Mukesh Kumar: Bringing Customer-Centric Leadership To Modern Real Estate
Mukesh Kumar
CEO
Beyond developing physical assets, today’s real estate companies are increasingly expected to create environments that deliver convenience, engagement and long-term value. This shift has expanded the role of industry leaders, who must combine business acumen with a deep understanding of customers, operations and emerging market trends.
Leaders at the helm of diversified real estate businesses are therefore playing a crucial role in navigating this evolving landscape. Their ability to adapt across sectors, identify changing consumer preferences and translate market oppor -tunities into sustainable business strategies is becoming increasingly important. Mukesh Kumar, CEO, K Raheja Realty, brings to this dynamic environment a professional journey shaped by more than three decades of experience spanning hospitality and retail.
Mukesh Kumar began his career in 1989 with a start-up timeshare company that operated a single resort. Over the next 11 years, he progressed through multiple responsibi-lities, becoming one of the youngest General Managers of a property at the age of 23.
He eventually took on the role of General Manager – Business Operations, overseeing operations across 11 timeshare resorts located in tourists places like Kodaikanal, Ooty, Darjeeling, Manali etc while driving project work, sales, operations, finance and budgeting of all the resorts.
Post Sterling Resort stint, he worked with American Embassy as General Manager for three years which gave him exposure in working with international clients. Subsequently, he spent close to 8 years as Vice President of a 5 star business hotel with international franchise in Mumbai.
In 2010, his career took a decisive turn when he transitioned into retail with K Raheja Realty, taking charge of a new mall during its pre-opening phase. From leasing and marketing to planning and launch, he oversaw the project through completion in 12–14 months, culminating in its opening in May 2011.
This transition reinforced a defining principle of his leadership: whether in hospitality or retail, successful customer-centric businesses depend on understanding people, antici- pating their needs and consistently creating experiences that exceed expectations. Let’s dive in to know more.
Why was K Raheja Realty the right platform for the next phase of your leadership journey?
K Raheja Realty has a strong legacy and a highly diversified portfolio. Since its beginnings in 1956 as a construction company, the Group has expanded into residential and commercial real estate, hospitality, malls, IT parks, education and healthcare. I have had the opportunity to understand the Group closely, particularly through my experience in hospitality and retail.
As the Group now refocuses its mall and hospitality businesses for renewed growth, my experience across operations, leasing, business development and customer-facing businesses allows me to contribute from a broader perspective. My focus is on building on existing strengths while identifying opportunities for sustainable growth.
How are you translating K Raheja Realty’s legacy into a contemporary vision?
K Raheja Realty has evolved significantly since 1956, expanding from construction into multiple sectors. In the mall business, however, the key is to recognise that a mall cannot remain static. Consumer profiles and expectations keep changing, so we continuously evaluate our tenant and category mix. Typically, around five to seven percent of tenants change every year, helping keep the mall fresh.
More importantly, we are moving beyond the traditional shoppingled model and developing malls as experience and community spaces. Customers now visit to dine, watch movies, enjoy entertainment, socialise or simply spend time with family, making experience central to our vision.
How are you making Infiniti Mall more experience-led?
The mall business is extremely dynamic, and completing leasing is only one part of the journey. We continuously evaluate customer preferences and adapt our category mix accordingly. Earlier entertainment, F&B and services accounted for around 10 to 15 percent of our mix; today, they are close to 30 percent.
Consumers may not shop every day, but they dine, seek
Mukesh Kumar leads with customer centric vision, transforming real estate spaces into dynamic destinations that deliver experiences, engage -ment, and lasting value
Why was K Raheja Realty the right platform for the next phase of your leadership journey?
K Raheja Realty has a strong legacy and a highly diversified portfolio. Since its beginnings in 1956 as a construction company, the Group has expanded into residential and commercial real estate, hospitality, malls, IT parks, education and healthcare. I have had the opportunity to understand the Group closely, particularly through my experience in hospitality and retail.
As the Group now refocuses its mall and hospitality businesses for renewed growth, my experience across operations, leasing, business development and customer-facing businesses allows me to contribute from a broader perspective. My focus is on building on existing strengths while identifying opportunities for sustainable growth.
How are you translating K Raheja Realty’s legacy into a contemporary vision?
