Ihcl charts next growth phase with organisational revamp and senior leadership changes, ETTravelWorld

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) has unveiled a major organisational redesign as part of its Accelerate 2030 strategy, restructuring its business into two dedicated verticals to support its next phase of growth as India’s largest hospitality company targets a portfolio of 700 hotels and consolidated revenues of INR 15,000 crore over the next five years.The new operating model comes as IHCL’s portfolio has expanded to 645 hotels across 300 destinations in 15 countries, spanning 14 hospitality brands across luxury, upscale, lean luxe and experiential segments. The company said the revamped structure is designed to manage its growing scale, strengthen brand focus and accelerate value creation while maintaining its service standards.Announcing the organisational changes, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, “Today IHCL has expanded its brandscape to 14 major brands across all segments addressing the heterogeneous hospitality landscape with a portfolio of 645 hotels across 300 locations in 15 countries. To effectively manage scale, maintain brand salience and deliver value creation for all stakeholders, business delivery is now organised in two verticals – Traditional Businesses and Growth Businesses.”He added that the redesign recognises the different capabilities required to manage established brands alongside emerging businesses.“Designed to support IHCL’s next phase of growth, the organisational optimisation recognises the differentiated capabilities required for established and emerging brands and businesses. This structure will sharpen execution, unlock enterprise synergies and enhance agility, reinforcing the company’s Accelerate 2030 vision to be the most valued, responsible and profitable hospitality ecosystem,” Chhatwal said.Under the new framework, IHCL’s Traditional Businesses vertical will oversee its established hospitality brands, including Taj, Claridges Collection, Atmantan, Brij, SeleQtions, Clarks, Gateway and Vivanta. The Growth Businesses vertical will focus on scaling newer and emerging brands and formats such as the reimagined Ginger, Tree of Life, Qmin and ama Stays & Trails.The organisational overhaul is aligned with IHCL’s Accelerate 2030 roadmap, under which the company plans to expand its portfolio to 700 hotels, double its consolidated revenue to INR 15,000 crore and achieve a Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) of 20 per cent while continuing to strengthen its customer proposition.As part of the restructuring, IHCL has announced key leadership appointments with immediate effect.Gaurav Pokhariyal has been promoted as Chief Operating Officer – Traditional Businesses and will oversee operations across all geographies. A hospitality veteran with more than three decades of experience, Pokhariyal most recently served as Executive Vice President – Human Resources, where he led the people strategy for IHCL’s workforce of over 50,000 associates. He also played a key role in advancing the company’s ESG+ framework, Paathya, and driving its environmental and social sustainability agenda.Prabhat Verma has been elevated to Chief People Officer and will lead the company’s human resources, sustainability and business excellence functions. With over 30 years at IHCL, Verma has held leadership positions across multiple brands and geographies. In his previous role as Executive Vice President – Operations, he was responsible for business performance across South India and international markets while also driving the growth of ancillary businesses such as The Chambers, J Wellness Circle and Khazana.The leadership changes are expected to strengthen execution as IHCL accelerates expansion across its diversified portfolio and positions itself for its next phase of growth in India’s rapidly evolving hospitality market.