Hon. Chitra Stern Nee Rathinasabapathy
Portugal's most decorated foreign entrepreneurs — a Singapore-born, British-educated serial entrepreneur who has spent over two decades reshaping the country's luxury hospitality and international education landscape.
Biography
The Story
Hon. Chitra Stern (née Rathinasabapathy) is one of Portugal's most decorated foreign entrepreneurs — a Singapore-born, British-educated serial entrepreneur who has spent over two decades reshaping the country's luxury hospitality and international education landscape. In October 2024, the Portuguese Government awarded her the prestigious Silver Medal of Merit for Tourism, recognising her 23 years of outstanding service to the sector — an honour equivalent to an OBE in the United Kingdom. That same year, she was named Executiva Foreign Manager of the Year (Gestora Estrangeira do Ano 2024) by Executiva Magazine.
Building a Hospitality Empire in Portugal
Chitra began her career as an auditor and consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in London, having qualified as a Chartered Accountant. She later earned an MBA from London Business School, alongside executive education programmes at Berkeley-Haas, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School. These foundations propelled her into entrepreneurship, where she co-founded the Elegant Group — the family office behind Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts — with her Swiss husband and business partner, Roman Stern.
Together, they developed the Martinhal Sagres Beach Resort in 2010 from the ground up — a 5-star property set across 415,000 sq m of Portugal's Atlantic coastline. What followed was an extraordinary expansion of the brand across Portugal: Martinhal Quinta do Lago in the Algarve, Martinhal Lisbon Chiado in the heart of Lisbon's old town, and most recently, Martinhal Lisbon Oriente and Martinhal Residences in Parque das Nações — the latter being Portugal's first luxury branded residences of its kind. The Martinhal Residences project won the European Property Award for Best Residential Development (20+ units), adding to a long list of international accolades the group has accumulated over two decades.
As CEO of the operating companies, Chitra leads the day-to-day management of the group's hotel and real estate assets, while Roman — as founding board member — oversees long-term development strategy. "By and large, he's the CEO of the Martinhal companies and I'm the CEO of the operating companies," she has said. "In other words, my husband is in the future and I am in the present." The Elegant Group also manages bespoke commercial headquarters for international firms operating in Portugal, cementing its position as a multi-asset developer of global significance.
Education, Public Service, and a Wider Vision
Chitra's entrepreneurial vision extends well beyond hotels. In 2020, she and Roman founded the United Lisbon International School (ULIS) — now a member of the Dukes Education family of schools — within a purpose-built Education Hub in Lisbon Oriente, one of the city's fastest-growing districts. The school offers K-12 international education with an American-based curriculum and an IB Diploma programme, and currently serves over 600 students. Plans are in place to expand capacity to 1,200 students, with a hybrid student accommodation and hotel element to be added to the Edu Hub campus by 2027.
Her commitment to Portugal's institutional development has also taken a formal public dimension. Between 2017 and 2019, Chitra served on the committee of Portugal IN, a special task force established by the Portuguese Prime Minister's office to attract Foreign Direct Investment into Portugal. She is also an invited professor of Luxury Marketing at the Nova School of Business and Economics, and serves as President of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) in Portugal — a role that places her at the heart of the country's international business community.
Chitra raised four children alongside the creation and management of this sprawling portfolio — a detail she does not downplay. Her approach to legacy-building is deliberately multigenerational. "We are catalysts, not hoteliers," she told Hotel News Now. "We feel a responsibility not only for our past achievements but for what comes next."
Recognition and Awards
Chitra's body of work has drawn recognition from institutions across Europe. Among her distinctions: the Deloitte Institute Accomplished Entrepreneur Award (London Business School); the International Family Travel Association's Person of the Year Award; the Family Traveler Award for contributions to the family travel market; the Silver Medal of Merit for Tourism from the Portuguese Government (2024); and the Executiva Foreign Manager of the Year 2024. The Martinhal group's properties have won multiple European and International Property Awards, including recognition for Best New Hotel Construction & Design.
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