By BW Hotelier JET AIRWAYS has appointed Amit Agarwal as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company. Agarwal, 47, is a Chartered Accountant with more than 24 years of experience having held positions in India, Europe and North America. As CFO of Jet Airways, Agarwal will be responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of the Company’s business. He will join the Operating Committee that has been tasked by the Board of Directors to lead Jet Airway’s growth and strategy. Commenting on the appointment, Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways, said, ’I am delighted that Amit Agarwal has joined Jet Airways as Chief Financial Officer and a key member of our Operating Committee. Amit is a seasoned finance professional with knowledge and insights of Indian and international markets. His expertise across cost, finance, treasury and banking functions, combined with experience of turning around businesses makes him the ideal choice for this role. ’Jet Airways is committed to the three-year turnaround plan to achieve profitability and our recent financial performance is a clear indication that we have made significant progress in this direction. Amit’s broad experience will be valuable for the Company as we continue to implement our growth strategy.’ Agarwal joins Jet Airways having recently held the position of CFO of Suzlon Energy with responsibility for managing the finance function and driving its turnaround initiatives. Prior to that he held various leadership roles at Arcelor Mittal ’ Europe and Essar Steel.
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By BW Hotelier VIVANTA By Taj, Gurgaon has appointed Chef Arzooman Irani as the Executive Chef of the hotel. Chef Irani joins the 100th Taj property in the country after his last assignment in Sri Lanka as the Executive Chef of Vivanta by Taj, Bentota. With 22 years of culinary experience, Chef Irani started his journey with the Taj Group in 2005. His stint with the Taj has taken him to various Vivanta properties including Vivanta by Taj - Fishermans Cove, Chennai; Vivanta by Taj - Green Cove, Kovalam; Vivanta By Taj - Fort Aguada, Goa and Vivanta by Taj ’ Whitefield, Bangalore. Chef Arzooman Irani has taken over the reins from Chef Neeraj Chaudhry and will be overlooking the entire F&B for the hotel including the iconic Thai Pavilion; the all-day diner Latitude, the high energy bar Tease, banquets and in-room dining. Welcoming Chef Irani, Mr. Sumeet Taneja, General Manager, Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon said, ’We are delighted to welcome Chef Arzooman Irani and are confident that the tremendous experience he brings along will take the hotel to new culinary heights. We wish him the very best for his exciting new journey in Gurgaon.’ Born and raised in Pune, Chef Arzooman has a Diploma in Hospitality from Australia, a degree in Professional Cooking from the Baltimore International Culinary College, USA and a Diploma in Management studies from the Swiss Hotel Association - Les Roches, Switzerland. His culinary journey has taken him to numerous hotels and restaurants from Australia to the United States and now back home to his native country. Speaking on the occasion Chef Arzooman Irani said, ’I am excited about my new association with Vivanta by Taj, Gurgaon that brings me back to India from the coastal shores of Sri Lanka. Gurgaon is a melting pot where people from various countries and cultures come together. It is an exciting time for Gurgaon as it's quickly becoming the millennium city and a new food destination.’
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By BW Hotelier JET AIRWAYS announces the resignation of CEO Cramer Ball, effective 29 February 2016, who leaves to pursue a new opportunity, in Europe for family reasons. Gaurang Shetty, whole-time Director, will become the acting CEO of the Company. Shetty, who has over 35 years of industry experience and has been with the Company for over 19 years, will now lead the operating committee in managing the day-to-day operations of the Company, under the supervision and control of the Board of Directors, chaired by Naresh Goyal. Goyal said, ’Cramer has, during his tenure, made a significant contribution in the journey to turnaround Jet Airways. The Company recorded two consecutive profitable quarters after a gap of eight years. Our best wishes are with Cramer and his family in his future endeavors.’ Ball said, ’I am honored to have been able to play a part in the turnaround of Jet Airways, as it moves towards long-term sustainable profitability. The people at Jet Airways have worked as a team to get this business into shape and I am pleased with the progress that has been made.’
