Jaideep Gupta
Vice President – New Ventures
KA Hospitality Private Limited
Editor: tell us about your journey. how did it all start?
JG : Very humbly. I graduated in commerce and while I was doing my MBA , I got selected as a Management Trainee for Bata India Limited, based out of their factory. The training was rigorous and with working full factory hours and then studying for my final year MBA was quite tough.
However, I managed to juggle both quite well and was confirmed as a supervisor in the purchase section and at the same time, stood 2nd in my MBA final exam. Shortly afterwards, in 1991 , I joined THE PARK at Kolkata as Asst. Manager , Purchase. The paradigm shift from a shoe making giant to the food industry was viewed by my peers and family as sheer suicide, especially since The Park was just taking off its cloak of an old time establishment and taking its first steps towards remodeling to a Boutique Hotel. My chosen career was launched now and I had to sail on.
I proved that I could handle the challenges of a hotel industry and was promoted within a year. I am proud of the fact that I was an opening team member for such well known outlets like ZEN, SOMEPLACE ELSE and ATRIUM CAFÉ. I was also fortunate enough to attend a Management Development Programme at IIM Kolkata and also was trained by trainers from XLRI and other faculty from well known institutions.
Thereafter, I joined STERLING RESORTS as head of Purchase , East , looking after the procurement of their Darjeeling and Puri properties while based out their Kolkata Regional office.
My next move was a deliberate shift to F&B Controls at OBEROI GRAND , Kolkata ,since I needed the experience of cost controls to add to my learning of the procurement function in Hotels. I must say that this gave me a well rounded view and showed me the importance of costs as part of the Materials function.
After a short stint at Oberoi, I joined, very briefly , Radisson the FFort, at Kolkata,as Materials Manager looking after the purchase function of the resort located some distance away from Kolkata from their head office located in Kolkata. While it was a challenging assignment, I felt that I was destined for something bigger.
In the year 2000, I was selected to join HYATT as a pre-opening member and Materials Manager for their new property coming up In Kathmandu ,Nepal and after successfully opening this beautiful HYATT REGENCY , KATHMANDU, I was transferred to Goa India, to help open the prestigious PARK HYATT GOA RESORT AND SPA . It remains as my favorite property to this day .
After this assignment, I put in a stint as Director Materials at RADISSON WHITE SANDS, Goa ( now known as Zuri) I asked the owners of the property for a shift and got a chance to move to Nairobi , Kenya to head their Kenya Operations as head of Procurement . I was based out of their Nairobi Corporate Office and was in charge of Procurement for their awesome property known as DIANI REEF BEACH RESORT AND SPA , located at Mombasa ; besides also procurement for their 2 huge farms ( 1000 plus acres each) which grew and exported roses from Kenya to Europe.
Finally, I moved back to India in 2008 and joined TAJ HOTELS AND RESORTS , at Kolkata as Materials Manager and within one year was promoted and sent to Hyderabad as REGIONAL MANAGER MATERIALS, looking after the procurement of their hotels based in Andhra Pradesh.
In 2011, I was lured by a start up company, with promising beginnings and landed up in Mumbai as Asst Vice President, Procurement for KA HOSPITALITY PVT LTD, the franchisee owners and India operators of the famous Michelin starred restaurants HAKKASAN and YAUATCHA, besides their own home brand OTTO INFINITO.
In 2013, I was promoted and took over as Vice President , Commercial and Pre-opening and am now handling their exciting and mind boggling expansion plans throughout India.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
JG :Sheer hard work and the willingness to learn while on the job. Integrity is very important and so is an intelligent management of the grueling work schedules. Alignment with the company objectives and vision is a must and it must also reflect on one’s daily work.
Editor : What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring?
JG : A clear understanding of the job, the proven ability to handle unusual challenges under pressure and a positive attitude to work and life in general. I pay particular attention to people management skills because I firmly believe that however good your product might be, it is the team that you have that will make or break it.
Editor: Tell us a little about your average day
JG :I start work before 9 am , and complete priority work that I have planned the previous day. Thereafter, structured and focused meetings take up most of my day to enable me to review and access the situations at various projects that are currently under me. A very quick bite for lunch and I am back for some routine paper work and phone calls, before continuing my reviews and corrections wherever necessary. I also go out once in a while to meet vendors, meet my colleagues at the units for onsite resolution of issues or to close selections of materials and negotiate for better deals. Before leaving for my home, usually around 10 pm, I plan the next day’s work and prioritize them .
Editor: How do keep abreast of all that is happening in hospitality?
JG : I subscribe to several e-newsletters on various aspects of the Hospitality industry. I attend exhibitions showcasing products and services and regularly keep in touch with my colleagues in the industry to share and update myself on the trends and happenings in the industry
Editor: Please share the future plans of KA Hospitality OR what can we expect in the near future from KA Hospitality.
JG : Oh, You can expect a whole gamut of exciting experiences coming your way in the next 6 months. We are opening 2 YAUATCHA s in Bangalore and Delhi before the end of this year . Both these are located in prime malls in the respective cities and the unique and distinctive restaurant, that has changed the Mumbai food scenario is all set to take these cities by a storm. We are targeting to open another OTTO INFINITO in a metro city and are in the process of a launch another exciting concept restaurant in Mumbai of a different cuisine altogether . I will not give away the surprise by naming the cuisine and the brand now , but I can promise Mumbaikars and food lovers in India an experience they will cherish.