GRI Hospitality & Branded Residences 2026

Karthik is a Managing Partner at EverVantage and overseas the Transaction Advisory and Leasing Verticals across asset classes. Having completed transactions in over 50 cities and over 10 million sft. his expertise ranges across verticals and industries. Karthik has successfully executed a multitude of landmark transactions across retail, F&B, commercial office space and healthcare platforms. He specialises in complex transactions be it hospitality, commercial advisory, landmark land transactions or strategy. His power house of unique experiences in portfolio management for corporates, land owners and developers nationwide, gives EverVantage it’s strength across industries.

Sameer Nayar is Executive Vice President - Strategic Development at Oberoi Hotels & Resorts. He leads global strategy, hotel development, and market expansion. Drawing on nearly two decades in London's investment banking and corporate finance, Nayar provides extensive expertise. An MBA from the University of Michigan and a Chartered Accountant, he is crucial to Oberoi's strategic growth and innovation, expanding its global portfolio.

Vineet started his career with the Royal Calcutta Turf Club. He then joined Bengal Ambuja as CEO. He was actively involved in several Chambers of Commerce in Kolkata including CII, ICC, Young Leaders forum, Bengal Chamber of Commerce. Vineet is presently the Executive Director and SBU Head, Brigade Hospitality that is involved in the setting up and management of Hotels, Serviced Apartments, Clubs and Convention Centers besides Corporate Catering and Event Management. Besides the award winning hotels in Bangalore, Sheraton Bangalore Brigade Gateway, Grand Mercure and the recently opened Grand Mercure Mysuru, Brigade Group has several other hotels under development in Bangalore, Chennai, Mysore, Gujarat and Kerala.

Zubin Saxena, a seasoned leader with over 25 years of experience in the global hospitality industry, currently serves as the Senior Vice President & Regional Head for Hilton-South Asia. In this pivotal role, based at the Hilton corporate headquarters in Gurgaon, he leads a team of industry professionals supporting 70 operating and pipeline hotels. Zubin is responsible for steering Hilton’s growth and enhancing the brand presence in South Asia. Zubin, an alumnus of the University of Glasgow, holds a master’s degree in business administration, graduating with distinction. Before joining Hilton, he carved a distinguished career with leading brands, notably serving as the Managing Director and Area Senior Vice President at Radisson Hotel Group for eight successful years, showcasing consistent leadership excellence. His journey also features pivotal roles at InterContinental Hotels Group, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, HVS New York, where he demonstrated expertise in strategic development, operations, adv. capacities

With a robust background in sales management and team leadership, my tenure at Hansgrohe Group and previous mandates has been marked by harmonizing team efforts towards the luxury faucet market's summit. I have driven collective focus on sales excellence and new business development to solidify positions within the B2B and B2C domains, ensuring sustained leadership in India.

Nihar is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at TCG Real Estate, part of a USD 10 bn private equity based diversified group with interests across sectors such as petrochemicals, lifesciences, consumer and real estate. As the CIO, he leads all of the firm’s investments across multiple strategies. Previously, he was Managing Director at MO Alternates which manages multiple real estate funds with cumulative assets of USD ~1 bn. He has a diverse experience of close to 20 years where he has invested across different asset classes through various structures such as equity, credit, mezzanine, distress and special situations. Over the last few years, Nihar has invested in over 100+ assets and has secured successful exits too.

Uddhav Poddar, Managing Director & Group CEO of Bhumika Group, hails from Poddar family with business interests across sectors. Uddhav spun off from the family business and established Bhumika Group, having interests in real estate development, hospitality, logistics & distribution and e-commerce. The Group turnover under him has crossed Rs. 1700 crs annually. He has been recognized as “40 under 40” in the real estate sector in India by Realty Plus which also named him among Real Estate’s top 100 influencer’s in India. Dainik Bhaskar a renowned publication has featured him as "100 Change Makers in Udaipur". He is an active leader member of EO (Entreprenuers Organization) and also a Managing Committee member of PHDCCI.