Right from the first edition (2014) of the Spiritz Awards, maintaining credibility and transparency of the winner selection process has been our top priority. As Spiritz Awards honour high performers and pioneers of the wine and spirits industry, we are duty-bound to have an impartial system in place for deciding the truly deserving awardees from the received nominations.
It goes without saying that for a credible and transparent winner selection process, objectivity and impartiality of the Awards Jury members are of utmost importance. Keeping this in mind, we zeroed in on 11 wise men hailing from diverse fields like hospitality, management, think tank, media, and the industry to constitute the Awards Jury. Spiritz was represented by me. The task of leading the 12-member jury was entrusted to the industry veteran Jolly Bhargava.
For the jury meeting on October 27, we got a nice and quiet hall at Hotel Leela Ambience, Gurgaon, thanks to the hotel management. The jury meeting began with presentation to each jury member of the dossiers of the nominations received for all the 18 award categories. Then Shalini and I briefly explained the criteria for awards selection, and the floor was handed over to Jury Chairman Jolly Bhargava.
Soon the jury started the assessment of each nomination for every award category to select the award winners. All nominations were discussed in detail, and related presentations, videos and products were seen on a large screen. The jury members analyzed in depth whatever was presented to them to give their reasoned opinions on the nominations. The jury broke for the lunch and re-assembled to finish the task at hand. Each member gave marks to each nomination on the basis of set parameters and signed on the sheets. It is pertinent to note that the jury members were not happy with some of the companies who did not submit visual presentations and relevant documents/data to support their claims. I hope next year, the companies will be more diligent in their submissions.
The final tally of votes threw some surprises. There were quite a few keenly contested awards. Some nominations were declared joint winners, while a few could not make it to the coveted list barely by a few marks.
The results are sealed. Surely, there is curiosity in the industry about the winners, and it will be satisfied with the opening of the sealed envelopes at the Awards Ceremony on November 26 evening at Hotel Leela Ambience.
Till then, palpable suspense hangs in the air….
JURY FOR SPIRITZ AWARDS 2016
Jury Chairman – Jolly Bhargava, Liquor Industry Veteran
Jolly Bhargava is remembered for his remarkable contribution in the launch of many whisky brands which went on to sell millions of cases. Whether it was the naming of the brand or its packaging or its blending, Jolly’s say counted a lot. Some of the brands with which he was associated are: Officer’s Choice, Royal Challenge Whisky and Antiquity Rum.
Shobhan Roy, Director General, AIBA Director General of the All India Brewers Association, Shobhan Roy, a chemical engineer from IIT, has over 40 years of experience in the complex alcoholic beverage industry. Shobhan has served as Head/President/CEO in various liquor companies. He is also credited with getting the first successful Scotch brand ‘Teachers’ bottled in India (1994). He also revamped the packaging of Aristocrat Premium blend. Shobhan is a co-founder member of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC). Well-versed with excise, trade and food laws, Shobhan successfully led the alcobev industry as CIABC Director. He has also directed and led a team for framing the Model Excise Policy for the Ministry of Food. He was an active member of ISWAI. He was conferred the Industry Stalwart Award for the Alcobev Industry in May 2008.
Mukesh Khetrapal, Founder – Indus Corporation An alumnus of IIT Delhi & XLRI Jamshedpur, Mukesh has strong FMCG experience having worked for renowned corporate houses such as Tata Steel, Brooke Bond India Ltd, the UB Group and RPG Enterprises. His last assignment was as Senior Vice President of Shaw Wallace Ltd. He is the founder of Indus Corporation. This 18-year-old training company conducts a variety of soft skill training initiatives across India. Mukesh is India’s acknowledged sales trainer and has personally conducted 1000 plus programmes for leadership and sales training.
Pradeep Gidwani, Founder – Pint Room Serial entrepreneur and start-up specialist, Pradeep Gidwani was ranked by Business Today as one of India’s Hottest Young Executives in its first- ever listing of 25 of India Inc’s rising stars. Pradeep successfully steered Carlsberg’s India operations as its Managing Director and established its strong foundation in India. Thereafter,‘51 years young’ Pradeep moved out to chase his dream of creating “Starbucks of beer”. He realized the dream by launching a new chain of beer cafes under the brand name – The Pint Room.
