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Bringing both fresh
thinking and maturity

to the table, these
leaders are shaping
new work culture,
devising future fit HR

strategies

THE WINNERS: Abdul Wahab, Anand Bardhan, Anice Varkey, Ankit Gupta, Ankit Sharma, Ankur Sharma, Arsh Rachit, Boddu Jai Dev, Deepti Duggal, Divya
Srivastava, Harini Sridhar, Jagmeet Kaur, Janani Prakaash, Kanika Paul, Karthiga Jeganathan, Kedarnath Mukherjee, Komaladevi Velumani, Mridula

Shukla Varghese, Neha Seshadri Singh, Nikita Panchal, Nisha Astril DCunha, Prapti Lodh Roy, Prateek Singh, Pratyusha Manthri, Pritha Banerjee, Priyanka
Khandelwal, Ritika Malik, Ruchi Pant, Rupali Sharma, Sandeep Banu, Sarma Chillara, Sarosh Behram Bode, Shagufta Kazi, Shakthidhar PT, Siji S Kuruvath,

Snehal Khirid, Sumit Sabharwal, Vibhi Gupta, Vijaya Priyadarshini, Vishal Singh

INSIDE: BW People 40 Under 40, 2020 ALSO: The Great Resignation To Continue: Achievers Workforce Institute Survey



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VP and Global Head of Diversity
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Archana
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Women MAMTA VEGUNTA

in HR With deep insight into the
needs of organisations and
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RAJU MISTRY





EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S NOTE

THE NEXT NORMAL WORKPLACE

B ringing out this issue of BW People has been an enriching
exercise for me and my team, as it delves into a whole host
of issues pertaining to work culture that have a bearing on
every organisation today. From HR stalwarts with as much

as three decades of experience to young and dynamic entrants in this

field, they all bring to this issue a rich tapestry of understanding about

how to bring out the best in every employee for organisational goals

while taking care of their wellbeing in the ‘next normal’ world.

Diversity and inclusion is a contentious issue, and women’s representation

has been debated for some time now. This finds reflection in this edition of

BW People too. From HR honchos discussing their organisation designating

specific weeks for hiring of women candidates, to one columnist questioning

the tokenism of it all and suggesting, “Only when we think less in terms of

gender, will equality of gender naturally happen”, the spectrum of diversity

in solutions proposed is itself startling.

ANNURAG BATRA Another divergence comes in approaches to HR. The winners in the two
awardsthatBWPeople announced—MostInfluentialwomenand40Under
 [email protected] 40 in HR — have varying notions about how this function should be perceived
in an organisation. There is a growing club that believes that HR should not
just be equated with hiring and salary processing function, and that this
function has far more complexities, including in partnering in business
goals. Another group staunchly takes pride in the core work and emphasises
its role as a lubricant keeping the machinery going; in its absence the system
will crumble.

The May issue also brings forth some creative ideas on bringing about a
work culture of empowerment, inclusivity and risk taking. The Achievers
Workforce Institute, in its survey titled ‘The Great Resignation Continues as
Employees Seek Growth, Balance, and Support’, emphasises the importance
of belonging and appreciation in order to retain workforce, in the wake of
the Great Resignation of 2021. One novel approach is the ‘unbossing’ of
workplaces, so that employees can think creatively and innovate,without
fear. Another way suggested in these pages is redesigning of physical spaces.

As business leaders and HR fraternity wrack their brains on how to keep up
the motivation level of workforce, feeling burnt up in the wake of pandemic,
this issue of BW People also provides some insights into solutions that lie
ahead.

Happy Reading.

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 6 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM



BW PEOPLE
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CONTENTSPRIME

VOLUME 01, ISSUE 07  JUNE 2022 66 96

26 40 UNDER 40 IN SURVEY
HR, 2021
MOST The Great Resignation Continues:
INFLUENTIAL A rare combination of new ideas How industry should reconfigure
WOMEN IN HR representative of the genera- its policies to retain employees
tional ethos and a maturity to
With a body of work in their manage thousands of employees, 150
career and a clarity of goals for the young HR leaders’ brigade
the organisation they represent, rightfully claims their spot in SPOTLIGHT
the HR leaders felicitated by this annual ranking
BW People have added one more How the interiors of SAP Lab
feather in their cap of keeping 102 offices enable hybrid work
employees motivated and keeping
the organisational structure Also: The young HR leaders who Cover design by DINESH S. BANDUNI
afloat in these turbulent times made it to the list in 2020

24

EVENTS

Industry leaders, CHROs rumi-
nate over changing dimensions
of employer-workforce relations,
on the occasion of World Labour
Day

