Puneet Chhatwal is a Global Hospitality Leader with close to four decades of leadership experience at highly acclaimed international hotel groups. He has left an indelible mark on the sector, worldwide consistently delivering exceptional results and pioneering innovation in various leadership roles.

He also serves as the leading voice of the industry in India in his capacity as the Chairman of National Committee of Tourism and Hospitality, CII and President of Hotel Association of India. These roles are essential for shaping the future of tourism and hospitality sector in India and ensuring its continued growth.

Across his career in hospitality, Mr. Chhatwal has received several acclaimed industry awards. He was honoured with the Carlson Fellowship in 2012 and he was also the First Alumnus included in the ESSEC-IMHI Hall of Honor 2014.

From spearheading expansion at The Rezidor Hotel Group to make it the fastest growing hotel chain in the world he became the first Indian-origin CEO of a German Hospitality Company Mr. Chhatwal's appointment as the CEO of Steigenberger Hotels AG, a prominent German hospitality company, was historic.

Trusted by India’s globally respected Tata family to pioneer remarkable transformation, he joined IHCL as MD & CEO in 2017. Since then, IHCL has grown its portfolio from around 165 properties in 2017 to over 270 currently, its IHCL’s brand portfolio transformed from a mono-brand “Taj” to a house of brands.

His financial acumen played a pivotal role in IHCL's financial turnaround. IHCL reported its highest-ever Revenue, EBITDA, EBITDA margin and Net-Profit in FY 2022-23 and this is despite facing the adversities of a pandemic.

Taj – IHCL’s flagship brand was recognised as World’s Strongest Hotel Brand for 2 years in a row (2021, 2022) and India’s Strongest Brand across sectors for 3 years (2020, 2022 and 2023) by BrandFinance. The Rambagh Palace has been rated World’s #1 Hotel by TripAdvisor.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.