Jyotsna Suri, 57, Chairperson and Managing Director, Bharat Hotels
Don't for a moment think that Jyotsna Suri inherited a hotel empire when her hotelier husband, Lalit Suri, passed away in 2006: She has been involved hands-on ever since their flagship New Delhi property came up in the 1980s. "Mr (Lalit) Suri was the face of the company, I worked in the background, she says. But when her husband passed away suddenly her grief was not limited just to that loss: some friends turned out to be anything but. "There were people out there who were waiting for me to fail, like I was easy prey. But I did not want them to succeed I wanted to turn my personal adversity into an opportunity for my business. In the past 24 months, Jyotsna Suri has not only revamped her flagship in Delhi but also opened several properties across the country, acquired new ones and built up a new brand, "The Lalit . It is now one of the fastest growing hotel chains in India. "Some people can be overcome by grief when they suffer tragedy. I could not afford to be. I am responsible for the livelihoods of 5,000 people, and they needed to see that we will carry on and become even better, she says. How would she classify her management style? "I do not let emotion cloud my judgement, I do not get angry and the 'four-letter' word is not part of my vocabulary. But while my decisions are based around logic, I take quick decisions.
What does power mean to you?
Power to me means nurturing talent.
New lessons learnt in 2009.
That you cannot just build a hotel somewhere and be done with it, you have to develop the 'destination'.
New frontiers conquered in 2009.
The Polo tournament we hosted in Dras was quite a frontier!
What next?
We have a lot of new properties coming up in 2010, including the revamped Great Eastern in Kolkata ...We are also going to unveil a new 'mid-market' brand. - Kushan Mitra
Resource: Business Today