Optimising Her Lifestyle Choice
For Suman Gahlawat, General Manager at Le Meridien Gurgaon, Delhi- NCR, hospitality is much more than a career choice. She describes hospitality as a lifestyle choice for her, and to her in the hospitality industry no two days are similar, which is a contributing factor behind her long and fruitful career in the hospitality industry.
When it comes to taking a stand in a man’s world, especially in the alcoholic beverages industry, the two most crucial factors seem to be grit and determination. And these are the qualities that abound in Suman Gahlawat. She admits this herself when she says, “In my opinion, individualist values aren’t gender-specific and for me the values which have been my strength and stay are most certainly my grit and determination which propelled my career despite not having a professional hospitality degree.”
Love and Resilience
Hailing from an armed forces background, experiencing new places, cultures, meeting new people has been in the DNA of Suman, coupled with the strongly held principles of discipline, perseverance and resilience, which have held her in very good stead, both personally, and professionally, in dealing with the best of highs or the curve balls that have so far come her way.
“Learning the ropes of this industry, which I have absolutely come to love, can be credited to a fantastic set of mentors all through and my desire to excel and learning something new every day,” she states.
Filling the Gender Gap
When Suman joined the hospitality sector, it still wasn’t a preferred career of choice in India, especially for women. But it helped that her family was very supportive.
“On the personal front, there was no roadblock but professionally I had to ensure that my work spoke volumes for itself. Also, my constant quest for learning and evolving through this dynamic industry steered me through twists and turns as and when faced. “I have never looked at this as a job or career – it has always been a lifestyle choice for me in which no two days are similar and it is to this that I attribute my longevity in hospitality,” elaborates the gritty lady.
