Former TajSATS Kolkata General Manager to bring industry leadership into student development, faculty capability and employability-focused hospitality education
9 Oct’ India: After spending 42 years in the hospitality industry with the Taj Group/IHCL ecosystem, veteran hotelier Shekhar Mukherjee has joined NIPS Institute of Hotel Management as Executive Director, marking a significant move from senior industry leadership into hospitality education.
A former General Manager of TajSATS Kolkata and alumnus of IHM Kolkata, Mukherjee has worked across hotel operations, food and beverage, flight catering, people management and service excellence. During his long career, numerous hospitality professionals and managers worked under his leadership and benefited from his mentoring, operational guidance and emphasis on standards, accountability and people development. He also served for nearly eight years on the Board of Governors of IHM Kolkata.
For NIPS, the appointment is intended to do more than add another senior administrator. The Institute plans to use Mukherjee’s industry experience to bring the realities of hospitality operations much closer to the classroom – influencing how students are mentored, how faculty remain connected with industry, and how professional readiness is built before placement begins.
Students are expected to benefit through greater exposure to real workplace expectations, communication, professional behaviour, decision-making, guest handling, leadership, management-trainee preparation and long-term career development. Faculty development will be another priority, with greater emphasis on industry-linked teaching, mentoring and contemporary employer expectations.
Dr. Vivek Pathak, Founder Director, NIPS Institute of Hotel Management, said, “We often ask the industry what is missing in graduates after they enter employment. We felt the stronger answer was to bring that experience inside the institution much earlier. Mr. Mukherjee has spent 42 years watching people enter hospitality, develop, manage teams and grow into leadership roles. We want that experience to influence how our students are taught, mentored and prepared from the beginning – not only when placement starts.”
Mr. Shekhar Mukherjee, the Executive Director, NIPS Institute of Hotel Management, sees the opportunity from the industry side of the same gap. “In industry, we often receive graduates with academic knowledge who still need significant development before they are ready to take responsibility. If industry insight enters education earlier, faculty can prepare students better and young professionals can begin their careers with greater maturity, confidence and understanding of the workplace.”
His experience is also expected to help NIPS contribute more meaningfully to discussions with universities and academic bodies when curricula are reviewed or redesigned, particularly around employability, contemporary industry practice and the changing competencies required of hospitality graduates.
Mukherjee superannuated from IHCL in March 2026 and continues to remain connected with the hospitality sector through a process-improvement and advisory association with Speciality Restaurants Limited.
With his joining, NIPS aims to create a stronger continuum between curriculum, classroom learning, industry exposure, internship and career development – preparing students not simply for their first job, but for future managerial and leadership responsibilities.
