Mr. Praneeth Yerroju is a seasoned culinary professional with a rich background in Hospitality and Culinary Arts. Currently serving as the Joint Director at Pinnacle Institute of Hotel Management, Praneeth brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Mr.Praneeth is actively engaged in the culinary world as a full-time Chef De Partie at VARU by Atmosphere in the Maldives, where he has dedicated nine months to crafting delightful culinary experiences. Mr. Praneeth contributed his culinary talents as a Chef at Trident Hotels, amassing a year of valuable experience in the industry. He completed his Bachelor of Arts Honours in Culinary Arts/ Chef from The University of Huddersfield and earned his Masters in Culinary Management from Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland. His dynamic role as an educator and a hands-on chef has shaped him into a well-rounded professional in the hospitality industry.

Pinnacle Institute of Hotel Management

You have played a significant role in building the Pinnacle Institutions as a Joint Director. What was your main emphasis on, to make the institutions stand out and excel compared to all the other existing institutions in the state?

Mostly we want to focus on skill and entrepreneurship. Most people want to do a job after they graduate. However, I wanted to focus and take it a step further into understanding how skills employment and entrepreneurship work together. Just Classroom or blackboard learning has become very old, it's no longer about just learning subjects. It’s about being sustainable with your skills. All my students here, after they graduate, go out with an entrepreneurial mindset, they have their career ladder, and they have everything planned out. And they have 100% support from college even after graduating. Comparing ourselves to other institutions, we don’t provide just jobs. We give them the tools that they require to navigate in their life. Unlike just making them job seekers, but building them core skills to build their careers is what we do.

Before leading the institution as a Joint Director, You have worked in the industry for a couple of years at renowned organizations in India and abroad. What motivated you to leap into the path of academia later on?

To be honest, I was not planning to join the leadership team here at the institution, at least for a few years. I began working in the Maldives, but the unexpected arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic led to my parents urging me to return. At that time, I dropped everything and thought this was the right time to take over the responsibilities.

How would you balance the needs of different stakeholders, including faculty, students, alumni, donors, and the community, to ensure the institution’s success and positive impact?

I distinguish between internal and external stakeholders within my college community. The external stakeholders, primarily our students naturally have a temporary time with us. On the other hand, our internal stakeholders include staff members and vendors, individuals actively contributing to the organization’s daily operations. When strategizing for the college’s promotion or implementing initiatives for the organization’s benefit, my approach is to prioritize the satisfaction of our internal stakeholders. By ensuring the well-being and contentment of our internal team, which comprises staff and vendors, we lay the foundation for overall success. This internal focus is crucial, as content and motivated internal stakeholders subsequently contribute to the satisfaction of our external stakeholders – the students and their parents. This approach forms a systematic and effective process, where the happiness of our internal team positively influences the satisfaction of our students and their families.

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What do you quote as the USP or the differentiating factors that make Pinnacle Institutions stand out from other colleges in the state?

Our driving force stems from a distinctive goal: we don’t merely produce graduates; we create hospitality professionals. In the current landscape, many individuals adopt a job seeker mindset, aiming to transition between positions. However, our approach stands apart. When our students secure employment, they don’t enter as mere employees; they assume managerial roles from the outset, swiftly ascending to higher echelons within the organization. This sets our college apart from others, as our graduates don’t merely seek jobs; they become the individuals who offer employment opportunities to others.

Can you explain your strategies for building industry-academic relationships to leverage them for Internship and placement opportunities?

Within the college, our primary emphasis lies in building professional skills. As graduates enter the workforce, they are not solitary contributors; they collaborate with a team. Consequently, our curriculum places a significant focus on equipping students with essential managerial capabilities. This includes self-management, effective communication, and strong interpersonal skills. To impart these skills, we’ve instituted MEDHA; a platform designed for collaborative idea generation and skill implementation. Recognizing a gap in our current educational system, which typically neglects management skills until the 10th grade, we take it upon ourselves to fill this void. We are committed to shaping well-rounded individuals. Our objective is to empower students to not only navigate their professional roles adeptly but also to excel in areas such as financial management. By nurturing these comprehensive skill sets, our students emerge as exceptional candidates in the job market. They are better equipped than their peers, securing not only positions but also commanding higher salaries due to their enhanced capabilities.

Can you enlighten us on the kind of significance that is given to the infrastructural facilities at the Pinnacle Institutions to the students according to the dynamic technological changes?

Our infrastructure is designed with a forward-looking perspective, ensuring adaptability for the next 10 to 20 years. We meticulously plan each modification, aligning with the evolving needs of the times. Just as technology has undergone radical developments since 2010, our infrastructure undergoes consistent upgrades to stay abreast of the latest advancements. I prioritize staying well-informed by extensively traveling and engaging with diverse individuals to gauge industry dynamics. This proactive approach allows us to comprehend current trends and shifts, such as the rise of cloud kitchens in response to the growing trend of people dining at home. In the dynamic hospitality industry, which operates as a living and breathing hybrid model, we embrace innovation to align ourselves with emerging forms of employment and evolving consumer behaviors.

What is your vision for the future as a Joint Director for the Pinnacle Institutions, in terms of enhancing the higher education offerings and improving the quality of the institutions?

Our current standing as Telangana’s premier hospitality institution acknowledged and endorsed by the prestigious Times of India, is a testament to our excellence. Looking ahead, my vision is to elevate our college’s recognition to a national level. This ambitious goal involves not only maintaining our existing standards but also surpassing them. We aim to be widely acknowledged as leaders in hospitality education across the nation. As we progress, the aspiration extends further to attract international students, broadening our reach and establishing a global footprint in hospitality education. By consistently delivering unparalleled quality in our programs, infrastructure, and student outcomes, we envision our college as the benchmark for excellence in the field. This forward-looking perspective guides our strategic initiatives, fostering a legacy of leadership and distinction in the realm of hospitality education.