Taj Group of Hotels announces executive transition

Rakesh K. Sarna will join Indian Hotels Company Limited as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer on 1st Sept 2014.  Sarna will take over from  Bickson. In this role,   Sarna would be responsible for steering the growth of the organization as it continues to be positioned as a strong India based hotel chain with strategic presence in chosen markets outside India.

 

 Bickson, who has spent the last 11 years in a leadership position with India’s largest hotel company, will pursue his professional interests elsewhere.

 

 Cyrus P. Mistry, Chairman of Indian Hotels Company Limited said, “We’re grateful to Mr. Bickson for his many years of leadership at the Taj Group.  His three decades of hospitality expertise have helped to make the Taj Group and its brands some of the most respected names in the international hotel and resort industry. We’re fortunate to have more than 20,000 dedicated employees, a strong senior management group, and an experienced Board to help us move forward into the next phase of Taj’s growth.”

 

Under   Bickson the Taj Group’s brand growth and expansion into major gateway cities worldwide have left the company well-positioned to take advantage of a steadily strengthening global economy and improving international travel trends. Since the Taj Group’s founding more than a century ago with the fabled Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai, the company has grown to encompass 127 hotels on five continents.

 

Bickson said, “Our team has positioned Taj’s four brands – Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, Vivanta by Taj, Gateway Hotels and Ginger Hotels – as distinctive growth-oriented brands that offer the best of Indian hospitality and modern luxury to sophisticated travellers worldwide.”

 

According to the company, Sarna brings over 3 decades of experience across various leadership roles with Hyatt Hotels. He was the Group President of Americas and Executive Vice President at Hyatt Hotels Corporation with a portfolio of 146 Full Service, 233 Select Service hotels and 15 Vacation Ownership facilities across North America, the Caribbean and Latin America with 47,000 employees. In this role,  Sarna was responsible for development and management of owned, managed and franchised hotels across all Hyatt brands.