Hilton has new leadership for its India team. Navjit Ahluwalia is the company's new SVP and country head for India, and Jatin Khanna is the new VP and head of operations for India.
Effective immediately, Ahluwalia will oversee Hilton's 33 hotels both open and under development, including the recently opened Conrad Bengaluru, while leading the company's growth strategy in the country. Khanna, who assumes his position next month, takes over operations from Andre Gomez, who will be moving to a new role elsewhere in the company.
"India is swiftly becoming one of the fastest growing travel and tourism markets in the world," Alan Watts, EVP and president, Hilton, Asia Pacific, said in a statement. "Having recently joined Hilton myself, I am excited to embark on the next chapter of our journey in India with Navjit and Jatin, both industry veterans well-known for their accomplishments."
Ahluwalia, an Indian native, has 30 years of hospitality experience, including more than 13 years at Marriott International where he held key leadership roles, the most recent being SVP responsible for expanding the company's portfolio in South Asia.
Khanna, also an Indian native, holds more than 20 years of operations experience, including with both IHG and most recently Marriott International, where he managed Marriott's full portfolio in Bengaluru city as VP, Bengaluru and general manager for the Bengaluru Marriott Hotel.
"I am thrilled to join Hilton at such an exciting time for our economy and for the Indian hospitality sector," Ahluwalia said. "India will offer the greatest growth opportunities as our demographics come of age, giving a new fillip to domestic consumption and taking advantage of rising travel the world over. As a sector, we will also contribute strongly to job creation and a global leader like Hilton is ideally positioned to create unique value."
Both Ahluwalia and Khanna will be based in Hilton's India regional office in Gurgaon.