Puneet Dhawan has been appointed as Senior VP Operations, India & South Asia. He takes over the reins from Jean-Michel Cassé, Chief Operating Officer (COO) – India & South Asia as he departs for his retirement. Dhawan’s appointment would be effective from 1st August 2020.
Over the past decade, Jean-Michel has spearheaded Accor and built a strong foundation for the group in India. With his great relationship with owners and partners like InterGlobe Enterprises, Accor has achieved great milestones in the region. Well engrained in Accor’s culture, Dhawan will handle the group’s operations and strategies to ensure Accor’s continued growth momentum in India and South Asia. He will be reporting to Garth Simmons – COO - Chief Operating Officer, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and South Asia. Dhawan has been with Accor for over two decades and has held key positions across countries such as Australia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, the UAE and the Philippines. During his successful tenure as Vice President Operations – Economy & Midscale Brands Accor Middle East, Dubai Regional Office, he successfully managed 35 hotels in six countries. Dhawan was instrumental in coaching and supervising 23 General Managers under his leadership. In 2012, he was positioned in Bangalore as General Manager Delegate. Under his management, the company launched Accor’s first dual property in India - Novotel and ibis Bengaluru Techpark with over 500 rooms and six restaurants & bars with a strength of over 300 employees. After commencing his hospitality career in 1994 with Mandarin Oriental in Manila, he joined Accor in 1998 as Director of Food and Beverage of Century Wanchai, now Novotel Century Hong Kong. In his most recent role as General Manager, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Dhawan repositioned the massive hotel as a top luxury urban resort of Philippines with over 600 rooms and an extensive selection of restaurants and bars. Dhawan holds a Hotel and Restaurant Administration degree from Switzerland, and a Hotel, Restaurant and Travel Administration degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the United States.