Patu Keswani

Patu Keswani (born February 9, 1959 in Lucknow) is the chairman and managing director of Lemon Tree Hotels.
Patu Keswani completed his education at St. Columba’s School, New Delhi. He received his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and subsequently his Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
Keswani joined the TATA Administrative Service (TAS) in 1983 and worked with the TATA Group for over 15 years. His last assignment was as senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Taj Group of Hotels. In mid 2000, he joined management consulting firm, A.T. Kearney Inc. as director in their New Delhi office. Two years later, in 2002, Keswani promoted Lemon Tree Hotels.
Keswani is the chairman and managing director/CEO of Lemon Tree Hotels, which owns and operates 29 hotels with over 3200 rooms across 18 cities pan India, with over 3600 direct employees and a net worth of over USD 400 Mn. Another 8 hotels, aggregating over 1700 rooms are under development. Investors in Lemon Tree Hotels include APG and Warburg Pincus.
Keswani is particularly interested in offering opportunities to physically disabled Indians and has ensured that around 13% of group employees (~470 people) are from this disadvantaged segment of the population. Consequently, Lemon Tree Hotels has been presented the National Award by the President of India for "Best Employer of Persons with Disabilities" in 2011 and a second National Award in 2012 for being a ‘Role Model in providing a Barrier Free Environment to Persons with Disabilities’. A supporter of the NGO People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, Lemon Tree Hotels is also the largest corporate adopter of stray dogs in India.
A "thought" leader in the Indian Hotel Industry, Keswani is the chairman of the Sector Skill Council for Persons with Disability and is also a member of the Sector Skill Council for the Hospitality, Travel and Tourism Industry.
Keswani is on the board of directors of Education Consultants India Limited (EdCIL) and on the Council for Industry and Higher Education Collaboration (CIHEC), both of which are initiatives of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. Keswani was previously also a member of the board of governors of IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) Delhi.
Keswani has been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award by his two Alma Maters - IIT Delhi in 2011 and IIM Calcutta in 2012. Keswani was inducted into the FHRAI (The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India) Hall of Fame in 2010 and into the ‘Hotelier India’ Hall of Fame in 2012.
Keswani's father was an Indian Railway Service officer and his mother a doctor in the Indian Army. He lives in New Delhi.
Patu was previously married to Sharanita. They have two children, a son Aditya and daughter Nayana.