From Singapore to Tuscany: Shruti Lohia Hora ’98 and BCW
In the gorgeous, rolling countryside of Tuscany sits the charming village of Castelfalfi.
“It’s literally a hidden gem in Tuscany,” Shruti Lohia Hora ’98 says. “It’s just so beautiful. As soon as I get there, I feel that I’m transported to a different world. The views are breathtaking. You’re in a space which is just so peaceful.”
Lohia can’t wait to welcome Babson College alumni and friends to Tuscany to experience it for themselves next year.
Castelfalfi, the luxury resort and surrounding property that comprise the village, was purchased by her father, Sri Prakash Lohia P’98, in 2021. He transformed the resort into an exquisite vacation and conference destination.
Now, thanks to the Lohia family, this newly polished hidden gem will serve as host to one of Babson’s treasured jewels, when Babson Connect Worldwide convenes at Castelfalfi in Tuscany on March 27–29, 2025.
“Some things just were meant to be,” Lohia says, “and this is one of them.”
Success in Singapore
Babson Connect Worldwide is the pre-eminent entrepreneurial summit, bringing alumni from around the world together with founders, executives, and thought leaders.
Lohia attended her first BCW last year in Singapore, where she has lived for 17 years. She served in an instrumental role, working with classmates and her contacts in the country, fostering connections and helping to create and produce an engaging, inspiring, and successful conference.
“I had to really dig into my networks, which I never did in the past as much as I did for BCW,” Lohia says. “It’s a great platform to bring everyone together. We were able to learn from each other as well, so in every way—personal, business—everyone was able to benefit from BCW.”
Now, Lohia will be helping to play host to BCW in a different way, on a different continent.
DON’T MISS BCW: Register now to attend Babson Connect Worldwide in Tuscany, March 27–29.
The seeds of the idea to hold BCW at Castelfalfi in Tuscany were planted a year ago. Lohia was back at Babson being welcomed into the Weissman Circle of Distinction for her contributions to the College. At the ceremony, Lohia’s father mentioned the property to President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD as a potential site for a future Babson event. The ensuing success of BCW in Singapore raised the possibility of bringing BCW to Tuscany.
“We are honored to have Babson host such an important event at our property,” Lohia says. “It is an opportunity for us to showcase the work that we have done as a family, and it’s a way to inspire other entrepreneurs who are looking at the (hospitality) industry.”
Renaissance of a Resort
Castelfalfi, located halfway between Florence and Pisa in the picturesque Tuscan countryside, dates back 800 years and was a property once owned by the Medici family, famous for spurring the Italian Renaissance.
Once an abandoned village, Castelfalfi has experienced its own renaissance in recent years.
Once her father, Sri Prakash Lohia, purchased the resort in 2021, he began a multimillion-dollar renovation to refurbish the property into a five-star luxury vacation destination. “This started as a passion project for my father, and he saw the potential,” Lohia says. It’s an inspiring example, she says, of “how passion can drive into new businesses,” making it an ideal gathering spot for Babson’s entrepreneurial summit.
Her father and his team worked nonstop to turn the property into “this beautiful gem that they discovered in Tuscany,” Lohia says. The property sits on more than 2,700 acres, including a village with local boutiques and shops. It also features a five-star hotel with 150 guest rooms and 10 villas (with plans to build 50 to 60 more), a castle with the renowned La Rocca restaurant, a golf course, and an adventure park for families. There’s also an internationally acclaimed Thai spa, RAKxa, the cornerstone of a wellness center with more facilities in the works.
“BCW really got me more involved, hosting such an event in Singapore really helped me get closer to the school. It was so meaningful just to be able to give back to the school, and the whole event really bonded us all even more.”
Shruti Lohia Hora ’98
“It was amazing the turnaround they did, bringing in everyone together, and to manage it on their own Castelfalfi identity without any known hotel brand names,” Lohia says. “So, it has turned out to be quite successful.”
Lohia visits Castelfalfi once or twice a year. “It’s a little bit of a trek from Singapore,” she says. “Once my kids are in the U.S. for their high school and college education, I’m hoping to spend more time at Castelfalfi.”
Of course, she will be there in March to welcome classmates and fellow Babson alumni to BCW. “Everyone is super excited,” she says, noting record registrations as soon as the destination was announced. “Tuscany is loved by everyone.”
Benefits of Babson
For Lohia, BCW is the continuation of her Babson journey.
“BCW really got me more involved, hosting such an event in Singapore really helped me get closer to the school,” Lohia says. “It was so meaningful just to be able to give back to the school, and the whole event really bonded us all even more.”
A third-generation entrepreneur, Lohia grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. For college, she was looking for a world-class business education, knowing that she would one day join a division in her father’s business, Indorama, which he founded with her grandfather, Mohan Lal Lohia G’98, in the early 1970s. The company now is an international, multibillion-dollar group leading specialized manufacturing of fertilizers, PET, mining, textile fibers and yarns, and healthcare materials.
“Interestingly, I never visited Babson before I even entered the College. I was just sold on the programs that Babson offered,” she says. “I made the right choice. I just grew so much in terms of as a person. I learned a lot from the great teachers that have been at Babson, and it’s been a great experience.”
So great, in fact, that two of her cousins, Aradhana Lohia Sharma ’06 and Anuj Lohia ’15, as well as a nephew, Devang Kumar ’18, followed in her footsteps and graduated from Babson. And, her aunt, Suchitra Lohia P’06 ’15, even served on the Board of Trustees.
Lohia’s Babson experience has proven integral to her professional success. At Babson, she concentrated on marketing and business management and developed an interest in the healthcare sector, which influenced her path when she joined the family business. She now manages Indorama Healthcare, which manufactures medical gloves out of Malaysia and Indonesia (top five in the world in terms of market capacity) and has ventured into building a chain of women and child hospitals in South India under the Kinder brand name. Hora also has been actively involved in her own family office, which invests in the public, private, fixed income, crypto, and venture capital markets, including healthcare startups in India.
“The whole education experience is something which I’m truly grateful for while being at Babson,” Lohia says. “I just feel so proud of what Babson has achieved over the years.
“There aren’t enough words to express how great the school experience has been for us, myself, peers, including family members. I’m just excited to just work more with Babson going forward and see how much I can add value to the school.”
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