Girish Jhunjhnuwala
| Girish Jhunjhnuwala | |
|---|---|
 Girish Jhunjhnuwala, Chairman & CEO of Ovolo Hotels | |
| Born | Hong Kong |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation | Chairman & CEO Ovolo Hotels |
| Spouse(s) | Sarika Jhunjhnuwala |
| Children | 3 |
| Website |
www |
Girish Jhunjhnuwala (born 1963) is the founder of Ovolo Group, an independent hotel brand headquartered in Hong Kong. Ovolo Group owns and operates a collection of nine hotels (five in Hong Kong and four in Australia). He is also the Winner of the 2016 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Hong Kong / Macau Region.
Biography
Jhunjhnuwala was born in Hong Kong in 1963. In 1984, he graduated from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.[1]
Jhunjhnuwala began his career managing his family’s OEM watch business under the Hind Group in Hong Kong.[2] In 2002, he sold the business and ventured into property development after acquiring an office complex in Hong Kong’s Central business district.[3] Girish decided to develop this building into the first Ovolo serviced apartment.[4] After proving the concept, Jhunjhnuwala acquired more properties and continued expanding the Ovolo Hotels brand.[5]
In 2011, Ovolo transitioned its business away from serviced apartments into hotels. In fall 2012, Ovolo opened its first overseas hotel in Melbourne, Australia and has since acquired a further three properties in the country.[6] The Group now plans to expand further in Australia in the coming years.[7]
Philanthropy and community service not only ground Girish but are the foundations of the Ovolo Group. Throughout the company’s history, Ovolo made numerous strides to volunteer across a range of community activities to help the disadvantaged and sponsor events that are for the better of society. Girish himself has been recognized as a community leader for his efforts with acclamation's from such organisations as the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong Management Association and much more.
Girish was most recently awarded the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Hong Kong / Macau region (2016), and has received several other awards and accolades for the Ovolo Group’s great accomplishments, including Owner-Operator Award at the 2012 DHL/SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards and Hotelier of the Year as well as Hotel Brand of the Year from the 2016 Hotel Management Awards Australia.
References
- ↑ "Hind Group". Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ↑ Businessweek: Girish Jhunjhnuwala: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek, accessdate: May 12, 2015
- ↑ South China Morning Post: Daredevil follows his dreams | South China Morning Post
- ↑ Past Issues > February 2013 > People : Power: Gafencu Men - Past Issues > February 2013 > People : Power
- ↑ NYTimes.com: Success of Serviced Apartments Continues to Increase - NYTimes.com
- ↑ Hotel Management: Ovolo’s rapid Australian expansion - Hotel Management
- ↑ Hotel Management: Exclusive: Ovolo’s 2000-room Aussie goal - Hotel Management