Puneet Chhatwal joined The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in November 2017. During his tenure, IHCL has undergone a remarkable transformation, achieving responsible and profitable growth. The company’s turnaround 'Leading Transformation at IHCL' is now a case study at Harvard Business School. IHCL has also been recognized as the Turnaround Star at Forbes India Leadership Awards (FILA) 2025.
Today, IHCL stands as a global benchmark in the hospitality industry, with the iconic Taj brand (Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces) being recognized by Brand Finance three times as the World’s Strongest Hotel Brand and named India’s Strongest Brand across sectors for the fourth time.
IHCL also made history as the first Indian hospitality company to surpass a Market Capitalization of about 1 trillion. IHCL today ranks 4th globally in market cap amongst all listed hospitality management companies. Mr. Chhatwal serves as the leading voice of the industry in India in his capacity as the Chairman of the National Committee of Tourism and Hospitality, CII, and Chairman of Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH).
Prior to this, Puneet Chhatwal was the Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Board of Steigenberger Hotels AG – Deutsche Hospitality based out of Frankfurt, Germany. He was also the Chief Development Officer of The Rezidor Hotel Group – Carlson Hotels Worldwide based out of Brussels, Belgium.
Mr. Chhatwal is a graduate of both, Delhi University and Institute of Hotel Management, Delhi. He has completed an MBA in Hospitality from ESSEC, Paris and an Advanced Management Program from INSEAD. Throughout his international career, he has received several acclaimed awards and is the First Alumnus included in the ESSEC-IMHI Hall of Honour 2014.