In 2000, he took charge of ITC Maurya, New Delhi, as Vice President and General Manager. He later moved to the Divisional Head Office to head a cross-functional team as Vice President-Operational Support & Quality. Till recently, Executive Vice President, ITC Hotels, he oversaw quality benchmarking, project completion and pre-opening operations with a defined allegiance to quality, he also supervised the Divisions Product Committee. A member of the Divisional Management Committee at ITC Hotels, Gautam defined concepts for new hotel projects (Greenfield & Brownfield) and has successfully launched ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru, ITC Grand Chola, Chennai, WelcomHotel Jodhpur, and more recently ITC Grand Bharat, Gurgaon, New Delhi Capital Region.

Overseeing Editor of the F&B magazine WelcomZest (www.welcomzestlounge.in) and established new food & beverage brands like Ottimo, Royal Vega, The India Room, Delhi Pavilion, Fabelle Chocolate boutiques, Yi Jing, Sholla, Begum’s, the Great Market Pavilion etc.

Author of his own blog, Hindavi, Kitchens of India History (www.kitchensofindianhistory.com), Gautam’s interest in being a hobby historian has also enabled him to be the founding Vice President of the Cuisine Society of India as well as advisor to the Experience India Society.

A guiding light in the public-private partnership sector, he has enabled Indian Cuisine and experiences at Los Angeles, New York, Frankfurt, Berlin, and St Petersburg as well as at the World Economic Forum at Davos. He also spearheaded a multi-chain initiative at ‘Make in India’ forums at Hanover, Germany and Mumbai.

He is co-owner of ‘The Amrita Sher Gill Holme and Visitation Centre’, Western Himalayas.

He is also Founding Trustee of the Cuisine India Foundation(www.cuisineindiafoundation.com), an initiative that makes forays into quality Indian cuisine research and its dissemination on a global platform. The current focus is on Himalayan Cuisine. Basis the belief Mata Bhumih Putroham Prithivyah: ‘Earth is my mother; I am her son.’ It represents for the world a Renaissance of The Third Plate. What is good for the earth is good for Humanity.

The foundation has instituted the Dileep Padgaonkar Citation for Cultural Understanding of India’s Cuisine, a perpetual award that honors professionals who have made inestimable contributions to a deeper and wider appreciation of the culinary arts within the country and around the world.
He continues, to be Director of Food Food Awards, on the Jury of LFEGA, on the advisory board of – Gourmet Passport -Dine out, SAAG (South Asian Association Of Gastronomy), and ProMiller – Business Advisors LLP.

With a fondness of language, he scripts Hindustani poetry under the penname Sharrar.
He was nominated by ‘Asia Food Congress & Awards’ for “Most influential Food Industry Professional” and “Hospitality Super Star” in 2020.

In recognition of his considerable and valuable contribution to the Hospitality industry, he has been elected as a ‘Fellow of IIHM’ and is on the Advisory Board for the IIHM Young Chef Olympiad Competition. IIHM is one of the founding members of the (IHC) International Hospitality Council, London, which was established with the aim of advancement of education and the advancement of arts, heritage, culture, and science.

He is a recipient of the International Hospitality Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to the field of hospitality.