Catering Collective, a leading catering and events company in India, has appointed Shikha Kulkarni as Director of National Sales & Corporate Events, reinforcing its leadership team as the hospitality group accelerates growth in the corporate events and institutional catering segments.
With more than 18 years of experience in sales, business development and strategic leadership across hospitality, events and corporate services, Kulkarni brings deep expertise in nurturing client relationships, driving revenue growth and leading cross-functional teams. Prior to her new role at Catering Collective, she held senior sales and events leadership positions with major hospitality groups and event-centric organisations where she was responsible for expanding market reach and designing compelling event propositions.
Kulkarni will be responsible for developing a national sales strategy for Catering Collective within her role while creating new business opportunities for the regions, executing large-scale corporate events and ensuring, along with the culinary, operations and logistics departments of the company, that client satisfaction is maintained through established standards of services in key institutional partnerships.
Kulkarni’s appointment comes during a time when large-scale corporate gatherings and events are experiencing a resurgence since the pandemic. Industry data shows an upsurge in corporate gatherings and travel with organizations looking to create engaging experiential meetings, incentives, conferences and events with brand impact and high service quality.
Shikha Kulkarni said she is excited to join a company known for its “commitment to quality, creativity and client-centric delivery,” adding that she looks forward to working with Catering Collective’s teams to scale solutions for clients across industries and create memorable event experiences.
A senior executive at Catering Collective noted that Kulkarni’s “strategic vision and strong background in corporate sales and events” will be instrumental in expanding the company’s footprint in major Indian markets and enhancing its competitive edge in both domestic and international client segments.
Kulkarni’s recent hiring brings to light a renewed focus on strategic account management and corporate events in the hospitality ecosystem as well as the fact that food-based experiences, engagement with brands and large events will continue to generate revenues. As companies continue to invest heavily in their branding for corporate events, employee engagement and experiential client-driven activations, the need for leaders who have both expertise in sales as well as insight into operations will be critical to boosting growth.
