Shridhar Nair Takes the Helm at The Leela Ambience Gurugram as Senior VP and GM

Shridhar Nair Takes the Helm at The Leela Ambience Gurugram as Senior VP and GM

By Nithyakala Neelakandan

Published on August 29, 2024

The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences has appointed Shridhar Nair as its new Senior Vice President and General Manager. In this role, Nair will be based in Gurugram, where he will oversee operations not only at The Leela Ambience Gurugram but also at several other key properties, including The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, The Leela Mumbai, The Leela Gandhinagar, Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre Complex, and The Imperial Club by The Leela.

Nair brings a wealth of experience to his new position, having held leadership roles at various Leela properties, including as General Manager of the award-winning The Leela Goa. His previous role as Senior Vice President of Operations at The Leela Corporate Office saw him managing and optimizing the performance of multiple properties within the group.

Throughout his career, Nair has been known for his visionary leadership and ability to spearhead significant projects, such as the repositioning of the F&B division at The Leela Mumbai and the enhancement of The Leela Goa. His leadership has earned him several prestigious awards, including Best GM—Luxury from Hotelier India in 2014, along with accolades from HOSI in 2015, CII in 2016, and Business World in 2017.

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Nair’s extensive experience is complemented by a strong academic background, which includes a postgraduate diploma in Hotel Management from IHM Trivandrum, a Bachelor of Arts from Mumbai University, and a General Manager’s certification from Cornell University, USA.

Expressing his excitement about the new role, Nair said, “I am delighted at the opportunity to work closely with our teams at the iconic Leela Ambience Gurugram & Leela Ambience Convention Hotel to offer a holistic luxury experience to our guests. I am certain The Leela’s core value of Athiti Devo Bhava (guest is god) will resonate in everything we do at our majestic hotels, and we will continue to push our boundaries to exceed our guests’ expectations from the world’s best brand, which exemplifies true Indian luxury.”

With Shridhar Nair at the helm, The Leela Ambience Gurugram Hotel & Residences is set to continue its tradition of excellence in luxury hospitality, with a renewed focus on enhancing guest experiences across all touchpoints.


Summit Hotels & Resorts Appoints Sudhir Gupta as Corporate General Manager – Finance

Summit Hotels & Resorts Appoints Sudhir Gupta as Corporate General Manager – Finance

By Hariharan U

Published on August 21, 2026

Summit Hotels & Resorts has appointed Sudhir Gupta as Corporate General Manager – Finance, strengthening its leadership team as the hospitality company continues to expand its portfolio across India.

Gupta brings more than 15 years of experience in hospitality finance and financial operations. His expertise includes financial planning and analysis, budgeting, management reporting, taxation, cost controls, hotel pre-openings, and finance systems.

In his new role, Gupta will oversee the finance function across Summit Hotels & Resorts. His focus will be on strengthening financial controls, improving reporting systems, and supporting the company's growth and expansion plans.

Before joining Summit Hotels & Resorts, Gupta served as Cluster Financial Controller for Marriott Surat and Courtyard by Marriott Surat, where he handled finance operations for both hotels. His responsibilities included budgeting, business reviews, financial reporting, revenue recognition, taxation, cost and inventory accounting, vendor negotiations, and financial controls.

Over the course of his career, Gupta has also held finance leadership and operational roles at Southern Hotels Pvt. Ltd., 1589 Hotels Pvt. Ltd. (Clarks Collection), JHM Interstate Hotels, Crowne Plaza and The Oberoi Group. This has given him experience across both corporate and property-level hotel finance.

His experience also covers hotel pre-openings, accounting and operating system implementation, performance analysis, and the development of financial processes across multi-property portfolios.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Sumit Periwal, Director, Summit Hotels & Resorts, said, "As Summit enters its next phase of growth, building stronger corporate systems behind our expanding portfolio is an important priority. Sudhir brings a valuable combination of hotel-level financial understanding and multi-property corporate experience. His exposure to budgeting, controls, systems and pre-openings will be particularly relevant as we strengthen our financial framework and scale the business across new markets."

The appointment is part of Summit Hotels & Resorts' ongoing efforts to strengthen its corporate leadership and build scalable systems to support its growing hospitality portfolio.

