Keswani to be executive chair as Lemon Tree splits top roles

Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd's chairman and managing director Patanjali G. Keswani will become executive chairman of both LTH and its subsidiary Fleur Hotels as part of a leadership change effective 1 October. The management change was part of a long-term succession plan aimed at strengthening leadership, the company said in a statement on Friday.

- Varuni Khosla

The firm also named Neelendra Singh, former managing director of Adidas India, as the managing director of Lemon Tree Hotels, effective 1 October. Saurabh Shatdal, managing director at real estate consultancy Cushman and Wakefield, will take over as MD and chief executive, Fleur Hotels, which is likely to be listed on the public markets by the end of next year.

Chief financial officer Kapil Sharma will join Lemon Tree's board as executive director and also continue as the hotel operator's finance head.

Lemon Tree, founded by Keswani, opened its first hotel in 2004 and has a portfolio of over 230 properties. It also has 110 hotels in the pipeline both in India and internationally.