ka Durupyog’.
In addition to his journalistic pursuits, Mr. Narain is actively involved in the conservation of the 5,000 years old rich cultural and environmental heritage of Braj - the land of Lord Radha-Krishna. Top politicians, senior bureaucrats and corporate giants are helping him in restoring heritage sites in Braj which is in close proximity of Agra-the city of Taj. (www.brajfoundation.org) To know more about him and his work you can log on to: www.vineetnarain.net

Rajiv is a Hotel Development specialist with almost 30 years in the Hotel development business. His strengths are his ability to read the market and develop the right product for the market segment from Mid-market limited service to Luxury Hotels.
Rajiv has led leadership roles for Aman Resorts, SPHC subsequently IHG yet his personal achievement in setting up the Indigo Restaurant , Mumbai, Indigo Deli, Tote on the Turf, Neel and Blue Frog. That have always held a special place of pride for him.

Rajat Tuli is a business strategist and a holistic hotelier, with over two decades of hospitality experience. He believes in enhancing stakeholders value, steer strategic goals and dringive financial success
Rajat started his career as a Management trainee in kitchen and has worked his way upwards the hotel management ladder from being a successful Executive Chef to Director Food & Beverage to General Manager today.
He has the merit of being associated with Country’s renowned organizations viz., Hilton Worldwide, Marriott’s, Radisson Hotel Group and ITC Hotels, who have along the years shaped him into an accomplished leader today.

A graduate of the Institute of Hotel Management Mumbai, Mohankumar, Joined the Taj Group at its flagship hotel The Taj Mumbai as management trainee in 1974. A specialist in F & B, His career has spanned from F&B Manager, Resident Manager, General Manager, Area Director of Taj Luxury, Premium, Gateway Hotels pan India.
He has held Strategic leadership roles at the Indian Hotels Co. (Taj Hotels), including COO - Taj Gateway, MD & CEO - Roots Corporation - Tata Enterprise - Ginger Hotels. A Quintessential Hotelier with 45 years of experience he is often tagged as a Turnaround Specialist.

Jose Dominic has been heading CGH Earth (formerly Casino Group of Hotels) as its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director from 1978 to 2019.
In 1988, the group won the contract to reconstruct and operate the Bangaram Island Resort on Bangaram Island in Lakshadweep islands. The model adopted considered pioneering for its time put the Lakshadweep on the global tourism map and became the precursor of a new model of tourism introduced by the group in Kerala then known as Casino Group of Hotels. The model rested on the foundations of sustainability, social inclusion and the local ethos. The demonstrative success of this model resulted in other entrepreneurs adopting the model that eventually gave to Kerala the leadership to adopt Responsible Tourism as the development strategy.
In recognition of his efforts the Ministry of Tourism, in the year 2003 gave a Special Commendation Award to Mr. Jose Dominic for Resort Development.
Mr. Jose Dominic has served on several National and State advisory panels on tourism of the Government and industry bodies.

Athula Amarasekera, is a Singapore and Thailand Based Sri Lankan Architect, whose is passionate about hospitality products in the region from 5 star Airline Lounges, chic Hostels, No- Frills Hotels to 5 star Branded Residences. His work spans Singapore, Melbourne, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Seychelles
Trained in Sri Lanka & Hong Kong with a B.Sc in Built Environment, an M.Sc in Architecture from the University of Moratuwa and a Masters in Urban Design from the University of Hong Kong, Athula Amarasekera also has extensive master planing, design and hospitality experience.

Mr. G. Yoganand is the Chairman & Managing Director, Manjeera Group, Hyderabad, who believes in corporate culture of delivering value to the customer. He is a first generation Techno-preneur with rich experience in the real estate sector for more than 3 decades.
He has graduated in Civil Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad in 1981 and completed Post Graduation in Civil Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1983.
Being passionate for continuous learning, he has successfully completed a Business Leadership Program at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore in 2013.
He is associated with several professional bodies like Institution of Engineers, Indian Concrete Institution, Association of Consulting Civil Engineers, Andhra Pradesh Real Estate Developers Association, CREDAI. He had contributed in a small way in formulation of various policies of the Government relating to Real Estate Sector.

Mr. Anirban Chakraborty, aged 48 years is a B.Tech from The University of Kolkata and has done his Post Graduate in Financial Management from University of Mumbai. He started his career in Voltas in 1993 where he worked in diverse areas ranging from Business Development, assessing techno feasibility of projects, project implementation & was associated with Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) from 1999 to 2003 , where he advised corporates across sectors on assignments spanning different product offerings of financial advisory, project appraisal, due diligence, capital restructuring, loan syndication, credit monitoring. He joined Axis Bank in 2003 and headed various divisions ranging from SME, Corporate debt and capital markets, Relationship Management Group, and Structured Finance till 2015 and was elevated to the position of Deputy CEO of Axis Capital.
Currently Mr. Anirban Chakraborty is the Managing Director & CEO of Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd. (TFCI), Delhi, a 30 years old listed Financial Institution engaged in lending, rendering technical evaluation to hospitality projects and acting as a consultant to various State Govts’ in India.

