The Access Group has appointed Shashikant Shimpi as Managing Director, India, for its Hospitality Division. The appointment is part of the company’s broader APAC expansion strategy and reflects its focus on strengthening operations in India across hospitality technology and AI driven capability development.
Shimpi joined the company in May 2026 and will oversee The Access Group’s India operations for the Hospitality Division, including growth initiatives for STAAH, the company’s hospitality technology platform focused on hotel distribution and revenue management solutions.
He brings over 25 years of experience across digital transformation, business operations and organisational scaling. Prior to joining The Access Group, Shimpi served as Global COO at RunDTC and has previously held leadership positions at Dentsu, Isobar and Tata group companies.
According to the company, Shimpi has experience establishing and scaling Global Capability Centres across multiple geographies, with each centre growing to over 1,000 professionals. His expertise includes strategic planning, P&L management, client growth and scaling businesses through both organic and inorganic expansion.
The Access Group said India remains a key market for its hospitality business due to the country’s expanding travel and tourism sector and increasing demand among hotels for integrated technology platforms focused on distribution, revenue optimisation and guest experience management.
STAAH, an Access company, has operated in the Indian hospitality technology market for several years, and the company plans to expand its presence further by offering Indian hotel businesses access to a wider portfolio of hospitality management solutions backed by its global infrastructure and resources.
The company also highlighted India’s growing technology and artificial intelligence talent ecosystem as a strategic advantage for its long term product and technology development plans. As part of his role, Shimpi will also focus on building technology and AI related capabilities within the company’s Hospitality Division operations in India.
Louise Daley, Head of Hospitality APAC, The Access Group, said, “India is an exciting near term growth market for us in the accommodation software space. Through STAAH, an Access company, we already have a substantial footprint with hoteliers across the country, and as we prepare to bring Access Evo to India, our AI-powered platform that empowers hospitality businesses to focus on what truly matters, from answering the biggest strategic questions to completing everyday tasks, having world-class leadership on the ground is critical. Shashi is exactly the right person to lead The Access Group in India. ”
Commenting on his appointment, Shashikant Shimpi, Managing Director, India, The Access Group, said, “Joining The Access Group at this point in its India journey is a tremendous opportunity. We have a strong foundation through STAAH, an Access company, and the broader Access platform opens up possibilities that support even greater options for our customers to grow their businesses and support their employees to do more.”
He further added, “My priority will be to build a team that is deeply connected to The Access Group’s mission, bring in the best talent India has to offer, and ensure our customers across the region have a technology partner they can genuinely rely on.”
