hosting the foreign buyers was the central concern, nakul was always a force behind whatever we did. in one year, 1999, it was satte in agra, and itc mughal hosted a dinner for a thousand delegates, a most memorable event that our industry will never forget. much loved by one and all, the video going around of his farewell at itc green centre is a testimony to both his class and also his leadership. it was a most moving send-off to the man who guided the destiny of an iconic hospitality company, innovating on how best to provide guests their desired comfort and conveniences. nakul’s legacy is huge. one big area is that of the responsible ho- telier, of responsible tourism. he was truly amongst the first to believe in sustainability, much before the industry woke up to its challenge. he was uncompromising on this first principle, making itc hotels the first such leed complaint hotel company in the world. he set the indian benchmark, which the industry is only now waking up to. his has been the suave, moderated voice of reason. embody the best examples of the core itc doctrine, nakul has been the first in making erudite presentations, for his company, their beliefs and for the industry as a whole. in a recent conversation, he said he will pursue his interests, pro- vide content wherever called for, find time to read some more and write. he has plans to publish and share his learning, which we all can look forward to. it is a challenge, somewhere, for the industry to not lose out on him; his experience needs to be harnessed for the greater good. not associated with any single company, vertical or discipline but for travel and tourism in india and our region. we wish nakul anand the very best in his future endeavours. zubin saxena moves to head hilton hotels in india zubin saxena is a relatively young face in indian hospi- tality. he surfaced as md of radisson ho- tels and over the last few years steered the company to greater levels of excellence. t h e r e , u n d e r t h e watchful guidance of his mentor, k b kach- ru, zubin made his mark as the young hotelier, overseeing the operations of his 150 odd hotels. the radisson portfolio expanded significantly during his tenure, but equally importantly the standards went a few notches higher. then all too suddenly, one evening, we were told he was leaving the radisson fold, moving onto greener pastures. a sad loss for one, a big gain for another. as the head of the zubin has a big task hilton hotels family in india, his new ahead of him. to assignment, he has a formidable task grow in numbers ahead of him. a most enviable brand with all its brands. globally, hilton has yet to find its true measure in our region. in fact, it has hilton is a big name been noteworthy for making big ticket globally with a entries, not one or two, but three, and massive potential to falling off its promise, for reasons that grow in our region. remain largely unfortunate, none to its discredit. it tied up with morepan industries, with lalit suri bharat hotels and also with the oberoi, when it branded all the trident hotels in their portfolio. more recently, it has been on a steady course, growing its different brands. it has a presence with its garden inn brand, double tree, hilton and also conrad – the last with a strong presence in pune and bengaluru. so, zubin has a big task ahead of him. to grow in numbers with all its brands. hilton is a big name globally with a massive potential to grow in our region. here’s hoping the group has found its match in zubin, and a fruitful and long innings awaits the two together. anil chadha takes charge of the hospitality and travel vertical at itc! meanwhile, as nakul anand retired from his itc assignment, the baton has passed on automatically to anil chadha, the present ceo, the designated successor; anil now assumes charge of all the verticals within the itc portfolio, including fortune hotels and international travel house, among others. anil is another old school boy, having grown out of the itc hotel management institute. he is equally grass root, growing up the ladder, under the watchful eye of his mentor nakul anand. much the same way that nakul grew up closely watching his mentor, habib reh- man. anil has his task clearly defined, to grow the unique properties and values espoused by itc. his affable, unassuming demeanour, well tuned to the itc ethos, has won him friends across the industry. at 54 years of age, he has a long innings ahead of him, including the much heralded move to demerge the hotels business and hive it to a separate company, itc hotels of which he is tipped to take over as managing director. here’s wishing him even greater success in his career going forward. destination india | january 2024 | 5