Kolkata: NIPS Institute of Hotel Management has appointed hospitality professional Shekhar Mukherjee as Executive Director, bringing more than four decades of industry experience to the institute.
Mukherjee, an alumnus of IHM Kolkata, has 42 years of experience across hotel operations, food and beverage, flight catering, people management and service excellence. He most recently served as General Manager of TajSATS Kolkata and has held leadership positions involving hospitality operations, large teams and talent development.
He also served for nearly eight years on the Board of Governors of IHM Kolkata.
At NIPS, Mukherjee will focus on strengthening the link between hospitality education and industry practice, with responsibilities spanning student mentoring, faculty development, industry engagement and employability.
His industry experience will also be used to provide students greater exposure to workplace requirements, including professional communication, guest handling, decision-making, leadership, service standards and operational discipline.
“The transition from hospitality education to the workplace needs to begin much before a student reaches the placement stage. Mr Mukherjee brings an exceptional depth of experience in developing people, managing operations and understanding the expectations of the hospitality industry,” said Dr Vivek Pathak, Founder Director, NIPS Institute of Hotel Management.
Commenting on his appointment, Mukherjee said academic knowledge provides the foundation, but students also need to understand professional conduct, service standards, teamwork, accountability and workplace realities.
Mukherjee superannuated from IHCL in March 2026 and continues to be associated with the hospitality sector through a process-improvement and advisory role with Speciality Restaurants Limited.
His appointment is also expected to strengthen NIPS’ engagement with industry stakeholders and academic bodies on curriculum development, employability, industry exposure and changing skill requirements in the hospitality sector.
