Borders to Boardroom: A Memoir

Habib Rehman

Description

From gentleman cadet to a near-miss as manager of an ice cream factory-to becoming a pioneering figure in the hotel industry, destiny has led Habib Rehman down many unexpected paths. When a cardio-vascular ailment contracted after many high-altitude postings compelled 31-year-old Rehman to seek voluntary retirement from the Indian Army in 1975, he had no plan B in place. It was a chance meeting with Pishori Lal Lamba, owner of Gaylords restaurant, at a social gathering in Pune that led to a job offer. Lamba, together with his partner I. K. Ghai of Kwality, then dominated the hospitality industry. He invited Rehman to take over as manager of an ice cream factory he was setting up in Pune, when the project fell through, he bailed out Rehman from prospective unemployment by sending him to hotel Rama international in Aurangabad as manager in-residence. Thus was born Habib Rehman, the hotelier. It was another chance meeting with Ajit Haksar, the visionary first Indian chairman of ITC, that propelled Rehman to the next stage of his career. So impressed was Haksar by the young manager of the Rama international, that he offered him a job with the fledgling ITC hotels division – Haksar’s brainchild. Rehman joined ITC hotels in 1979. The rest is history. From a three-property enterprise-the chola Sheraton in Chennai, the Maurya in Delhi and the Mughal Sheraton in Agra, ITC hotels has grown to more than 100 properties in 70 destinations worldwide.

Much of this growth took place under Rehmans stewardship and close personal involvement. His love of food, a natural outcome of his Hyderabadi genes, led him to nurture and lead several iconic restaurants amongst many ITC properties across the country.

Though hobnobbing with the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Peter O’Toole and Elizabeth Taylor was just part of the job, Rehman never lost the common touch-a lesson learned in the army, an institution he loved and never ceased to draw inspiration from throughout his career in the hospitality industry-two worlds seemingly poles apart but surprisingly complementary when it came to the management of men and resources. Borders to boardroom is a memoir that educates and delights in equal measure. For those in the hospitality industry, or keen to learn about it, this book provides invaluable insights. It could also serve as a primer in the art of management, telling as it does the story of ITC, one of the country’s most professionally managed corporate houses. Above all, it is a warm, human account of a man, a well-regarded figure in the hospitality industry, who has lived many lives and loved them all-and is not afraid to write about it with honesty and subtle humor.

Sujets

• Hotels
• Hotelier
• Biography
• Hospitality
• Memoir
• Success
• ITC
• Business
• Autobiography
• Leadership
• Hotel
• Management

Informations

• Publié par: Roli Books
• Date de parution: 15 novembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789351940531
• Langue: English

Extrait

About the book
From gentleman cadet to a near-miss as manager of an ice cream factory-to becoming a pioneering figure in the hotel industry, destiny has led Habib Rehman down many unexpected paths. When a cardio-vascular ailment contracted after many high-altitude postings compelled 31-year-old Rehman to seek voluntary retirement from the Indian Army in 1975, he had no plan B in place. It was a chance meeting with Pishori Lal Lamba, owner of Gaylords restaurant, at a social gathering in Pune that led to a job offer. Lamba, together with his partner I. K. Ghai of Kwality, then dominated the hospitality industry. He invited Rehman to take over as manager of an ice cream factory he was setting up in Pune, when the project fell through, he bailed out Rehman from prospective unemployment by sending him to hotel Rama international in Aurangabad as manager in-residence. Thus was born Habib Rehman, the hotelier. It was another chance meeting with Ajit Haksar, the visionary first Indian chairman of ITC, that propelled Rehman to the next stage of his career. So impressed was Haksar by the young manager of the Rama international, that he offered him a job with the fledgling ITC hotels division – Haksar’s brainchild. Rehman joined ITC hotels in 1979. The rest is history. From a three-property enterprise-the chola Sheraton in Chennai, the Maurya in Delhi and the Mughal Sheraton in Agra, ITC hotels has grown to more than 100 properties in 70 destinations worldwide.
Much of this growth took place under Rehmans stewardship and close personal involvement. His love of food, a natural outcome of his Hyderabadi genes, led him to nurture and lead several iconic restaurants amongst many ITC properties across the country.
Though hobnobbing with the likes of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Peter O’Toole and Elizabeth Taylor was just part of the job, Rehman never lost the common touch-a lesson learned in the army, an institution he loved and never ceased to draw inspiration from throughout his career in the hospitality industry-two worlds seemingly poles apart but surprisingly complementary when it came to the management of men and resources. Borders to boardroom is a memoir that educates and delights in equal measure. For those in the hospitality industry, or keen to learn about it, this book provides invaluable insights. It could also serve as a primer in the art of management, telling as it does the story of ITC, one of the country’s most professionally managed corporate houses. Above all, it is a warm, human account of a man, a well-regarded figure in the hospitality industry, who has lived many lives and loved them all-and is not afraid to write about it with honesty and subtle humor.

