Arindam Chakraborty takes charge as Chief Operating Officer, bringing with him more than 25 years of leadership across hospitality and food services. Having held senior roles at K Hospitality, Brookfield Properties, The Club Mumbai, Radisson Blu, Eros Hotels, The Park, The Claridges, Shangri-La, Oberoi, and Taj, he has overseen operations ranging from luxury hospitality to large-scale institutional food services. Known for combining operational discipline with an entrepreneurial growth mindset, Arindam will lead Elior India’s operating framework, with a focus on efficiency, compliance, and service delivery.

Supporting this, Indrajit Chandra has been appointed Regional Head – Operations, Hyderabad. With Hyderabad emerging as a nucleus for Global Capability Centers (GCCs), Indrajit’s role is pivotal to expanding Elior’s presence in this market. He brings experience across Metro Cash & Carry, BigBasket, and Stanza Living, along with earlier stints at Pizza Hut, Marriott, and Radisson, where he managed operations, P&L, and large-scale expansions. Together, Arindam and Indrajit will reinforce Elior India’s operational capabilities.

On the culinary front, Chef Vijay David has joined as Executive and Innovation Chef. A European-trained chef with more than two decades of experience at ITC Hotels, Taj, IHG, and Accor, along with fine-dining expertise at Fava and Caperberry, he is known for blending classical technique with modern gastronomy. He has led hotel pre-openings, built large culinary brigades, and piloted innovative consumer-facing pop-ups to refine menus. At Elior India, he leads the Gourmet Innovation Centre, driving food innovation, menu engineering, and client pilots. With its chef-led approach, Elior brings culinary expertise to the centre of its operations. Under his leadership, the Gourmet Innovation Centre will advance Elior India’s chef-led approach, keeping food innovation at the core of institutional dining.

To shape how Elior India is seen, heard, and experienced, Romita Chatterjee takes on the role of Head of Marketing & Communications, bringing nearly two decades of cross-sector experience spanning Hyundai, Honda, Bacardi, ITC’s International Travel House, The Beer Café, Bharti Realty, and Brookfield Properties. She has led award-winning campaigns, repositioned brands, and driven transformation through integrated communications. At Elior India, she will focus on brand alignment, blending global expertise with local relevance, strengthening the employer brand, and building transparency through internal and external communications. Her role is about shaping how Elior India’s brand connects, not only in what is seen or heard, but in how it is experienced by clients, partners, and employees.

Commenting on the appointments, Rohit Sawhney, Managing Director & CEO, Elior India, said: “At Elior India, our ambition is clear, to be the benchmark for institutional dining in India. To power this vision, we have strengthened our leadership team with diverse expertise, from culinary innovation and operational excellence to regional insight and brand stewardship. Together, they will anchor Elior India’s next chapter: agile, trusted, and future-ready.”

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At its core, this transaction is more than growth. It represents a shift in how institutional dining is delivered in India. Platos, co-founded in 2019, has its technology live across PAN India, while its catering aggregation business is already active across seven cities.

What began as a cafeteria-tech solution has evolved into a digital and aggregation platform that partners with food brands and institutional caterers, giving corporates greater choice and flexibility in workplace dining. Combined with Elior’s scale, culinary excellence, and uncompromising standards of food safety, the alliance creates a differentiated proposition for corporates seeking reliability, efficiency, and innovation in workplace dining.

Rohit Sawhney, CEO, Elior India, said, “Institutional dining in India is at a turning point. Clients no longer evaluate partners on food alone; they want transparency, accountability, and technology that makes workplace dining seamless. With Platos joining the Elior family, we are shaping more transparent, trusted, and engaging dining ecosystems for workforces across the country. And with Elior’s global expertise and scale, we are uniquely placed to deliver these outcomes with consistency and trust.”

Raj Jain, Co-founder, Platos, added, “We started Platos to simplify workplace dining, from meal ordering to subsidy management. Over time, we’ve grown into a digital and aggregation platform trusted by leading corporates, bringing greater flexibility and choice. Partnering with Elior is an exciting step; it gives us the scale to grow faster and the opportunity to reimagine workplace dining. With Elior’s culinary strength and our technology, we can redefine cafeteria experiences for the future of work.”

By 2026, Elior and Platos together are projected to serve over 1,50,000 meals daily across 150+ establishments in India, significantly expanding Elior’s digital-first dining footprint.

 For corporates, the integration means a single partner managing everything from food preparation and vendor compliance to digital operations and employee engagement. For employees, it means the simplicity of a trusted app experience enriched with greater choice, quality, and consistency. For the industry, it signals a shift towards dining models that are integrated, scalable, and sustainable.

Elior brings to the table its global standards, operational expertise, and scale, while Platos contributes proven digital innovation and client-trusted platforms. Together, they will accelerate industry transformation, driving efficiency for corporates and elevating workplace dining into an experience that balances taste, technology, and trust.

Looking ahead, Elior and Platos will work on a joint roadmap focused on enhancing pre-ordering systems, cafeteria analytics, and sustainability-led initiatives to reduce food waste and improve efficiency. With this alliance, both companies are committed to setting new standards in institutional dining and delivering long-term value for clients and their employees.

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The third facility in Bengaluru, built across 35,000 square feet and spans three levels. GK3 can prepare more than 22,000 meals a day for corporate offices, tech parks, and educational institutions. The expansion fits perfectly into the growing prominence of GCCs in India. Statistics from the Inductus report on India’s GCC market indicate that over 1,800 GCCs employ 1.9 million professionals. The sector is projected to grow from $64.6 billion in 2024 to $110 billion by 2030, with Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Gurugram, and GIFT City being the frontrunners.

The concept of institutional food services in India is changing, and workplaces are evolving as today, it is all about large-scale deliveries, sustainable practices and good-quality food – the ultimate goal – employee well-being. The kitchen has been sustainably designed keeping several factors in mind – safety, hygiene and the minimum environmental impact while focusing on delivering high-quality food experiences.

“GK3 is more than just a kitchen, it’s a reflection of what we stand for,” said Rohit Sawhney, CEO, Elior India. “We believe that food at work should be nourishing, joyful, and thoughtfully made. With GK3, we have brought together our chefs, our values, and a future-ready space that puts health, trust, and sustainability at the centre. This isn’t just about serving meals, it’s about doing it right, every single day.”

With a strong focus on being environmentally conscious, the GK3 kitchen adopts an ESG-first approach. Every department is working towards a focused goal – right from an integrated water treatment and rainwater harvesting systems to energy-efficient heat pumps providing running hot water – sustainability is at the core. Zoning ensures complete separation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian operations, including dish wash areas. Indoor air quality is ensured with advanced ventilation systems and air scrubbers for better working conditions.

A 500 KVA transformer with diesel backup ensures uninterrupted service. Fire suppression systems, a full-building sprinkler network, and a public address system for real-time communication have been built in. Raw and cooked food move through separate service lifts to maintain hygiene integrity at scale.

At its core, GK3 reflects Elior’s belief that food, especially at scale, can be both nourishing and responsible. The kitchen houses a Gourmet Innovation Centre, where chefs develop new recipes and test ingredients, and an Experience Centre, where clients can see how food is prepared, meet the team, and sample dishes first-hand.

Bengaluru and Hyderabad remain Elior India’s key markets followed by Pune, Mumbai and Gurugram. The launch event for GK3 was aptly titled GourmetVerse. The event offered clients, culinary professionals, and partners a closer look at the facility through guided walk-throughs and live food counters. It served as a window into Elior’s shifting approach to institutional dining, one that reflects the changing expectations of the modern workforce: food that is cleaner, more mindful, and rooted in flavour.

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