The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), South Asia’s largest hospitality company has today announced the launch of a scholarship in partnership with the ESSEC Business School in France as part of its continued commitment to bolstering learning and development for its employees. As part of the initiative two deserving IHCL employees each year would be sponsored for a 21 month long fully paid MSc in Hospitality Management at the ESSEC Campus in Paris. This initiative is launched for a three year period and may be renewed further.

Speaking on the initiative, Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL said, “We have always believed in creating a strong talent pipeline by enabling and empowering our employees with the best of learning and development initiatives. Our collaboration with ESSEC Business School is a vital step in that direction and in line with our vision to create future leaders for the global hospitality industry in general and build a talent pipeline for IHCL in particular”.

A pioneer of business-related learning since 1907, ESSEC is rated amongst the top business schools in the world.

Professor Peter O’Connor, Academic Director, Essec Business School said, “We are delighted to collaborate with a prestigious company such as The Indian Hotels (IHCL) for the initiative, which brings in a fitting blend of Indian hospitality and international standards of excellence. We look forward to a brilliant partnership aligned with ESSEC’s mission to respond to the challenges of the future.”

The program is a mix of rigorous academics and hands-on field experience which includes various areas such as E-Commerce, Real Estate & Development, Entrepreneurship and Luxury Services Management. Besides the full tuition fees, IHCL would also cover the accommodation and living expenses for the two selected employees.