Advisory Council For

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Neeraj Govil

Mr. Neeraj Govil

SVP Operations, Asia Pacific Excluding China At Marriott International

Neeraj Govil is a key member of the Asia Pacific senior executive team of Marriott International. His role is both the strategic, and tactical business partner to the President, Area Vice Presidents and Brand leaders to drive the region’s strategy and business performance with a focus on operational excellence. The operating portfolio includes managed and franchised operations spanning 22 brands in 21 countries with a total inventory of over 105,000 hotel rooms and over 700 restaurants and bars.

Neeraj partners with the Global Operations disciplines and brand teams both at center and in-continent to deploy operations and brand programming, provide input on the design and development of new products and services, and deliver continent-specific feedback on programs applicability for managed and franchised hotels. He manages a team of operations subject-matter experts that support core business processes across all operational disciplines that drives operational excellence, guest satisfaction, revenue and profitability, brand and product strategy execution and new hotel openings. Neeraj also supports the President and AVPs with key owner and franchise relations across Asia Pacific excluding China.
Neeraj also has direct oversight over India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal in the capacity of Senior Vice President for South Asia.
Based in Singapore, he always has a good book in his travel bag, and in his time off work, enjoys being outdoors and staying connected to his favorite sports.

Ms. Ranju Alex

Ms. Ranju Alex

Market Vice President West India Marriott International

Ranju Alex is the Market Vice President – West India at Marriott International. In her current role Ranju is responsible for driving market share, overseeing strategic business operations in collaboration with owners and key stakeholders , leading the culture of the company and managing a senior discipline think tank.Her career with Marriott International began as the General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Hinjewadi in 2010 and subsequently Ranju moved as GM of the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa in 2013. With her laser focus on the balance score card

coupled with excellent owner and associate relations , she was promoted to a multi-role as GM and Multi Property Vice President for JW Marriott Kolkata and East India, Bangladesh & Bhutan. In 1018, Ranju took on the responsibility of the Bangalore and Kochi markets as MPVP alongwith overseeing Marriott Whitefield as GM. Her responsibilities extended to managing the South India operations and Sri Lanka as MVP in the year 2019.
A strong advocate and believer of women being powerful agents of change, Ranju is extremely passionate about women empowerment and ensures she ‘walks the talk’ by propagating a progressive mindset to bring about a social change. Her ability to stay calm under pressure, execute strategies, and manage complex business models and teams, is the driving force that helps her achieve service excellence, which encompasses growing careers of her team.
Her work towards gender diversity has had her travel across Sweden, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the US as a keynote speaker on women related issues. She is the proud recipient of ‘Women of the Decade in Business & Leadership’ award at the Women Economic Forum, UK, in 2017. She has also been awarded the ‘Women Super Achiever Award’ by Femina; ‘Woman achiever in the Corporate Category’ from Aparajita 2018 by Sanmarg and the ‘Achiever in Hospitality’ from SHE awards by The Telegraph India.
Born and raised in Durgapur; the steel city of West Bengal, Ranju completed her Diploma in Hotel Management, IHM Kolkata and was absorbed by the Oberoi Hotels as an OCLD Management Trainee winning a Gold Medal during her training program.
Despite her commitment to meeting business goals, work-life balance is critical to her professional domain. She believes that ‘leading a fulfilling personal life is as important as leading in the boardroom’. Her hobbies include playing tennis and swimming, travelling and cooking. She lives in Mumbai along with her husband Alex and her two children Rishabh and Ritika.

Mr. Kush Kapoor

Mr. Kush Kapoor

Director- Roseate Hotels & Resorts

Director- Roseate Hotels & Resorts, Kush Kapoor started his career as a room boy with The Trident, Udaipur & Trident Cochin after completing his ‘Hotel Management’ diploma from IHM Hyderabad. With over 23 years of experience in the hospitality industry Mr. Kapoor has covered the most iconic hotels during his hospitality career across India including ‘Oberoi Group’, ‘The Taj Group’ of hotels and ‘The Leela Group’ and has many laurels to his feat.

In 2016 he launched Roseate Hotels & Resorts Brand in India which has become an iconic Luxury hotel Brand in India. He has been awarded with the Innovative Hotelier of the Year India, 2010 award by Hotelier India. Other awards include 5 star Diamond Award by American Academy Of Hospitality Sciences for 2009 -2010, Best Hotel, Best Convention Hotel & Best Spa Hotel in India for 2010-2011 & 2011-12, 2017-18, 18-2019, by Bloomberg International, Best Hotel for Business Travel by Safari India, National Tourism Award 2010, Best New Spa in India by AsiaSpa for 2009-2010 & 2010-2011, Best Coffee shop, Best Bar, Best Indian Specialty Restaurant, Best Italian Specialty Restaurant in the city by Times Food Guide during his stint at Leela Kempinski Hotel & Residences, Gurgaon
In addition to the above Mr. Kapoor was a Certified Departmental Trainer from Taj Corporate Office and has been on the panel for the inspection and classification of the hotels in NCR region by HRANI committee. In personal life Mr. Kapoor is happily married and enjoys travelling, listening to good music and staying fit.
As a fitness junkie, Mr. Kapoor has benchmarked SIX SIGMA Green Belt, Black Belt Trainer & Master Black Belt, certified by RABQSA, a Global body formed in 2005 by Registrar Accreditation Board (RAB) of USA and Quality Society of Australasia (QSA) of Australia, completed Psychology certificate course from Oxford, Tai Chi from Harvard University, General Managers Program from Cornell University

