People on the move

New roles for the industry’s movers and shakers

Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Sheetal Iyer has been appointed as director sales and marketing, at Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway. Her role will be to significantly improve associate effectiveness, along with maintaining the business and customer image of the hotel through a market focused development strategy. She was associated with Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway since pre-opening as the director of sales, post which she went on to gain cross-exposure in operations as the director of rooms in Westin Gurgaon.

Roots Corporation

Roots Corporation which operates ‘Ginger’ chain of hotels, has appointed Rahul Pandit as chief executive officer. He began his career with the Taj group, and is one of the founding members of Lemon Tree Hotels where he played a multi-faceted role in developing diverse aspects of new business including Operations, Human Resources, Technology and Sales.

Deepika Rao, the current interim CEO, will be joining the finance department of Taj Hotels to head asset management, reporting to the CFO, Anil Goel.

Hilton Chennai

Natchimuthu Subbaraj has been appointed as chief engineer for Hilton Chennai. He has over 25 years of experience in engineering, working with organisations like Sterling Holidays and Hyatt Hotels Corporation. He was a part of the preopening team and the launch of the Park Hyatt Chennai where he spearheaded the engineering department set up.

The Suryaa, New Delhi

The Suryaa, New Delhi has announced that Chef Sanjay Thomas has been appointed as F&B director. In this role, chef Thomas will oversee all of the hotel’s food and beverage programming including menu creation and execution for some of Delhi’s most high-profile events, galas and weddings hosted at The Suryaa, New Delhi. Collectively, Chef Thomas has over two decades of culinary experience and specialises in developing new menus, planning and strategising for F&B department.

Four Points by Sheraton Bengaluru, Whitefield

Four Points by Sheraton Bengaluru Whitefield, has announced the appointment of Athena Salim as general manager. She has over 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry. At Four Points by Sheraton Bengaluru Whitefield, she will be responsible for the entire hotel operations, from leading the business to customer service. She has been general manager with Keys Hotels & Resorts and Olive Bar and Kitchen. Prior to that she was training manager at The Claridges, New Delhi.

Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort

Accor has announced the appointment of Rohan Sable as general manager, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort. In his role, he will be responsible for the overall management, strategic direction and lead the hotel to continually delight guests with the Grand Mercure hospitality. He started his career in sales and marketing and proved himself in a number of properties including Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, Royal Orchid Hotels and the Ascott, before moving to Accor.

JW Marriott Chandigarh

JW Marriott Chandigarh has appointed Naveen Handa as executive chef. In his position, he will oversee the culinary operations of the hotel including Saffron (fine dining Indian), Oregano Restaurant & Bar (Italian), The Café@JW (all day dining), Chandigarh Baking Company (Deli & Patisserie) and Banquet Catering. Having been associated with various hotel brands through his career spanning 18 years, Chef Handa brings with him extensive skill and understanding of food and beverage operations.

Taj Krishna, Hyderabad

K Mohanchandran has been appointed as area director – Hyderabad and general manager at Taj Krishna. In his new role as area director, Mohanchandran’s responsibilities would entail overseeing operations and business of all Taj hotels across Hyderabad. In his long association with the Taj Group of Hotels, he has held numerous noteworthy positions across properties. Prior to being appointed in his current role, he was the general manager at the Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, Taj Wellington Mews in Mumbai, Blue – A Taj Hotel in Sydney, and most recently Taj Bengal Kolkata.

Eastin Hotel Ahmedabad

Eastin Hotel Ahmedabad has announced the appointment of Suma Menon as director of sales. In this role, she will focus on developing and executing sales strategies that emphasise enhanced property performance, meaningful and long-lasting client relationships and the identification of new revenue-generating opportunities. She has 10 years of experience in the hospitality industry, and has developed her career through a series of appointments with luxury hotels, including Le Meridien Hotel Ahmedabad, The Fern, Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa, and most recently, Four Points by Sheraton where she overlooked sales and marketing.

People on the move

New roles for the industry's movers and shakers