The Leela sisters are not just the boss's daughters

They grew up in the compounds and chased each other in the suites when they were empty.

But the hotels and resorts of The Leela Group are not just home now for Amruda ( 28) and Aishwarya Nair ( 26), who are not content with being known only as the boss's daughters. They want to take the business ahead and some day step into their father's shoes to drive the group. Granddaughters of Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair, the founder of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, the two joined the management team three years ago. Amruda heads corporate asset management, while Aishwarya heads corporate food and beverage.

" I got my love for numbers from my father, Vivek Nair, the vice- chairman and managing director of Leela, whereas the love for literature comes from my mother Lakshmi," said Amruda, who also is the editor- in- chief of The Leela Magazine , the group's quarterly inhouse luxury lifestyle publication. She is directly involved with the operational and capital budgeting process and also helps her father in the development of new projects. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Jai Hind College, Mumbai, before honing her skills through a Bachelor's degree in International Hospitality Management at CHN University, Netherlands.

Later, she did a Master of Management in Hospitality at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, New York. " I also hold a post- graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism, United Kingdom," said Amruda. Aishwarya, however, gives a lot of credit for her interest in culinary art to her grandmother Leela Nair. " My grandmother is a fantastic cook," she said.

Aishwarya got her Bachelor's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at New York's Culinary Institute of America, before specialising in Culinary Arts Management at the same institution. " After graduation in 2008, I worked at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. I am now involved with menu building, wine acquisition and much more.

I spearheaded the creation of the menu for Meta Wellness, which is partnering with The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts to launch India's first intensive programme for heart disease prevention and reversal," she said. Aishwarya also hosts exclusive food and wine tastings and also reviews and provides recommendations for menu engineering and cuisine development. Currently, she is working with two international fine- dining brands, Megu and Le Cirque, both of which will open at The Leela Palace New Delhi soon.

" I have also come up with my own desert brand Dolce, which retails in Mumbai," she chirps. The two sisters are very different from each other. While Amruda likes adventure sports, Aishwarya is inclined towards photography, creative arts, theatre, styling and fashion. Both sisters also support cultural programmes organised by Sahachari, a charity organisation co- founded by their mother.