K Raheja Realty has evolved significantly since 1956, expanding from construction into multiple sectors. In the mall business, however, the key is to recognise that a mall cannot remain static. Consumer profiles and expectations keep changing, so we continuously evaluate our tenant and category mix. Typically, around five to seven percent of tenants change every year, helping keep the mall fresh.
More importantly, we are moving beyond the traditional shoppingled model and developing malls as experience and community spaces. Customers now visit to dine, watch movies, enjoy entertainment, socialise or simply spend time with family, making experience central to our vision.
How are you making Infiniti Mall more experience-led?
The mall business is extremely dynamic, and completing leasing is only one part of the journey. We continuously evaluate customer preferences and adapt our category mix accordingly. Earlier entertainment, F&B and services accounted for around 10 to 15 percent of our mix; today, they are close to 30 percent.
Consumers may not shop every day, but they dine, seek
entertainment and use services more frequently. We therefore create multiple reasons to visit the mall. Along side this, we focus strongly on hygiene, security, parking, accessibility and convenience. Our objective is to make Infiniti Mall a social and community destination, not merely a place for transactions.
According to you, which trends will shape the future of malls?
One of the most significant trends I see is the rise of D2C brands. Many of these businesses have first established themselves online, understood their customer base and then recognised the importance of an offline presence.
Brands such as Lenskart, Zivame etc are good examples. I expect D2C brands to occupy an increasingly meaningful share of mall space, potentially around 8-10 percent in some formats. Alongside this, F&B, entertainment and services such as salons, spas and nail spas will continue growing.
These categories offer experiences that e-commerce cannot replicate. The future mall will therefore combine retail with enter-tainment, dining, services and experiences.
What is your long-term vision for K Raheja Realty’s retail and new-business verticals?
We are looking at expanding our retail business into other cities because we see significant opportunities beyond the metros as well. The Group is currently refocusing its mall and hospitality businesses, and we are exploring different opportunities to expand our portfolio. These could include acquisitions, green field or brownfield developments and takeovers.
We understand that building and running retail assets are not very easy. Considering this we are also open to help new developers build the asset we operate them on management. We are evaluating markets carefully and expect to make announcements around some opportunities over the next one or two years.
My focus is to build the business in markets with sustainable potential while leveraging the Group’s established strengths. The broader objective is to create a stronger, scalable and future-ready retail portfolio.
Mukesh Kumar, CEO, K Raheja Realty
Mukesh Kumar, CEO, K Raheja Realty, is a seasoned business leader with over three decades of experience spanning hospitality and retail. His career encompasses business operations, leasing, marketing, customer experience and strategic growth. Having held leadership roles across diverse geographies, he brings a strong customer-centric approach to driving businesses and building future ready growth.
According to you, which trends will shape the future of malls?
One of the most significant trends I see is the rise of D2C brands. Many of these businesses have first established themselves online, understood their customer base and then recognised the importance of an offline presence.
Brands such as Lenskart, Zivame etc are good examples. I expect D2C brands to occupy an increasingly meaningful share of mall space, potentially around 8-10 percent in some formats. Alongside this, F&B, entertainment and services such as salons, spas and nail spas will continue growing.
These categories offer experiences that e-commerce cannot replicate. The future mall will therefore combine retail with enter-tainment, dining, services and experiences.
What is your long-term vision for K Raheja Realty’s retail and new-business verticals?
We are looking at expanding our retail business into other cities because we see significant opportunities beyond the metros as well. The Group is currently refocusing its mall and hospitality businesses, and we are exploring different opportunities to expand our portfolio. These could include acquisitions, green field or brownfield developments and takeovers.
We understand that building and running retail assets are not very easy. Considering this we are also open to help new developers build the asset we operate them on management. We are evaluating markets carefully and expect to make announcements around some opportunities over the next one or two years.
My focus is to build the business in markets with sustainable potential while leveraging the Group’s established strengths. The broader objective is to create a stronger, scalable and future-ready retail portfolio.
Mukesh Kumar, CEO, K Raheja Realty
Mukesh Kumar, CEO, K Raheja Realty, is a seasoned business leader with over three decades of experience spanning hospitality and retail. His career encompasses business operations, leasing, marketing, customer experience and strategic growth. Having held leadership roles across diverse geographies, he brings a strong customer-centric approach to driving businesses and building future ready growth.