Pushpa Nair, director of procurement, Crowne Plaza Dubai
ABOUT PUSHPA
With over two decades of experience in Procurement and Hospitality, Pushpa Nair first joined the hospitality industry in 1993 as part of the pre-opening team of the Crowne Plaza Dubai. Starting off as a personal assistant to the general manager, Nair quickly saw her responsibilities delve into FF&E selection, supplier short listing, many of which fell under the umbrella of Procurement, a field she felt at home in. This affinity for the field was noticed by both the owners and the GM and a transfer request to the procurement department was granted. Nair a started off in the department as an assistant purchasing manager, and after working with several finance directors, she quickly became a known name within the Intercontinental Hotels Group, and was promoted to purchasing manager before taking o her current role of director of procurement.
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WHY WAS SHE NOMINATED?
Pushpa’s passion for procurement runs deep and she is constantly scanning the market for ways to improve and make the supply-chain more efficient. Short of two staff, she managed to deliver the same high level of performance by cross training 12 colleagues from different departments. Signing a number of short term and long term contracts, Nair also saved the hotel over AED800,000, while other initiatives have saved over AED 2,000,000. During a recent re-branding, Nair’s insistence on challenging initial offers saved the hotel more than AED 224,000, a 30% reduction on the initial offer.
WHAT DID HER TEAM SAY?
“Pushpa is made for Procurement. Immensely passionate and skilled at it, she is always inspiring and encouraging her team and colleagues all across the region, to work together. Pushpa’s expertise in the field is unmatched, and she is constantly challenging status quo to find ways to increase the efficiency of the supply-chain, to finding ways to be socially responsible and maximize profits. Pushpa’s commitment through and through to her decisions will tell of her immense level of confidence in what she believes the best choice is. She is not one to settle for the lowest price, but factors in total acquisition costs, extrapolated (projected) costs, contingency planning, and always takes a decision only after she is confident to back it up. She is an asset to our team.” Georges Farhat, hotel manager
WHAT DID HER SUPPLIERS SAY?
“We have been in close association with Pushpa over the last 18 months and we are glad and extremely proud to have shared our corporate experience with her as a supplier of bathroom amenities. She is extremely professional from her effective communication to excellent negotiation skills without compromising on quality standards and necessary follow ups required. She is an asset to Crowne Plaza and has also helped us with insight into our practice, especially with how to make us unique.” Vinayak Mahtani, CEO, Unique Precise International LLC
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