NIPS Appoints Hospitality Veteran Shekhar Mukherjee as Executive Director

NIPS Institute of Hotel Management has appointed hospitality veteran Shekhar Mukherjee as Executive Director after his 42-year career with the Taj Group and the IHCL ecosystem. The appointment marks his transition from senior industry leadership to hospitality education with a focus on bringing workplace experience into the classroom.

A former General Manager of TajSATS Kolkata and an alumnus of IHM Kolkata, Mukherjee has worked across hotel operations, food and beverage, flight catering, people management and service excellence. Throughout his career, he has mentored hospitality professionals and managers with a strong focus on operational standards, accountability, leadership and people development. He also served for nearly eight years on the Board of Governors of IHM Kolkata.

At NIPS, Mukherjee is expected to play a broader role than institutional administration. His industry experience will be used to strengthen student mentoring, improve faculty-industry engagement and build professional readiness well before students enter the placement process.

Bringing Industry Experience Closer to the Classroom

Under the new leadership, students are expected to gain greater exposure to workplace expectations, communication, professional conduct, decision-making, guest handling, leadership and management-trainee preparation. The institute also plans to strengthen long-term career development as part of its academic approach.

Faculty development will be another priority, with greater emphasis on industry-linked teaching, mentoring and an understanding of current employer expectations. The objective is to ensure that classroom learning reflects the changing requirements of the hospitality sector.

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.”

Focus on Employability and Professional Readiness

Shekhar Mukherjee, Executive Director, NIPS Institute of Hotel Management, said, “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 support NIPS in its engagement with universities and academic bodies during curriculum reviews and redesigns, particularly in areas such as employability, contemporary industry practices and the evolving 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.

Building a Stronger Education-to-Career Pathway

With his appointment, NIPS aims to strengthen the connection between curriculum, classroom learning, industry exposure, internships and career development. The institute expects this approach to help students prepare not only for their first job but also for future managerial and leadership responsibilities.