Ravindra Kumar, GM – Corporate Food & Beverages, The Lalit, New Delhi
Ravindra Kumar has rich experience of four decades in F&B management and leadership management, gained from his association with leading 5-star hotels/ restaurants. Currently, as General Manager Food & Beverage (Corporate) with The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, Ravindra heads all the F&B operations and management throughout the group for 79 outlets. He also looks after the banqueting and operations in 11 hotels, resorts and palaces. Winner of various awards, Ravindra is respected as a leader in the hospitality industry. His approach to business is based on a foundation of participative management, coupled with excellent strategic, financial, technical, operational and service skills.
Michel Koopman – GM, The Leela Ambience Gurgaon
Thirty years of hotel management experience in upscale luxury hotels in Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East have made Michel Koopman a well- rounded leader with proven capability in delivering positive outcomes. This result-oriented executive commenced his career with Hilton in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, gradually growing in ranks and responsibilities in different hotels in different parts of the world. He has worked in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, China and the Middle East. Michel’s present role as the General Manager of The Leela Ambience Gurgaon Hotel & Residences has brought him to incredible India. The hotel under his leadership continues to be the largest GOP hotel in India in a very competitive market.
Amarjit Singh Ahuja, Director – Procurement, Hotel Le Meridien, Delhi
After completing commerce graduation and apprenticeship in Maurya Sheraton, Amarjit Singh Ahuja has been part of the hospitality industry for the last three and half decades having worked with Maurya Sheraton, Welcome Hotel Asia Jammu, Siddharth, Hyatt, and Le Meridien. He is one of the most respected figures in the hospitality sector.
Harsh Vardhan, Former MD, Vayudoot Harsh Vardhan heads Starair Consulting. He is a well-known aviation expert with outstanding academic and professional achievements. Following his appointment as Chief Executive of Vayudoot, a government-owned feeder airline, Harsh achieved the distinction of being the youngest chief executive of any public sector enterprise in India. He has comprehensive experience of setting up and running large airlines in the country. He was the first project consultant to Sahara Airlines and was also President of Jagson Airlines.
Dr Satish Misra, Sr. Research Fellow, Observer Research Foundation
Dr Satish Misra is a veteran journalist with expertise in editorial writing, political analysis, and backgrounders. Dr Satish has done PhD from Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany in International Affairs. He has worked with various English newspapers and magazines and has produced documentaries.
Raja Mukherji, Adviser – Thales
Starting his career with Blow Plast 27 years ago, Raja Mukherji got the opportunity to run the Pepsi distribution business in India as a young man of 25, Within three years, the market share of Pepsi jumped from 2% to 37%. Then Raja went on to setting up the distribution chain for Coca-Cola in major markets in India. And, at 29 he was one of the youngest GMs in Coca-Cola in India. Starting his alcobev industry career in 2001, he served Diageo, Shaw Wallace and Inbev India in positions of authority. From 2010 onward, he assisted companies like Bajaj Hindusthan and Hindustan Power Projects, taking care of Business Development & Government Affairs as a key member of the executive management committee. Currently, Raja advises Thales, a 20 mn euro French company, and is an honorary adviser to the Chamber of Commerce Industry France India (CCIFI).
Ankur Chawla, Director of Beverages, JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity
As Director of Beverages and Manager for Akira Back & JW Lounge at JW Marriott New Delhi Aerocity, Ankur Chawla is responsible for selecting and building extensive wine and spirits portfolio at the hotel and training staff through tasting sessions. Starting his career with Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Mumbai in June 2008, Ankur later on moved to Wasabi by Morimoto, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. In recognition of his experience and his “WSET Level 3” academic training, he was also given the additional responsibility as the Wine Director and Sommelier at Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi. Apart from his past association with the Taj Group of Hotels, Ankur was also associated with the launch of stand- alone restaurants such as Masala Library by Jiggs Karla and Made in Punjab. He is also a member of Marriott’s Asia Pacific Beverage Advisory Board.
Bishan Kumar, Group Editor, Spiritz Bishan Kumar has spent 34 years in top media companies including The Indian Express, BBC, IBN7, Deccan Herald, Sahara, Bhaskar Group, UNI, and India News. He has covered several Prime Ministers including Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and V.P. Singh and reported from volatile situations in Kashmir, Gujarat and Ayodhya. Bishan along with his wife Shalini Kumar launched Spiritz magazine seven and half years back and ably led it to become India’s largest selling and most admired magazine on wines and spirits.
