Bharat Hotels chief Jyotsna Suri new Ficci president

Bharat Hotels chairperson Jyotsna Suri was Saturday elected president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) at the industry chamber's 87th annual general meeting here.

Ambuja Neotia group chairman Harshavardhan Neotia was elected senior vice president and Zydus Cadila chairman Pankaj R. Patel as vice president. Suri, who was chairperson of the federation's tourism committee over the last five years, is the only Indian on the international executive committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council.

"Under Suri's leadership, the 'Great India Travel Bazaar' was introduced in 2008 and the 'Great Domestic Tourism Bazaar' in 2011," Ficci said in a statement. "A multifaceted personality, Suri is a patron of art, culture, sports and education. Her social project Disha, implemented by her hotel chain, provides quality education to local youth leading to their employment," the statement said.

Neotia, who graduated from Kolkata and completed the Owner President Management programme from Harvard Business School in the US, was conferred Padma Shri in 1999 for his outstanding initiative in social housing. "Neotia is a board member of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Kolkata) and a member of Society of Rajiv Gandhi IIM-Shillong in Meghalaya," the statement said. He is also the honorary consul of Israel in West Bengal.

A veteran in the Indian pharma sector, Patel is also chairman of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Kolkata and a board member of the IIM-Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad University.