Sweet Chats with Rich's Rich Products and Solutions

In this episode of the podcast "Sweet Chats with Rich's", we are joined by Mr. Sharad Datta, General Manager of The Westin Mumbai Garden City. Sharad brings with him a rich experience of over 20 years in hotel management, having worked with brands like Marriott International, Hyatt International and Oberoi Hotels & Resorts. He is an alumnus of the coveted Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Mumbai.

Sharad shares with us his experience of leading the hotel operations through the lockdown, the impact that the pandemic has had on the human capital associated with the hospitality industry, new revenue sources explored to cover for the losses suffered from the core business and his view on what the future forecast is for the hospitality industry.

"Sales is what drives me, marketing is where I create and culinary is where I relax", says Pankaj Jain, GM of Marketing, Sales and Culinary at Rich's India and the guest for this edition of the podcast. Pankaj Jain followed his passion for food and earned his Chef's hat from the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai. He sharpened his business acumen by completing his executive MBA from IIM Lucknow. He has been associated with Rich's India for the past two decades.

In this podcast, the host, Pankaj Chaturvedi, uncovers the man behind this multifaceted personality and brings to you the riveting story of how Pankaj Jain went on to become the man he is now. Pankaj Jain shares his knowledge of how the bakery industry has matured in the past 20 years, how the outlook of the Indian consumer has changed with time and his views on the industry post Covid period.

"Tough times never last, but tough people do", said Robert H. Schuller,  an American Televangelist. Mr. Rami Reddy, owner of the Just Bake franchise, personifies this quote. Mr. Rami Reddy's entrepreneurial journey is nothing less than a Bollywood movie script. He is an engineer by qualification, he started his career by being a contractor who used to execute multi-million roadways contract in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The business was doing great, until a catastrophe struck and overnight he had to wrap up his business. But, from there he rose from the ashes to build a bakery business, which today is the largest bakery chain of South India and one of the fastest growing bakery chains in India.

On this episode, Rami Reddy joins Pankaj as they talk about entrepreneurship, bakery business and trends in India, innovation, lockdown impact on business and the incredible life story of Rami Reddy.

The guest for the first episode is the man who is responsible for the operations, manufacturing and supply chain for Rich’s India- Dr. Ashutosh Srivastava – Vice President of Operations, Projects & Supply Chain. He has more than 30 years of industry experience, having worked previously for highly renowned organizations like Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo India, General Mills and Mondelez India Foods. He is an alumnus of the reputed National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. He is a seasoned supply chain professional with experience in manufacturing, quality assurance, lean & six sigma management.

Pankaj and Ashutosh will talk about how Ashutosh chose to work in the food industry, the evolution in the food industry in Ashutosh's professional tenure, how he handled Covid pandemic in his present organization, the game-changer strategies applied by him and his perspective on team management and life in general.