Entrepreneur India – July 2019

J

ahan
Tahiliani, son
of celebrated
designer Tarun
Tahiliani, has
overcome several
dilemmas to reach
where he is. He is
heading the realty
arm of his father’s
business because
as he puts it,
“Retail and fashion
don’t resonate
with me.”
Sharing his
earliest memories,
Tahiliani says, “I

remember going

to the studio

with dad when

I was five or six

years old. He was

sketching designs

and used to even

stitch himself.”

After high

school, he along

with his friends

worked on a

microfinance

project during

which they took

Rs 5 lakh and

dispersed it

to around 100

women. Sports

and social work

are close to his

heart but life took

a different turn. He

started working

with CB Richard

Ellis, an American

commercial real

estate services

and investment

firm. And there

has been no

looking back ever

since.

Having an

overachieving

parent can

sometimes put

an extra baggage

of expectations.

However, Tahiliani

is mindful of

not losing his

individuality by

moving forward

with the spirit

of constantly

learning.

JAHAN TAHILIANI, CEO, Tahiliani Homes

THE HOME CURATOR

A

mbuja Neotia is one

of the prominent

corporate houses

with headquarters in Kolkata

and verticals including

real estate, hospitality,

healthcare and education

built under Harshvardhan

Neotia. His son, Parthiv

Neotia, 22, is ready to

take the business forward

with the launch of Uno

Chicago Bar and Grill in

India. The Babson College

graduate, who has always

been interested in the

Indian start-up ecosystem,

is determined to bring

interesting consumer

brands to India along

with steering his own tea

brand. Neotia says he and

his father have different

interests to some extent.

“My father is passionate

about real estate but I am

interested in the hospitality

industry,” Neotia Jr says.

He is inclined to take

Tea Junction, the QSR

brand that started in 2004,

forward. “It aims to provide

a relaxing ambience while

savouring the flavour of a

cup of tea, Kolkata-style,” he

says. Currently, the brand is

present only in Kolkata and

East India but Neotia Jr has

plans to expand it further.

The Ambuja Neotia Group

has brought the famous

American food franchise

UNO to India. According

to Neotia Jr, American

casual dining business is

taking shape in India to

some extent with eating

joints like The Hard Rock

Café, Chilis and TGI Friday

coming into the market. “If

we can position the brand in

the market well and create

a certain ambience, we

can scale much faster,” he

says. He stresses on a lot of

unexplored opportunities

that await India.

PARTHIV NEOTIA, Director, Ambuja Neotia

THE HOSPITALITY SEEKER

AT EASE

• Favourite Book:
  ‘Born a Crime’ by
  Trevor Noah


• Passions: Sports,
  Travelling and
  Social Work

“If we can

position the

brand in the

market well and

create a certain

ambience, we

can scale much

faster”