How Ex Sotheby’s MD Gaurav Bhatia navigated the Luxury industry

Journeys in Luxury

Some individuals are born with great leadership skills and extraordinary vision, while others strive to create their own legacy. Gaurav Bhatia’s story has been a combination of both. Those who know him may argue that Bhatia was a gifted leader, certainly in the luxury and lifestyle business, but one cannot undermine his determination and zeal to challenge himself from time to time.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, Gaurav Bhatia completed his higher education from Middlebury College in the United States. He began his career in Advertising with Young and Rubicam, one of the foremost agencies in the New York City. To his credit, Bhatia went on to handle the responsibility of managing the brand development of blue chip clients from the industry including Sony, AT&T, Kraft among others.

However, Gaurav always had a weak spot for his motherland. He left  his career on Madison Avenue and tread on a different path, as he joined the luxury conglomerate LVMH, as a Marketing Director of Moët Hennessy India. Bhatia became part of the first generation of luxury marketers in India and began looking after the company’s incredible portfolio before introducing Chandon, a premium sparkling wine made in India.

Although Bhatia achieved a lot of success as a luxury marketer, his real passion was always Art. Little did he know one day, he would get a call from Sotheby’s India to head their Indian operation. In 2017, Gaurav Bhatia became Managing Director of Sotheby’s India. Leading the world’s oldest auction house, Gaurav brought an international outlook to the currently thriving art scene in the country. He helmed Sotheby’s debut auction “Boundless: India” in Mumbai which included some of the most sophisticated works of art, photography and sculpture of artists from South Asia and West.

After a fruitful career in the corporate world Gaurav Bhatia decided to shift gears once he turned 43 and launched his own luxury and lifestyle advisory cell called, MAISON INDIA. MAISON INDIA aims to equip clients in luxury and lifestyle with innovative marketing solutions, business development ideas, branding and rebranding solutions, communication and content creation along with PR and digital strategy.

“MAISON is in the business of ideas. Consumers are smart and hyper-connected. Engaging meaningfully and creatively is important. We like to think strategic. Brands today need to be disruptive, immersive and tell stories. We intend to make the brands alive and suggest continuous solutions to create visibility and open new markets,” says Ex Sotheby’s MD Gaurav Bhatia, now a firm entrepreneur of ideas.

After an impressive start in advertising, a meaningful tryst in luxury and a career in the art business, Gaurav Bhatia’s journey is only expected to get better with MAISON – one he believes with his long term vision will only encourage creativity and business excellence.

Corporate journeys are always exciting and the path created by Mr. Bhatia will be a benchmark for others in the industry to follow.