Presently the Joint Managing Director of The MBD Group, Ms. Sonica Malhotra, is driving the Group by taking powerful strides into hospitality, real estate, retail and mall development ventures. She has been directing the MBD Group’s strategy very meticulously and is also responsible for executing key projects from start to finish. Apart from handling the overall operations of the hospitality and retail vertical, She is also responsible for corporate finance, taxation and legal for the entire MBD Group including hospitality, retail, education and other verticals. Ms. Malhotra studied BCom (H) at Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi and pursued an MBA in Finance from the International Management Institute (IMI), Delhi. Further, she completed a programme in leadership development (PLD) from Harvard Business School, Boston.

“Amitabh Tyagi is a Civil Engineer by qualification who started his career in 1992 working in Bhutan as a member of the project team which was building ‘Saarc Conference Centre’, it is country’s Assembly building now.
He later worked with ‘Eros Group’ and executed their Nehru Place Hotel, which opened as Park Royal Delhi, as a Project Engineer.
He then joined Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (Taj Group) in 1995 and for responsible for managing various projects – Greenfield Hotels & Resorts, Flight kitchens and major renovations. He left IHCL as Area Project Manager and joined Starwood Hotels in 2006 as their Regional Director – Technical Services for South Asia and was one of the founder members of the team which established Starwood brands in South Asia.
After Starwood, he went back to IHCL in 2015 as Vice President – Technical Services and was responsible for the execution of their Owned and Managed projects worldwide.
He is now working with Hilton Hotels Worldwide as Senior Director – Technical Services since 2019 based out of their India office in Gurgaon”.

Electrical Engineer by qualification, has been with ITC Limited for the last 32 years, in its Hotels Division
Currently heading Technical, EHS and Projects in Fortune Park Hotels Ltd, a subsidiary of ITC Limited.
Previous assignments include ITC Grand Chola, ITC Maurya and ITC Maratha as Chief Engineer
Key contribution in the Hotels Division achieving LEED Platinum Rating for all its front line hotels and TERI-Griha 5 Star for ITC Grand Chola.
Led the sustained efforts resulted in ITC Grand Chola and ITC Maurya becoming a Zero Discharge Hotels and share of renewable energy in overall energy use rising to 71% These hotesl are also on the threshold of becoming Zero Waste units. ITC Grand Chola was inducted into the ACREX Hall Of Fame for Sustainability in HVAC in 2019
Member of EHS and Sustainability Core group for ITC Limited. Also a Member of CII's Regional Water and Environment Task force of TN state

Born to design, a man of distinctive taste and few words - he is David Tokiwa. The founder of one of the leading international design firms, Singapore-based DBTA International Pte Ltd, a third-generation Japanese-Canadian descent. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design from Ryerson University in Canada, he is also a certified music lover having earned a Certification from the Conservatory of Music in Canada. He creates designs like a rhythm that comes from vivid visualization of the space coupled with passion to create timeless pieces of “habitable works of art”.
To date, Mr. Tokiwa has won several awards for the unique designs he passionately executes. Two of the closest awards to his heart would be his topic for this year’s HiAim, the Sayaji Hotel Kolhapur which was recognized in London’s International Hotel Awards in association with Rolls-Royce Motor as the Best Large Hotel in India and RollsRoyce Five Star Standard Hotel and Sheraton Grand Pune Bund Garden Hotel which won in India’s Artist’s In Concrete Awards Asia Fest as Best Hotel Interior Design Award. He continues to build his legacy by imparting the knowledge and passion to the younger generation of Designers in order to assure continuity of “making people’s dreams a reality”.

Mr Peayush Agarwal is Group President of V3S Vikas Surya Group who owns Hotel Crowne Plaza Rohini and Hotel Holiday inn Sector 90, Gurgaon. The group has built 2.5 millions square feet of commercial real estate in Delhi and Gurgaon. He is a law graduate from Delhi University, MBA finance and a company secretary. Been with V3S Vikas surya group from last 16 years. Joined as a company secretary and now Group President.
Have previously served in Goodyear India Ltd.
Journey from a company secretary to group president has been very interesting n full of joy. Never have stuck to one responsibility. Fond of handing diversified portfolios throughout career not only in legal and secretarial but primarily responsible for business development, identifying land for malls and hotels, designing and constructing them and also heading operations of those Malls and hotels.

