Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group today announced the promotion of K.B. Kachru to chairman of the hotel group in South Asia, and the appointment of Raj Rana succeeding him as chief executive officer. K.B. and Raj will both report directly to Simon C. Barlow, president, Asia Pacific. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2013.
In his new role as chairman, K.B. will continue to drive the growth of the company’s hotels in South Asia, as well as mentor Raj in his new role as chief executive officer.
“K.B. is the founder of Carlson Rezidor’s hotel business in India, and I am very pleased that he has accepted this new, strategic position as chairman of our South Asia business,” said Simon. “He has been instrumental in building the company in India over the past 15 years, and will play a key role in helping Carlson Rezidor maintain our position as the number one international hotel company in India by number of hotels.”
Raj, a 22-year veteran of Carlson Rezidor, is a U.S. national born in Delhi. He is an alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa, where he was awarded a diploma in Hotel Management. In addition, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi, and a master of business administration degree from Dowling College in New York. Raj was most recently vice president, Radisson Franchise Operations, Americas, based in Minneapolis, Minn.
“I am very excited to welcome an executive of Raj’s caliber. He joins our South Asia management team with a wealth of international hotel management experience, having held numerous senior positions at Carlson Rezidor hotels in the United States and in Europe,” said Simon. “He has proven ability to work with third-party owners and has recently demonstrated a high level of skill in capturing market share, driving financial success and delivering excellent guest experiences across a large portfolio of hotels in the U.S. Raj will be a valuable addition to our team, and his appointment marks the beginning of the next phase of growth for Carlson Rezidor in India, where we are on track to have 100 operating hotels by 2015.”
Raj starts his new role on April 1, and will work alongside K.B. until June 30.