Mohit Nirula
Chief Operating Officer
The Oberoi Group
The Oberoi Group
Mohit Nirula is arguably one of the most loved and respected hospitality leaders in India today.
When over three decades of an illustrious three-and-a-half decade-long career are spent in the ever-dynamic hospitality industry, the “hotelier” tag can become deservedly pronounced.
However, Mohit has always been a hotelier with a difference, merging his innate knack for innovation and painting outside the lines, with his “lead without leading” brand of mentorship to become an enabler of teams that provide warm, sincere and intuitive service.
When over three decades of an illustrious three-and-a-half decade-long career are spent in the ever-dynamic hospitality industry, the “hotelier” tag can become deservedly pronounced.
However, Mohit has always been a hotelier with a difference, merging his innate knack for innovation and painting outside the lines, with his “lead without leading” brand of mentorship to become an enabler of teams that provide warm, sincere and intuitive service.
After graduating from Institute of Hotel Management in New Delhi, Mohit joined The Oberoi Group as a Management Trainee at the prestigious and coveted Oberoi School of Hotel Management and graduated with the Mr. T.R.S. Oberoi Gold Medal for Academic Excellence in 1988.
Over the next 31 years, Mohit’s journey with The Oberoi Group traversed eight cities and two continents, including international assignments at two of the most coveted global tourism destinations – Mauritius and Egypt.
In a career that included leading diverse teams across all brands in the company, in city locations to beach resorts and cultural destination, Mohit has had the opportunity to open, renovate and re-open hotels and resorts in India and overseas.
Mohit’s vast knowledge in hospitality coupled with his ability to influence young minds, saw him take on the responsibility of Dean and Vice President of the prestigious The Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development from 2013 to 2015.
After a long and luminous stint, when he exited The Oberoi Group as the Senior Vice President in the office of the Chief Executive Officer, it was to take on a role that was both purposeful and fulfilling. This new role as Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Pacific Communities presented an opportunity to solve a large social problem in India. Under Mohit’s leadership, Columbia Pacific Communities became the country’s largest and most preferred senior living community operators, increasing its market share and redefining the nascent category of senior living in a meaningful way.
Mohit’s six-year-long stint with the Seattle-based multi-national company, saw him achieve many feats – from building the founding team in India to attracting joint venture investments from Category A developers in India, launching three world-class senior living communities, and turning loss-incurring communities into cash-positive business despite the difficult years of COVID-19.
But, once a hotelier, always a hotelier, Mohit returned to his first love and alma mater, The Oberoi Group, in September 2023, as Chief Operating Officer. As part of his mandate, he oversees Operations, Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, and Operations Support functions for all Oberoi and Trident hotels in seven countries.
Outside of work, Mohit is a cricket fanatic, an avid birder, an intrepid traveler, and a lover of the written word. He is fortunate to share these interests with his wife of 35 years. Jyotsana and Mohit are doting parents to their two daughters who both live and work in London but always find time to get together for holidays during the year.