Joe Cherian Nominated for HCP Human Resources Award 2026 – The People’s Choice for Hospitality Excellence
Joe Cherian, a senior hospitality HR leader with 18 years of experience, is nominated for the HCP Human Resources Award 2026.
Munni Khatun 
As the hospitality industry increasingly recognises leaders who build resilient organisations through people, governance, and scalable HR systems, nominations for the HCP Human Resources Award 2026 – The People’s Choice for Hospitality Excellence continue to spotlight senior HR professionals with sustained industry impact. Among this year’s nominees is Joe Cherian, a seasoned hospitality HR leader with 18 years of experience, including 14 years of specialised expertise in the hospitality sector.
Joe Cherian is widely regarded for his ability to scale HR operations across complex, multi-location hospitality businesses, managing workforces ranging from 150 to over 3,000 employees. His career reflects deep expertise in strategic human capital management, employee relations, industrial relations, statutory compliance, shared services, and HR process transformation.
Most recently, Joe served as Head – Human Resources at Machan Resorts LLP, a luxury boutique resort group with properties across Maharashtra and Rajasthan. During his tenure, he built the HR function from the ground up, leading HR strategy, policy development, compliance frameworks, talent acquisition, succession planning, and leadership development. He successfully implemented Zoho HRMS, automating payroll, HR workflows, and employee self-service while delivering real-time HR analytics to senior leadership.
Joe’s leadership at Machan Resorts extended to employee engagement, diversity and inclusion initiatives, rewards and recognition programmes, and structured grievance handling, significantly strengthening workplace culture and retention outcomes. He also partnered closely with business leaders to align manpower planning and workforce strategy with expansion objectives.
Previously, Joe held senior HR leadership roles as General Manager – HR at Holy Smoke Restaurants Pvt Ltd, overseeing HR operations across multiple restaurant brands including Pirates of Grill and associated pub formats. In this role, he managed industrial relations, statutory compliance, payroll governance, HRIS implementation, and employee benefits administration, including sensitive statutory benefit disbursements for employees’ families.
His experience as General Manager – HR at Eka Hospitality Pvt Ltd further strengthened his exposure to QSR, fine dining, industrial catering, and pub operations. Joe introduced structured grievance management systems, transparent service charge distribution models, apprenticeship programmes under MSDE, and technology-driven HR process improvements.
Joe’s earlier career includes senior HR roles with Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd as Regional Manager – HR for South India, where he managed large-scale HR operations, labour compliance, SOP design, payroll governance, and HRIS implementation. He has also served as Principal Consultant at Joint Constrade LLP, advising organisations on HR audits, BOT HR setups, policy design, and multi-state statutory compliance.
His professional journey spans hospitality, manufacturing, retail, construction, and power sectors, including early roles with Royal Hygiene Care Pvt Ltd and Dabhol Power (ENRON). This diverse exposure has equipped him with strong expertise in union management, factory compliance, government liaison, and cross-industry HR governance.
Academically, Joe Cherian holds an MBA in HR & Marketing, a Bachelor of Commerce degree, and a Diploma in Hardware & Networking. His HR technology proficiency includes Shawman Payroll, ZingHR, HR-One, Zoho HR, Saral PayPack, GreytHR, and advanced HR analytics using MS Office tools.
The HCP Human Resources Award 2026 – The People’s Choice for Hospitality Excellence recognises HR leaders who deliver long-term organisational value through people, systems, and compliance excellence. Joe Cherian’s nomination reflects his sustained contribution to building scalable HR frameworks, strengthening industrial harmony, and advancing people-first leadership within the hospitality industry.
