Puneet Dhawan

Senior Vice President Operations,
India and South Asia

Puneet Dhawan’s passion for hotel management was evident from the fact that he was clear about what he wanted from a young age. After attending Cesar Ritz Colleges in Switzerland, he attained Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the United States.
He started his hospitality career, however, in 1994 with Mandarin Oriental Manila and joined Accor in 1998 as Director of Food and Beverage of Century Wanchai, now Novotel Century Hong Kong. In 2012, he moved to Bengaluru as General Manager Delegate to launch Accor’s first dual property in India – Novotel and ibis Bengaluru Techpark.
In 2016, he relocated to Dubai as Vice President Operations – Economy & Midscale Brands, Accor Middle East, managing 35 hotels in six countries. In his most recent role, Dhawan repositioned Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila as a top luxury urban resort with over 600 rooms and extensive F&B operations.
With an association of over two decades with Accor, he relocated himself to India to take over Accor’s operations in the country and joined as Senior VP Operations, Accor India & South Asia in 2020. He previously held key positions across countries such as Hong Kong, Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, India, UAE and Philippines.

Success Mantras:
“Empathy becomes the driving force behind our connections, Innovation guides us to novel solutions, and Humility fosters growth. Empowering teams is paramount. As a leader, it is crucial to create an environment where every member feels valued and motivated to drive collective growth. Agility and adaptability propels the organization to embrace change fearlessly to stay ahead in the dynamic hospitality landscape. Challenges are seen as opportunity for growth and resilience is a constant companion in conquering them. I highly regard the equilibrium between global strategy and local sensitivity recognizing the diversity of the markets.”