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By BW Hotelier SUNIL GUPTA has taken over as the Chief Executive Officer of WelcomHeritage Hotels with effect from December 2015. He brings along an experience of 30 years in the hospitality industry and is associated with ITC Hotels since 1995. He has served at various positions at ITC Hotels in the span of 20 years. For the past seven years, he was the General Manager at ITC Rajputana, Jaipur.
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By BW Hotelier ABSOLUTE HOTEL Services India has appointed Sangay Rinchen as General Manager of Eastin Easy Kurseong Darjeeling first International brand in Kurseong, Darjeeling opening in March 2016. In his new role, Sangay will be responsible for overseeing the pre- opening and operation of the hotel, ensuring the optimal level of guest and employee satisfaction and achieve the budgeted profits. Sangay Rinchen, amiable Bhutanese National, brings along with more than 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry, his last assignment being Hotel Manager of Hotel Migmar in Thimpu, Bhutan. He holds a Diploma in Hotel Management from HWZ University, Zurich. Food & Beverage is his core competency and has worked closely on tourism projects with the Government of Bhutan. Shalil Suvarna, VP - Operations & Pre-Opening ’ Indian continent & Middle East, Absolute Hotel Services India, said, ’We are delighted to have Sangay lead the team at Eastin Easy Kurseong Darjeeling. Along with his ability, attitude and experience his strengths include working in a mountainous habitat, proficiency in Nepalese language, which is the local language. This together would be key in moving the pre-opening phase into operations, thereby showcasing Eastin Easy Kurseong Darjeeling as first International Brand, creating a new destination in Darjeeling, West Bengal.’
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By BW Hotelier BERNARD MARTYRIS, Chief of Human Resources of VFS Global, has been appointed as the Group Chief Human Resources Officer of Kuoni Group. Kuoni Group is VFS Global’s parent company. In his new role, Martyris is responsible for the overall Group’s HR strategy, leadership development, and talent and performance management. Martyris joined VFS Global in 2004 and led the corporate HR function of Kuoni Group on an interim basis from 2013 till the beginning of 2015. He will be based in Dubai from where he will concurrently continue in his current VFS Global role. This move comes as part of amendments made to the management structure of the Kuoni Group as part of the accelerated implementation of the Group’s strategy. As part of this strategy, the three divisions of Kuoni Group will be made more autonomous and accountable for their respective businesses. Martyris has over 35 years of experience in handling human resources and over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry. He has held long standing senior management positions at the Oberoi Group and at the Taj Group of Hotels. Through his association with the Tata Group, Martyris also served as an independent Director on the Board of Tata Coffee in 2003. On the international front Bernard was the first Indian HR professional to be invited to join the HR Council of the Conference Board of USA, which includes the top HR professionals of Fortune 500 companies. Additionally between 2007 and 2009, Martyris held the position of Chairman of the HR Committee of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce. Martyris graduated from Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) in 1976.
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By BW Hotelier ZUBIN KARKARIA, CEO of VFS Global, has been appointed as the CEO of Kuoni Group ’ VFS Global’s parent company effective November 5, 2015.- He is the first Indian to be appointed as the head of the 109-year old travel services company, and will concurrently continue in his function as the CEO of VFS Global. He will continue to be based in Dubai, UAE. Kuoni is in the midst of implementing a strategic directional shift whereby it has exited from its traditional tour operating business and is increasing its focus on three core activities ’ global travel distribution, destination services and visa services ’ in all of which it holds leading positions. After exiting the tour operating business, Kuoni is aiming to accelerate the implementation of its new corporate strategy, and that will be one of Karkaria’s key priorities in his new role. Karkaria founded VFS Global in 2001 and expanded the company successfully as global leader in visa services for governments worldwide. Within the Kuoni Group the VFS Global Division has shown the strongest growth and profitability. VFS Global serves 32 client governments, with 314 visa application centres across 19 cities in the country. The company has served the Government of India since 2008, in 8 countries.
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DHIREN SAVLA, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of VFS Global and SVP & Head of Global IT (Shared Service Centre) for Kuoni Group, has been appointed as Group CIO of Kuoni Group. In his role, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership to the IT function and strengthening the company’s global IT delivery model across geographies.
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