For most professionals growing up in a small village in Odisha, the idea of leading a national food services company would seem distant, if not impossible. For Akshay Sial, it became a two-decade journey defined less by ambition and more by endurance.
Sial has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of GSR Food Factory, marking a significant leadership transition for the company and a personal milestone rooted in years of on-ground execution. His career began over twenty years ago at the entry level of India’s hospitality sector, an industry known for long hours, operational intensity, and slim margins, where consistency often determines survival.
Rather than a rapid ascent, Akshay Sial’s path unfolded across some of the country’s largest contractual catering organisations, including Sodexo, Compass Group, RKHS, Quess Corp, and Bluspring. These environments demanded scale without compromise, where delivering thousands of meals daily left little room for error, and operational discipline was paramount.
Over the years, he progressed through operations, client solutions, and sales leadership roles, serving more than 200 corporate clients across offices, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and manufacturing units. His responsibilities spanned supply chain coordination, workforce management, and P&L ownership—areas where a single service lapse could jeopardise long-term contracts. As AVP – Sales, Sial played a role in driving revenue growth while reshaping dining experiences across large corporate campuses, balancing cost control with customer trust.
This operational grounding has shaped his leadership philosophy. In food services, branding can attract attention, but execution sustains growth.
You Might Also Like: India and Russia Strengthen Trade Relations with $100B
At GSR Food Factory, he now takes charge of a platform focused on advancing food innovation and customer-centric solutions across canteens and cafeterias serving corporate offices, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and industrial units. The mandate centres on product integrity, scalable operations, and strengthening customer confidence as the business grows. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur’s Strategy and CXO Program, Sial brings both operational depth and strategic perspective to the role.
