India’s Hospitality Executives at Cornell Summit India

Executives from the leading hospitality brands in India will participate in the Cornell International Hospitality Summit India, presented by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration (SHA) on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, India. The summit will provide a platform for academics and industry experts to examine current issues and trends in the country’s hospitality industry.

“We are excited and honored to have so many hospitality leaders participating in our first Cornell International Hospitality Summit in India,” said Jon Denison, associate dean for external affairs at SHA. “Our panelists lead some of the most important brands in India, and their insights are relevant to the global hospitality industry.”

The first panel of the summit will be the “Dean’s Leadership Series: A CEO Panel,” which will be moderated by Denison. The panelists will be Raymond Bickson, managing director and CEO, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces; Patu Keswani, chairman and managing director, The Lemon Tree Hotels; Vivek Nair, vice chairman and managing director, The Leela Group; P.R.S. Oberoi, chairman and CEO, EIH–Oberoi Hotels & Resort; and Priya Paul, chairperson of Appeejay–The Park Hotels.

“The Cornell School of Hotel Administration is the best in the world, and I am thrilled that they have chosen Mumbai as the location for this hospitality summit,” said P.R.S. Oberoi. “I am looking forward to participating in the CEO panel and joining colleagues from across India to discuss the most critical issues affecting our industry.”

Rohit Verma, executive director of the Center for Hospitality Research and professor of services operations management at SHA, will moderate the second panel, “Achieving Excellence via Operational and Human Capital Innovations.” The confirmed panelists are Neeraj Chadha, regional general manager–India, Hilton Worldwide; Ajay Kaul, chief executive officer, whole time director, member of audit committee, and member of share transfer and investors grievance committee, Jubilant Foodworks Limited; and KS Srinivasan, vice president, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.

The third panel, “Revenue & Performance Enhancement in Emerging Hospitality Markets,” will be moderated by Chris Chan, dean of the Cornell-Nanyang Institute and professor of accounting, and panelists will be Patrick Andres, vice president, Asia Pacific, Sabre Hospitality Solutions; Brian Ferguson ’95, vice president, Expedia; Graham Tate, managing director, Asia Pacific, IDeaS; Manav Thadani, managing director, HVS–India; and K. Vijayaraghavan (Vijay) Sathguru, CEO, Sathguru Management Consultants.

The summit will be co-presented by the Center for Hospitality Research. Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is title sponsor, and other key sponsors include e-Cornell, Express Hospitality, FRANCE 24, HelmsBriscoe, Hospitality Design, Hotel Association of India, Hotel Management, Hsyndicate, India Hospitality Review, InterContinental Hotels Group, International Tourism Partnership, Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Peppermint Hotels, PhoCusWright, Inc., Questex Hospitality Group, Traveltechie.com, TTG India, the Cornell University MMH Program in Asia, and the School of Hotel Administration’s Office of Executive Education.

For a full schedule of events and more information about the summit, visit
http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/industry/events/cihs.html.

About the Cornell School of Hotel Administration

The Cornell University School of Hotel Administration is shaping the global knowledge base for hospitality management through leadership in education, research and industry advancement. The school provides management instruction in the full range of hospitality disciplines, educating the next generation of leaders in the world’s largest industry. Founded in 1922 as the nation’s first collegiate course of study in hospitality management, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration is recognized as the world leader in its field. For more information, visit www.hotelschool.cornell.edu.