Ram Vittal Rao belongs to the “now” generation of highly qualified and sought-after Hospitality Operations Design Consultants. A Sciences graduate from Mysore University and an Oberoi School of Hotel Management product he has had the opportunity to do high quality and innovative hospitality designing for over 39 years.
Having worked with the Oberoi hotels group for over two decades, he has to his credit designed International & National branded hotels, central production kitchens and laundries, Cruiser ships, restaurants and flight catering projects.
He is the only Indian Consultant to have designed the Rastrapathi Bhawan (The residence of the President of India), the residence “Antilla” of Mr. Mukesh Ambani, The residence F & B spaces of Piramals, as a Hotel Design Consultant. He also has to his credit completed & has ongoing projects in India, U.A.E., Maldives, and Mauritius.
He and his team at Vital Concept Design Pvt Ltd with over 100 combined years of experience have provided Hospitality Operations Designs with precision and speedy turnarounds. He is also a Speaker at many discussion forums in India & abroad. His contributions and knowledge go way beyond the aspects of Hospitality facilities designing and is well experienced when it comes to the development of food and beverage concepts and hospitality spaces programming.
His passion and dedication for design & the hospitality industry makes him take keen personal interest in all his projects, with an eye for the finest details; that deliver superlative products.

Gurmeet Singh Uberai, a Chartered Accountant having qualified in 1974 is partner in a professional accounting firm.
He has sat on the Board of plural companies including a public sector bank, and entities covering range of diverse businesses including manufacturing, trading, hospitality, technology and financial services industries.
His exposure and experience encompasses conducting due diligence of target entities, business evaluation for process improvement, business valuations, mergers, business modeling for establishing market pricing and acquisitions, repositioning acquired assets, arranging joint ventures and brand franchising; redeveloping properties; establishing marketing alliances; hand holding joint ventures; venture funding and fund syndication.
In the hospitality space, successful assignments and exposure include advising and acquisition of companies (including successful bidding and acquisition in Government of India (ITDC) disinvestment processes); acquisition and repositioning hotel, developing strategy for developing hotel businesses and assisting in developing of assets; establishing successful joint ventures and hotel management business. Exposure covers upper up scale, up scale mid scale and boutique assets providing curated experiences.

Sandeep is in building services Consulting with over 20 years of working and experience. Sandeep also contributes significantly in various disciplines of Building Services Design and in Codes. Sandeep is collaboratively worked with and under guidance of Senior Colleagues in the fraternity, towards the revision of National Building Code of India in 2005 and now the 2016 Edition. Sandeep to his credit has contributed and lead in design services of HVAC, Plumbing Services, Electrical Services, Fire, Life Safety Systems and in Sustainability aspects for varied projects from Tall, Mixed Use, Hospitality, Healthcare and other Projects in Commercial Building Segment. Sandeep is also been Visiting Faculty at SPA, New Delhi with over 15 years of contribution towards imparting lectures to young students of Masters Degree Program in Building Engineering Services.

Ravindra Kumar (Ravee) heads Design at VA. His strength has been in providing innovative design solutions to emerging project trends & typologies in India. He has a keen understanding of the complex needs of new laboratory facilities and other building types and understands the need to integrate with building and landscape aesthetics. He has designed many of VA’s large and complex projects. He has more than two decades of experience in this field.
He has been a visiting faculty member at various Departments of Architecture. Currently is the reader and chair for long distant studies program at Educational Praxis, Maloboro University, USA. He has keen interest in primary and secondary education and is the president of the T.B.S. foundation, a school for 400 rural children and Rangaloka, a not for profit organization.
Ravee has been nominated as the brand ambassador for sustainability initiatives towards green architecture namely Earth Matters, IAB India, Activism Architecture, Design Quest India. He has lectured as an invitee in many of these events in India and overseas. He has done extensive documentation on vernacular India for various work groups including INTACH, Madras Craft Foundation. He has lectured in various cities in India & around the world, sharing an experience on his ideation of architecture.

K.D. Singh is Managing Director of Aircon Engineers Pvt. Ltd, a 25 year old HVAC System integration company engaged in executing HVAC projects. He is an HVAC professional par excellence, Mr. Singh is well trained in commissioning for over 20 years, an expert in design and installation of HVAC systems, and has a number of award winning and LEED certified projects to his credit. Mr. Singh is a B. Tech (Mechanical) from National Institute of technology, Warangal and MBA (Marketing) from college of Business management, Chandigarh. Currently working as the Managing Director of Aircon Engineers Pvt.Ltd, a company engaged in HVAC contracting, Precise Air Terminal Products Pvt. Ltd, a company engaged in manufacturing of quality Air Terminal Products & A M design group, a design and build company engaged in providing a concept to commissioning solution in design, construction and commissioning of HVAC Systems. An Expert in Commissioning of HVAC systems including testing and Air Balancing. Mr. singh has various awards and achievements under his name like Executive Committee member Indian Green building council from 2014 onwards till date, President ASHRAE India chapter. (2013-2014). Executive committee member of global green summit, year 2013-2014, an initiative by The Economic Times, Presidential award of excellence at the RAL in Spain, for promoting sustainably. Awarded for highest RP achievement RAL research promotion (2010-2011) and many more.