Movements in India

Vikas Agarwal

Chief Financial Officer AirAsia India, Bengaluru

Vikas Agarwal has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer at AirAsia India. A Chartered Accountant, Agarwal has 27 years of experience with large businesses in engineering, FMCG, apparel and retail industry, where he has demonstrated his ability to turnaround business, drive growth, and improve efficiency and profitability with adoption of technology and through change management. In his previous role, Agarwal was Vice President at Titan, a TATA group company.

G. Kamala Vardhana Rao

Chairman & MD, India Tourism Development Corporation

A 1990 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, Rao is Additional Secretary, Government of India. His last assignment was as Principal Secretary, Public Works Department, Govt. of Kerala. Rao also served as the Secretary of Kerala Tourism in the year 2014-15. In a span of close to three decades, Rao has served multiple positions. He brings with him rich experience, having held key posts as MD of SC /ST Corporation in Andhra Pradesh and in the Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India.

Jameson Solomon

General Manager Swissôtel Kolkata

Swissôtel Kolkata has appointed Jameson Solomon as General Manager. He has more than two decades of experience in hotel management, pre-opening, strategic planning, client relationship, and training & development. Prior to joining Swissôtel Kolkata, he was working with Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts as Head of Operations. He has also worked with Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel, Grand Hyatt Mumbai, Park Hyatt Dubai and Hyatt Regency Dubai.

Shahrom Oshtori

General Manager The Park Hotels, Mumbai

After working his way up from various managerial and senior managerial positions, Shahrom Oshtori is ready to lead a team providing personalised service and the most luxurious experience to the hotel’s high-profile guests. He began his career in 2004 at the JW Marriott Mumbai as Food and Beverage Associate. He has also worked as the Assistant Restaurant Manager and later as Restaurant Manager at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai.

Kerrie Hannaford

VP Commercial, Accor India & South Asia, Gurugram

Accor has appointed Kerrie Hannaford as Vice President Commercial for Accor India & South Asia. An industry sales and marketing veteran, Hannaford has been part of the Accor family for the past 15 years. After holding positions at IHG and Starwood Hotels in Australia, she joined Accor in 2005. In her current position, Hannaford works as Area Director of Sales and Marketing at Accor New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia, leading the sales, marketing and distribution direction for all brands and hotels within the region.

Rohit Dar

Regional Director - Operations, India, Hilton, Gurugram

Hilton has announced the appointment of Rohit Dar as Regional Director of Operations in India. Dar brings with him over 25 years of experience in the hospitality sector with a strong all-round knowledge of hotel operations, with his most recent position being as General Manager of Westin Hyderabad Mindspace. As Director, Operations for Hilton India, Dar will be based in the India Regional Office (Gurugram) and will report to Navjit Ahluwalia – SVP and Country Head, Hilton India.

Rakesh Upadhyay

General Manager Le Méridien Hyderabad

Rakesh Upadhyay has been appointed as General Manager at Le Méridien Hyderabad. He is a seasoned hospitality professional with over a decade of experience in the industry. With a core competency in food and beverage, his perspective on strategy, design, and execution has enabled him gain expertise across all verticals of the sector. Prior to joining Le Méridien Hyderabad, he was the GM at Courtyard by Marriott Bhopal. He has previously been associated with The Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Starwood Hotels, and ITC.

Barun Gupta

Director of Sales & Marketing Crowne Plaza Greater Noida

Crowne Plaza Greater Noida has appointed Barun Gupta as Director of Sales & Marketing. Gupta is a hospitality and M!CE sales professional with over 13 years’ experience and a proven track record in sales and marketing, hotel operations, events and special projects. He will be spearheading Sales & Marketing operations for IHG’s largest Crowne Plaza in South West Asia. With a focus on customer experience, his role would be to drive commercial excellence for the property. Gupta holds a graduate degree from IHM Bhubaneshwar.