Bird group's executive director Ankur Bhatia dies at 48

Bird Group’s executive director Ankur Bhatia died on Friday at the age of 48 following a massive cardiac arrest.

"It is with profound grief that we inform you about the sudden demise of our beloved Dr Ankur Bhatia, executive director, Bird Group. Dr Bhatia (48) suffered a massive cardiac arrest this morning and succumbed to it," Bird Group said in a statement.

"We have not only lost our leader, our visionary but the world has lost an astounding human being. The Bhatia family is in a state of deep shock and requests you to respect their privacy in this difficult time of grief," it added.

Bhatia was credited with bringing in the Amadeus brand to the Indian subcontinent in 1994. Amadeus is a leading brand in providing travel technology for travel agents and airlines.

He also spearheaded the group's growth in the hospitality sector under Bird Hospitality Services and the assets include Roseate Hotels & Resorts.

The group also owns and operates six uber luxury properties in India and the UK, each having an individual brand identity.

According to the group, Bhatia piloted Reservation Data Maintenance (India) Pvt Ltd (RDM), an IT-enabled software development and service support company for managing back-end airline operations and inventory control. RDM was the first Indian BPO, which was established in 1993 and today has an enviable list of airline clients in its portfolio.

Another venture is Bird Information Systems (BIS) and he had also opened an IT Solutions & Services company in Dubai, Bird Technologies FZ LLC.

"He is also credited to have launched the country's first natural and perennial indoor ice-skating rink and café iSKATE," at  Gurugram, as per the group.