Puneet Dhawan of Accor is brimming with ideas on ways to revive the hospitality sector
Puneet Dhawan’s ascent to his new role as hospitality giant Accor’s head in India and South Asia could not have been more dramatic. It was right in the middle of the pandemic, and there he was stuck in the Philippines. The outgoing chief, Jean Michel Casse, after over a decade in India, was retiring and eager to get back to France. But India had locked itself in, stopping all flights.
Puneet Dhawan - Illustration: Ranga Rajan
“We did a virtual handover. This was in mid-July, 2020,” Dhawan recalls. But then the situation in India started to worsen. His boss suggested he operate out of the Bangkok office or go to Australia. But this did not appeal to Dhawan.