Mehrnavaz Avari started her career in 2002 as a Management Trainee and has been associated with the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. for almost two decades now. It was always my dream to be a world-class hotelier and excel in the field of hospitality.
As a young hospitality professional adept at handling multiple responsibilities in the Food & Beverage Division, she rose through the ranks to Assistant Food & Beverage Manager.
“I spent 2 years in Front Office honing my skills in customer relations, conflict management, crisis management and revenue management,” she told Asian Voice.
The quest for continuous learning has led her to do double graduation in Hospitality and Psychology with Sociology followed by a ‘Master of Management’ at the renowned Cornell University in New York and the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Avari’s father Pervez Avari spent all his life as a TATA loyalist growing from a shop floor engineer at TATA Motors to director-level positions in other subsidiaries before retiring.
Her mother, Mrs Hilla Avari spent her life as a banker – the epitome of an inspiring woman achiever. Not one to stand by the sidelines, she is now an eight-time MDRT Award-winning Insurance Advisor with TATA Life.
“Growing up in a simple family – one incident stands out in my memory clearly. The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai was the epitome of glamour and glitz for us as children. I vividly remember my parents taking us to the Gateway of India for an outing and us looking at the hotel in awe. We then walked through those hallowed doors and its lush corridors to stare at the grand staircase and the magnificent blue dome. I still remember thinking this is what I wanted to own someday! Of course, I learnt that I couldn’t own the hotel – but I definitely could run it! And I have had three very successful stints at the Grande Dame of Mumbai!” she told the newsweekly.
Upon her return back to Taj after completing her studies in the USA, Mehrnavaz was offered the most challenging role of Food & Beverage Manager at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, and later promoted to one of the operationally largest city Hotels in the country - the Taj Palace, New Delhi as Resident Manager.
In 2016, she took up the role of General Manager at the prestigious Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur as the youngest lady General Manager in the company. During her tenure, the Palace achieved several awards and accolades including the No. 1 Hotel in India, No. 2 in Asia and No. 3 in the World from TripAdvisor in 2018. After a successful stint at the Umaid Bhawan Palace, Avari returned to head the flagship hotel of the Taj – the iconic Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai.
She served as the Vice President of Maharashtra State Council for India’s first independent National Business Chamber for Women - Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) for the Hospitality Industry.
Talking about what its like being in a leadership role as a woman, she said, “I am honoured to be the first woman Area Director to run the IHCL operations in the United Kingdom. The TATA group is a respectful place for women to work – if you work hard and deliver results, there is no glass ceiling for you to break through – the sky is the limit! I have always believed that Leadership roles should be given based on performance and potential. It is highly gratifying to work for an organization that resonates with this philosophy and demonstrates it through action.”
Discussing challenges in the hospitality business during the most vulnerable time in history and reviving the economy, Avari told us, “As the Area Director UK, my focus is to reinvent the guest experience, enhance the profitability of our existing assets through revisiting operational excellence, and oversee any new developments that may come up in the region. Given my diverse experience across geographies, I have learned to see challenges as opportunities to make a lasting difference for our brand and create the changes that have become the need of the hour. Today, my focus is on reviving our hotels in the post-Covid and post Brexit era, given the paucity of talent, increasing energy and procurement costs, rising inflation, and constant fear of another wave. We have seen some encouraging trends of recovery in business and have put in place many strategies for business and brand growth.”
Her advice for women wanting to develop their careers in Hospitality or leadership roles is, “It is important that women actively seek challenging roles outside their comfort zone in order to develop themselves as well-heeled hoteliers or industry leaders.
“It is important to carry your inner circle with you; they have to buy into your dream and be equally invested in it. Then your every win is also their win – and they will push you harder than you push yourself to achieve larger goals in life. My family has not just been my sounding board, but also my biggest cheerleader in this journey. Families should dream and celebrate together!”
