The waiting game is over, finally. After months of speculation, Taj Group has finally announced its new CEO and MD.
Puneet Chhatwal, Chief Executive, Duetsche Hospitality will take over from Rakesh Sarna, who is set to step down on September 30. Chhatwal with over two decades of leadership experience in the global hospitality industry, has worked with some of the leading hotel groups in Europe and North America, including Rezidor Hotels.
He originally belongs to New Delhi, is an alumni of IHM, Pusa, and started his career with ITDC.
Chhatwal is the third successive head for Taj, coming from outside, after Raymond Bickson and Rakesh Sarna. His appointment comes at a time when the TATA Group is coming out of a disengagement from Cyrus Mistry and also when foreign hospitality chains are developing their footprints aggressively, increasing their market share of the overall business. Brand outreach is becoming a major concern. Online penetration has increased immensely. The Taj has some enviable properties in its portfolio, including the prestigious palace hotels, and the iconic hold it has over the holiday destinations in Goa, Kerala and in niche tourism such as wildlife and has much going for it, as a leading Indian hotel brand with an impressive presence across India, and in select markets overseas.
