Captain Nair steps down as Leela chairman

Chittarath Poovakkatt Krishnan Nair better as Captain Nair has stepped down as Leela Chairman just two days before his 92nd birthday. His elder son Vivek Nair will now assume responsibilty as  chairman and managing director while his younger son Dinesh Nair will assume the post of co chairman and managing director. Captain CP Krishnan Nair was at the helm of affairs of the company for almost three decades.

However the management has made its intentions clear that they wouldn’t want him to leave the company and as such he has been named Chairman Emeritus. Mr Nair started his career serving in the Indian national army (INA) of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. After his marriage in 1950 he assisted his father-in-law in the latter’s handloom business. His long dream of starting a luxury hotel near the Sahar International Airport was realized in 1986 with the starting of Leela. This was followed by Leela Goa, the Leela Palace in Bangalore and the Leela beach resort at Thiruvanathapuram. For his efforts as an hotelier he was awarded as the ‘Hotelier of the century’ by the International hotels and Restaurants Association. Eventually he was also awarded with Padma Bhushan by the Indian Government in 2010.

Leela Palace Hotels and Restaurants in India have risen to become the most sort after luxury brand among hotels winning several prestigious awards for hospitality. The company presently holds six hotels and five hotels are under development while two other hotels are managed by the company. However the company’s rapid expansion in recent times has given rise to debts. However in all this the company is still strong and the onus is on the new management to carry Leela’s legacy forward.