Website: Summit Hotels & Resorts


Aureya FM Appoints Vivek Kalia as Chief Operating Officer

Aureya FM Appoints Vivek Kalia as Chief Operating Officer

By Hariharan U

Published on August 21, 2026

Aureya FM, formerly WTC Trades & Projects and Brigade Group's facilities management arm, has appointed Vivek Kalia as Chief Operating Officer.

Aureya FM provides integrated, technology-enabled facility management services across sectors including commercial, retail, co-working spaces, and community projects. In his new role, Vivek will oversee the company's operations, business growth, customer experience, and organisational effectiveness.

Welcoming the appointment, Vineet Verma, Managing Director, Aureya FM, said, "Vivek's unique blend of military and corporate leadership, along with his vast experience will be crucial in the role of COO to further strengthen our organisation. His disciplined approach, strategic thinking and strong focus on execution will bring valuable perspective as we continue to build on our foundations and pursue new opportunities for growth. We are confident that Vivek's leadership will help us navigate the evolving business landscape, strengthen our operational capabilities, and foster a culture of excellence and innovation."

Vivek brings over 21 years of experience from his career as a retired Indian Naval Officer, where he held various command and staff appointments. His time in the Navy helped him build expertise in leadership, strategic decision-making, and managing teams in complex environments.

After his naval career, Vivek spent seven years with Airbus, where he established and expanded the company's training business across India and South Asia. He later moved to Airbus Defense and Space, where he led strategic defence sales campaigns and worked with customers to address key business and operational requirements.

Speaking about his appointment, Vivek Kalia, COO, Aureya FM, said, "I am honoured and humbled by the opportunity and look forward to working closely with the team. My experience has taught me the importance of discipline, teamwork, resilience and a clear focus on execution. This is an exciting prospect, and I am committed to unlocking new possibilities, strengthening our capabilities and creating sustainable growth."

With Vivek joining as COO, Aureya FM aims to further strengthen its operations and build on its existing capabilities while exploring new opportunities in the evolving facilities management sector


Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort And Spa Appoints Vineet Waldia as Area Director of Digital Marketing

Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort And Spa Appoints Vineet Waldia as Area Director of Digital Marketing

By Hariharan U

Published on August 21, 2026

Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort And Spa has appointed Vineet Waldia as Area Director of Digital Marketing, bringing more than 16 years of marketing experience across hospitality, technology, healthcare, e-commerce, and SaaS.

In his new role, Waldia will lead digital marketing efforts across Hyatt's North India cluster portfolio. His responsibilities will cover rooms, MICE and events, food and beverage, spa, and other revenue-generating channels. A key focus will be on growing direct bookings through Hyatt.com, improving digital channel performance, and supporting business growth across customer touchpoints.

Waldia joins Hyatt after serving as General Manager – Marketing at Acefone Software Pvt. Ltd., where he handled marketing and demand generation across domestic and international markets. Before this, he worked as Associate Director – Marketing at Knowlarity Communications, a Gupshup company, where he helped shape the company's marketing function and led go-to-market plans across Africa, APAC, LATAM, and AUKUS markets.

His career also includes leadership roles at Agilus Diagnostics, Headhonchos, and IDS Logic. He has also worked with Hyatt Hotels Corporation earlier in his career as Manager – Digital Marketing & E-commerce. During that stint, he supported room revenue growth across ten hotels through digital marketing campaigns and also worked on the digital planning and launch of new hotels and restaurants.

Waldia's experience covers performance marketing, SEO and SEM, customer acquisition, MarTech, CRM, AI-enabled marketing, and multi-channel campaigns. His work has focused on using technology, data, and customer insights to improve audience engagement and business performance.

His work in digital commerce was also recognised when he was named among the Top 50 Most Influential E-commerce Professionals of India by CMOAsia.org in 2016 and 2017.

Speaking on his appointment, Vineet Waldia, remarked, "Returning to Hyatt is both professionally meaningful and personally rewarding. The hospitality industry is evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities to combine technology, data, and creativity to deliver more impactful guest experiences. I look forward to working closely with teams across North India to advance Hyatt's digital growth journey."

With Waldia taking on the new role, Hyatt Regency Dehradun Resort And Spa aims to strengthen its digital marketing focus while combining technology and customer-focused strategies to support Hyatt's continued growth across North India

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