Carlson Executive - KB Kachru - Honoured with Special Achievement Award

KB Kachru, executive vice president South Asia, Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, has been awarded a Carlson Fellows Special Achievement Award by company chairman and CEO, Marilyn Carlson Nelson.

The Carlson Fellows and Order of the Golden Rose honorees were announced during the Carlson Honors Show, held at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday, February 28.

Carlson Fellows, which is Carlson Companies’ internal honours for career achievement, is presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated consistently strong performance over the course of their Carlson careers in one of the following categories: Sales Achievement, Customer Service, Creativity, Innovation, Leadership Achievement, Stewardship, Employee Achievement and Special Achievement. Nominees must have been employed by Carlson for at least five years and made a significant impact on business outcomes, cross-company collaboration, cultural or community contribution or innovation.

Paul Kirwin, president, Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, said, “We are extremely proud that KB has been honoured with this award. His role in the development of international hospitality brands in South Asia has already earned him much recognition from industry bodies and his peers throughout the hospitality world. This award is further testament to his achievements.”

KB Kachru is one of the founding fathers of Carlson Hospitality’s family of brands within Asia. In 1991, Rajan Jetley and KB collaborated to form Radisson Hotels Asia, an affiliation with Carlson in order to introduce the Radisson and TGI Fridays brands to the region.

Based in Singapore for five years, KB’s first project was the opening of Radisson Hotel Bangkok, a hotel which still operates today, followed by TGI Fridays restaurants in Malaysia and Singapore.

In 1996 KB was invited to join Carlson Hospitality to develop other Carlson brands throughout South Asia. Since relocating to Delhi at that time, KB’s team has grown to more than 60 people, including operations, sales, marketing, human resources and training, and reservations staff.

KB is responsible for the development of 26 Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inn & Suites By Carlson and Park Inn properties in India, with another 21 hotels currently under development. Also under KB’s guidance are six TGI Fridays restaurants currently operating in India, with a further two under development. 

KB commented on the award, “I am very proud to have been honoured with this award. Throughout my career, I have always maintained focus on building and maintaining relationships and I think that the key to my success is my belief in the power of partnerships. The South Asia tourism market is currently witnessing a huge growth phase and there is great potential for Carlson to develop further strategic partnerships to contribute to the growth of the industry.”

Close ties with three management companies in India have proven very successful for the Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson and Park Plaza brands.

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