Mr. Gaurav Singh

Mr. Gaurav Singh

Market Vice President, South & East India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka, Marriott International

Gaurav’s career spans over two decades in various cities across India. Over the last nine years with Marriott International, he has led hotels in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, East India and Bangladesh, and was most recently based out of the JW Marriott Kolkata. Known for his strategic acumen, ability to adapt and manage in tough environments, Gaurav’s hotels have had phenomenal results under his leadership and guidance, winning multiple Marriott

International awards including “Hotel of Year & General Manager of the year” in Asia Pacific and globally. Gaurav is a boarding school alumnus from Mayo College, Ajmer, with a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from WGSHA, Manipal and a PG Diploma from WMI, Gurgaon. Alongside this he has done various management courses with Cornell University, Harvard Business School and University of North Carolina in the USA and IIM Kolkata.

Mr. Vineet Mishra

Mr. Vineet Mishra

Complex General Manager, Pullman and Novotel Aerocity at Accor

Vineet Mishra is the Complex General Manager at Pullman & Novotel New Delhi Aerocity. A passionate hotelier from Delhi, Vineet is also a voracious reader, loves fitness and is an ardent traveller. His mantra revolves around– Leading by example with a clear purpose. He believes in articulating the values and pillars of an organization which therefore requires having an aligned strategic route along with clear focus. A seasoned hospitality professional, Vineet Mishra brings on board an illustrious career spanning over 22 years and an exceptional network in the industry.

Mr. Bibhor Srivastav

Mr. Bibhor Srivastava

Managing Director with ITP Media India

Bibhor Srivastava, has over two decades of work experience with a record of achievement and demonstrated success in Senior Management Roles of Publishing, events and exhibitions, marketing and sales management, business development. Currently the Managing Director, ITP Media India, Bibhor manages seven B-2-B premier magazine brands. He also manages event portfolio such as knowledge-based conferences, seminars, round tables & branded awards.

As a leader with extensive experience in the industry, Bibhor was instrumental in launching Hotelier India in 2008 and has now become the most respected publication. Hotelier India Awards is now the most aspired for awards in the sector. As the leader of the Indian team, he works to improve the organisation’s market position and achieve financial growth through the development of new business and retention of customer accounts.

Mrs. Shatbhi Basu

Mrs. Shatbhi Basu

Author and Managing Director & Owner STIR Academy

Mrs. Shatbhi Basu is the Author & Managing Director & Owner of STIR Academy. She is an alumni of IHM Mumbai, class of 1980. Bar & Beverage Consultant to international brands & bars; a freelance journalist. She has created India’s first bartending academy - STIR Academy of Bartending for giving young students skills, direction, purpose, and a career. With her astounding work experiences, she was awarded by the President of India and the Ministry of Women and Child. She has published India’s first beverage book – The Can’t Go Wrong Book of Cocktails.

Mr. Craig Wedge

Mr. Craig Wedge

Managing Director - Reserve Wines Pvt. Ltd, Partner - Handpicked Wine Services LLP & Naked Grape LLP

Craig is a result driven, self-motivated and skilled wine professional with a 25-year international wine background; he has worked on projects in Australia and New Zealand with additional experience in Southern and Central Asia and throughout Northern Europe. His background includes completion of technical qualifications in wine sciences,wine marketing and wine education,with additional professional qualifications in commercial cookery and Business/International Hotel Management.

With beginnings in some of the worlds most noted 5 Star hotel properties Marriott, Starwood and Hilton, to some of Australia’spre-eminent fine wine agencies and then throughout the markets of Asia and now India, from Bordeaux to Bombay he has eaten and drunk his way through some of the world’s most dynamic developing wine markets. Passionate about wine and its rightful place ontheIndian table his new mantra for 2021 is “One glass per capita consumption is all we need”

Mr. Sharan Shetty

Mr. Sharan Shetty

President at Poona Hoteliers Association

After completing his Hotel Management from FCI, Pune in 1989 , he immediately immersed himself in the family hotel business and is currently the Managing Director at Hotel Shree Panchratna, Pune .
A veteran now with over 30 years, he is well versed with what ails the industry today. has been very involved in the workings of the Poona Hoteliers Association -PHA, which as a body could take up all the issues faced by the local hotels. Over the years he has taken responsibility for arranging a lot of events

which has put PHA in the limelight like the hugely successful Yumm Fest for which he was the Organising Committee Chairman, PHAPL Cricket league and XMas Ball etc. During the pandemic, he has been in regular touch with the authorities to get benefits and relief for the industry .
He has been recently re-elected as the President of the PHA for a third term.

