HVS ANAROCK HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Business Leader and Co - Founder of Akasa Air
- World Economic Forum - Young Global Leader
Aditya Ghosh is a Business Leader and Co-Founder of Akasa Air. He is currently a Member of the Board of Directors at Akasa Air, OYO Hotels & Homes, GreenCell Mobility, Tweet Foundation, and Ashoka University. Aditya is also an Independent Director at Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) International Airport. He is the Chairperson of the Social Enterprise Central body of SEWA and is a Member of the CII National Committee & Chairman of the CII National Committee on Skill Development & Livelihood. He is one of the Founders of Ashoka University and a Member of the Circle of Sponsors where he heads the Service Excellence Committee.
Formerly, he was the President & Wholetime Director of IndiGo for ten years where he was instrumental in turning the airline into the largest and most profitable airline in India, and also one of the fastest-growing low-cost carriers in the world. Prior to becoming a Board Member at OYO, he was also the CEO of OYO Hotels and Homes South Asia.
Aditya is World Economic Forum-Young Global Leader and has been recognized as Fortune 40 under 40 Globally and Fortune India 40 under 40 three years in a row. Aditya is a key supporter of the start-up world and through his investment arm, Homage Ventures has invested in consumer-facing businesses such as Blue Tokai, Wholsum Foods, Genepath Diagnostics, CreditEnable, SpeakIn, Vsync, Juggernaut, Ladies Who Lead, EasyRes and Caterland UK, Chourangi.
Aditya is originally a lawyer by training and is now an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, having successfully completed HBS' coveted and flagship Advanced Management Program (AMP).
Job Titles:
- President - Asset Management
Ajay Mehtani, President - Asset Management at HVS ANAROCK, has over 30 years of experience in Hospitality, FMCG, Private Equity & Technology Solution. Prior to joining HVS, he worked with Starwood Hotels & Resorts as Regional Director - New Builds, Transitions & Franchise Support for South Asia. Ajay has worked with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) leading the Sales and Marketing function in Southwest Asia to grow the presence of IHG brands to over 3500+ rooms across InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands in the region.
He also worked with Quatrro Global Services looking after the Travel & Hospitality Solutions division and with Duet India Hotels handling Asset Management and Development for an investment of over $300 million in internationally branded midscale hotels across India. Ajay has completed his Master's in Marketing and Hospitality with Certification in Digital Marketing, Foundation of Business Strategy and in Fundamentals of Revenue Management and the Executive Program in Marketing Strategy from IIM Lucknow.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Executive Officer at the Leela Palaces
Anuraag Bhatnagar, the Chief Executive Officer at The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts is a dynamic leader with an impeccable track record of over 35 years. He has spearheaded hotels across world-renowned Indian and International brands positioning them as leaders in the market through strategic and inspirational leadership, a passion for operational excellence, and an unwavering focus on delivering highly personalized and memorable guest experiences.
A seasoned hospitality professional, Anuraag is known to leverage his strategic business acumen and interpersonal skills to drive market-leading returns and create stakeholder value. A result-oriented leader, he is adept at building and nurturing high-performance teams guiding and motivating them towards setting and achieving visionary goals by effectively aligning brand values with key business initiatives and thoughtfully curated luxury brand experiences.
Known as the ‘Man with the Midas Touch' Anuraag is currently responsible for strengthening and elevating The Leela's positioning as the epitome of true Indian luxury while driving the brand's future growth. With a global mindset and a keen understanding of the luxury consumer, he is well poised to lead the brand in the next phase of its growth trajectory while catering to the evolving needs and aspirations of the discerning global luxury traveler.
Anuraag spent his early years learning the fine art of being a luxury hotelier with The Oberoi Group of Hotels. He then joined Starwood Hotels and Resorts and subsequently transitioned to Marriott International post the merger of the two companies, where he was the Multi-Property Vice President, Mumbai and Goa, overseeing 12 hotels. Working across brands like St. Regis, W Hotels and The Ritz- Carlton, he honed his skills in delivering curated and crafted luxury hospitality experiences. For him, luxury is all about authenticity, anticipation, innovation and personalization, and teamwork is what makes the magic happen.
Anuraag is one of the most felicitated and awarded hoteliers in India, recognized as the ‘Hotelier of the Year' by Vir Sanghvi at the EazyDiner Awards 2017, by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor at the Food Food India Awards 2018, as well as the prestigious new category award, ‘COO/VP of the Year - International' by Hotelier India Awards 2017.
A prolific orator, Anuraag regularly contributes his personal and professional time to speak at Academic Institutions and industry forums and is on the board of BW Hotelier and Hotelier India magazine.
Anuraag is an alumnus of Delhi University and IHM Pusa. He has also done short Management and Leadership courses from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and the University of North Carolina.
Anuraag is an avid whisky and food enthusiast. His fitness regime is a newfound joy. He enjoys his leisure time watching movies, listening to music and relaxing with some reading. He is an active trekker and will seek out new destinations to travel and climb. A family man, he enjoys spending time with his wife, son and their 2 dogs.