ROLI BOOKS
This digital edition published in 2014
First published in 2014 by The Lotus Collection An Imprint of Roli Books Pvt. Ltd M-75, Greater Kailash- II Market New Delhi 110 048 Phone: ++91 (011) 40682000 Email: [e-mail] Website: www.rolibooks.com
Copyright © Habib Rehman, 2014
Habib Rehman assets the moral right to be identified as the author of the book and all views expressed herein are his own and without prejudice.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, print reproduction, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Roli Books. Any unauthorized distribution of this e-book may be considered a direct infringement of copyright and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
eISBN: 978-93-5194-053-1
All rights reserved This e-book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form or cover other than that in which it is published.
BORDERS to BOARDROOM
To my mother
&
all mothers
CONTENTS
Foreword
1. Hyderabad in My Genes
2. From Carefree Teen to Gentleman Cadet
3. High Jinks in the Himalayas
4. Riding into the Storm
5. A Hotelier is Born
6. Good-bye, Aurangabad! Hello ITC!
7. In the Shadow of the Great Maurya
8. Stars Over the Taj
9. Genghis Khan and the Leadership Capacity
10. My Brief Southern Interlude
11. ‘Five Senses’ Maurya
12. A Dish Fit for Kings
13. Can Do: the Dal That Clinton Loved
14. Ideas, and the Gandhi of Architecture
15. In the Lap of Economic Reforms
16. Shaping Human Building Blocks
17. The Last Word: In the Line of Duty
Epilogue
Foreword
I t was Pramod Kapoor of Roli Books again. He was organising his sixtieth birthday bash at The Savoy, Mussoorie, and at his family home in neighbouring Landour. He wanted my advice on the cuisines and the menus for the celebrations, which were to stretch over two or three days at different venues in the hills. The menus had to account for the vagaries of the weather and the mix of Indian and international guests. Our discussions led to us talking about other things as well.
When I had retired from my executive duties at ITC in March 2009, Vir Sanghvi, the then editorial director of Hindustan Times and celebrated food columnist, had interviewed me for the newspaper’s Sunday magazine section, Brunch . At the end of the interview, he inquired whether I intended to write my autobiography and I remember giving him a non-commital answer. Pramod picked up on that and urged me to write one for Roli Books, or at least an account of my food journey, which was very close to my heart. I said I was in the process of shifting from my company-leased accommodation to my own home, which I had been building just a hundred yards away on the fringes of Panchsheel Park in South Delhi.
This bit of information took Pramod by surprise, for he had assumed I would build my post-retirement home at my farm in Fatehpur Beri on the outskirts of Delhi. That indeed was my original plan. The conversation led me to share with him the story of my pet Spitz, Gori, my constant companion for a decade, who had died and was buried at the site where I was building my new home. Hearing the story, he abandoned the cuisine book project and asked me to write A Home for Gori , which was released on her fifth death anniversary on 27 July 2010, at my new home — N-140, Panchsheel Park, which is named after her.
Now, again, in the festive spirit of his sixtieth birthday celebrations, Pramod brought up the subject once more and nudged me to start working on my food memoirs. During our discussions, the course of the book changed again. Pramod was aware that ITC had just celebrated its first centenary in 2010, and though the company had decades of successes behind it, very little was known about it. Other than Ajit Haksar, ITC’s first Indian chairman, who had written about his thirty-four years in the company in his autobiography, Bite the Bullet , not many others had taken up the challenge. Pramod pointed out that I had spent more than three decades with ITC, nearly as much time as Haksar (and nearly a third of the company’s life), made its hotel business grow, and participated in the company’s major transformation from a ‘cigarette company’ to one dealing in a range of products and services, from food and paper to hospitality. I had also served on its board for twelve years. I owed it to posterity, Pramod insisted, to leave behind glimpses of India’s most successful professionally-run company, at least the hotels part of its business, now that I was getting on in years. I was moved by Pramod’s thoughts and decided to give the book a serious shot, especially now that I had time and was comfortably settled in my new home.
I was also keen to expand the limited body of memoirs of professionals who have served Corporate India. I have often wondered why top executives of our leading companies don’t write their autobiographies as often as their counterparts in the West, to inspire and guide the new generation. I thought my life may be of some interest to readers because I had switched, mid-career, from the army to hotels — the two worlds could not have been more different and yet more complementary. In a subsequent conversation with the renowned author and journalist, M.J. Akbar, I got the encouragement to proceed. With his characteristic wry humour, Akbar said: “At least it will be illuminating for you to walk down memory lane when you turn senile.” Additionally, he gave valuable tips on how to structure the text.
Pramod was quick to act. He nominated Sourish Bhattacharyya to be at my tail and get on with the job. I had known Sourish for a long time and that made the task that much easier. Sourish is an accomplished journalist and his familiarity with the hospitality industry was a bonus. I am more than grateful for his assistance in the compilation of these memoirs despite his very pressing commitments.
At this point, let me also offer my sincere thanks to Renuka Chatterjee for her professional approach in editing this book, driving the timelines while being accommodating all the same. Her being from the ITC ‘family’ has been of much help.
I am cognizant of many of my known imperfections and am willing to acknowledge those that are unknown to me. I have had successes and failures, hits and misses, both in good measure, in my personal and my professional life, but I learnt early, to quote the poet, Azeem Dehlvi, that:
Girte hain sheh savar hi maidanein jung mein Woh tifal kya gire jo ghutnon ke bal chale
(It is only a rider who falls in the battlefield / not a toddler on all fours)
I have also seen first-hand the truth of the old adage: Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. We are all too familiar with such situations. I have not come across any person at any level to be totally free of flaws, with success there will also be some failure. Such is the nature of human frailty.
Three institutions helped me reach where I did. The first was my home, which is indeed a common experience for everybody. The s