Mr. Amit Midha

Mr. Amit Midha

Head - Max Asset Services

Mr. Amit Midha, is the Head - Max Asset Services with more than two decades of experience, in Hotels & Commercial Real Estate operations he is currently responsible for Pan India operations for approximately 34 million square foot premium commercial assets of DLF in 6 cities, including the DLF Cybercity in Gurugram, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi and Chandigarh. He has been a part of 7 hotel openings and a few commercial asset openings, acquisitions & takeovers.
Closely worked with leading luxury hotels

with the premium hospitality brands like Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, Hyatt International, Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels and Jumeirah International, in various capacities also handled alliances with various International Retail brands for the Luxury Retail space at The Oberoi Gurgaon.

Mr. Sumedh Singh Mandla

Mr. Sumedh Singh Mandla

CEO at AWS Global & VBev

Mr. Sumedh Singh Mandla is the CEO of VBev & AWS Global. As a versatile Business Leader with proven record of accomplishment in Hospitality, FMCG and Beverage Industry he has been accredited with the success of several International brands in Indian sub-continent as the Ex-Chairman for the “Asian Wine Producers Association” and a DipWSET holder, Wine and Malts lover, he is an acclaimed writer and a true flagbearer of Indian Beverage Industry.

Mr. Ravish Kakkar

Mr. Ravish Kakkar

Proprietor – Deluxe Dyers & Dry Cleaners

Mr. Ravish Kakkar is the Director of Deluxe Dyers & Dry Cleaners, one of the most well-known and trusted retail laundry service brands. The efficient timely service of Mr. Kakkar has made Deluxe the leading laundry service provider in the region. The best abilities, expertise, knowledge, and efficient efforts of Mr. Kakkar led Deluxe to 16th place and was awarded for Professional Textile Cleaning held in Frankfurt, Germany in 2016 at Cinet Global Best Practices Award.

Dr. Paras

Dr. Paras

Mental Health Advocate, Social Counsellor, Global Assessor at EMCC Global.

Dr. Paras is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) from ICF and EIA - Master Practitioner (MP) and Assessor from EMCC with over 15 years of exciting challenges and making the clients demonstrate the best of their abilities He has been sharing his learnings through certification programs that are on par with international standards.
Coaching is a wonderful medium through which he gets to use the appropriate tools and techniques to

touch the lives of people. He has enjoyed doing transformational work in the areas of behavioral patterns through programs like ‘Transform Mind Transform Life’, and ‘Mindfulness Self Discover Insight Series’.

Dr. Paras

Sabina Shahabudin

HR Practitioner & Coach

Sabina was a seasoned HR practitioner in the hospitality industry with 28 years of in-depth and extensive experience across all HR verticals in the Asia Pacific & the Middle East. She led three different regions, went through several mergers and acquisitions, and worked in a high-pressure environment with a heavy agenda of business excellence.

Having made her mark as a formidable HR leader in the region, she now plays a coach & mentor's role in strengthening potential hospitality leaders in her own network and in other organisations. She immensely understands the mental and emotional state individuals go through during challenging times thus is driven to coach and mentor people who struggle to succeed in their careers and personal development. Known for her strengths, Sabina has a compelling sense of integrity and leads with compassion and empathy. Those who she has mentored and coached are thriving in their life pursuits, across a wide spectrum of positions, industries, and geographies. She is among the first few in South East Asia, certified as Integral Coach with Integral Coach Canada and Trainer with the HeartMath Institute & Sage Academy. She is also certified as Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor with Chopra Center and Brain-Based Leadership Coach with Neuroleadership Institute.

Chef Mujeeb ur Rahman

Chef Mujeeb ur Rahman

Celebrity Chef, Restaurant Consultant, Food Festival Curator, Trainer & Food Expert

Chef Mujeeb ur Rahman is an example of how chasing your dreams leads to success. While his father wanted him to become an engineer, his passion for cooking didn't diminish because it was inspired by his grandfather. After making an attempt to persuade him, Chef Mujeeb pursued his passion.

He founded a small team of traditional chefs (Khansama) in 1995 after deciding to make cooking his business under the name "Kitchenetteawadh."

With vision and passion, Chef extended his forte to other royal cuisines, including those of the North West Frontier, Kashmiri, typical Mughlai, Rampuri, and Hyderabadi. He has been a part of different occasions at both national and international luxury hotels like Oberoi and Trident Hotels, JW Marriott Hotels, Hilton Hotels & Resorts ,Hyatt Hotels , Silk Events London, Chakra Events London, Monti Carlo Weddings France, Intercontinental Hotels and many more.

Chef Mujeeb ur Rahman has gained a lot of admiration and well-wishers for his efforts.

DR. D. R. SHARMA

DR. D. R. SHARMA

Sr. Regional Director, IGNOU Regional Centre, Pune