INTERVIEWS REGULARS

54 12

Shameka Young VP and Global JOTTINGS
Head of Diversity & Inclusion,
Cognizant, sheds light on the 153
efforts for enhancing women’s
role in IT ecosystem BOOK REVIEW:

58 Coaching: The (Secret) Code to
Uncommon Leadership
Ruhie Pande, CHRO, Godrej
Housing Finance, on the
hiring trends in 2022, and the
continuation of talent war

62

Niccolò Nitti Country P&O Head,
Novartis India on the unbossing
of work culture to foster creativity

Partha De Sarkar

COLUMNS Shameka Young 154

16 MENTAL HEALTH:

Partha De Sarkar on the Chang- Fighting the Silent Pandemic of
ing aspirations of women Mental Health
employees -
156
18
HR UNWINDING:
Prabir Jha on the futility of to-
kenism in gender equality efforts This time Ashish Anand CHRO,
SAR Group of Companies
20
158
Rajendra Mehta on the challenge
of keeping employees motivated LEADER-SPEAK
in remote work
TOTAL NO. OF PAGES
22 INCLUDING COVER 160

Veena Satish on the importance of
engaged employees for organisa-
tion’s growth

JOTTINGS

GREAT RESIGNATION’ TO MELLOW DOWN:
NHRD NETWORK

National HRD Network organised its first professional networking event
post-Pandemic in Delhi NCR where around 100 senior HR professionals came
together to discuss current issues and trends impacting the workplace. The
Advisory Council of the NHRDN-Delhi NCR, consisting of 20 CHROs representing a
cross-section of industries, was of the view that initiation of hybrid workplace model
and negligible number of Covid infections has brought back the one-to-one connect
with peers and leaders thereby positively impacting the sentiment of both employers
as well as employees.

Yuvaraj Srivastava, President of NHRDN-Delhi NCR and Group CHRO Make-
MyTrip, informed that the council “stressed upon the need for organisations to relook
at their engagement models and workplace policies to suit the changing norms at the
workplace. This can have a direct impact on steep resignations and offer drop-out cases

which the council believes will start to recede in the next two quarters or so.” 
Photograph by TWITTER@yuvarajsri.
Photograph by CANVA
HYBRID WORK MORE PRODUCTIVE, LACKS
INCLUSIVITY: CISCO STUDY

Hybrid working has helped improve employee you?’ study found that 61 percent employees believe
wellbeing, work-life balance, and performance that quality of work has improved. A similar number
worldwide, according to a new global Cisco (60 percent) felt that their productivity has enhanced.
study. While organisations have benefited from higher Three-quarters of employees (76 percent) also feel their
employee productivity levels, more needs to be done to role can now be performed just as successfully remotely
build an inclusive culture and fully embed hybrid work as in the office. However, the survey of 28,000 employ-
arrangements to boost readiness levels and enhance em- ees from 27 countries reveals that only one in four think
ployee experience. that their company is ‘very prepared’ for a hybrid work

Cisco’s ‘Employees are ready for hybrid work, are future. 

20% INCREASE IN WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
EXTERNAL HIRING IN
HEALTHCARE

Spectrum Talent Management has found a 20 percent increase in ex-
ternal hiring in the healthcare segment, especially for nurses. The
demand for healthcare professionals has been on a rise since the
pandemic and the ongoing scare of the next wave.

There is robust growth in hiring activity over the last six months from
cities across different tiers, like Kolkata, Vadodara, Kochi and Bengaluru.
It is a mix of 80:20 of permanent hiring and contractual hiring. The top
five categories that have witnessed the largest number of hirings are med-

ical coders, curses, lab technicians, biotechnologists and API experts. 

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 12

JOTTINGS

INDIAN JOB MARKET BEATS
COVID SLUMP

With economic activity showing impressive recovery
from Covid’s grip, hiring demand witnessed a 6
percent year-on-year growth in the month of March
2022, highlights the Monster Employment Index (MEI). Even
as a marginal dip of 2.4 percent was witnessed in month-on-
month hiring activity, owing to appraisal season, the Index
remained positive from an annual perspective as recruitment
activity continued across a broad range of sectors.

In the month of March 2022, online recruitment activity
exceededtheyear-agolevelin11outofthe13citiesmonitoredbythe
index. All metros registered a double-digit growth on an annual

basis. 
Photograph by CANVA
Photograph by Freepik
VEDANTA EXPANDS WORKFORCE
DIVERSITY

Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium,
has significantly expanded the ambit of workforce diversity
by welcoming seven transgender professionals into
the workforce at its Chhattisgarh-based subsidiary, the Bharat
Aluminium Company (BALCO). Four of them have been engaged
in forklift operation at Cast House, and three others in the security
function at BALCO. This is a watershed moment in Vedanta
Aluminium’s mission to foster a truly diverse workplace, for it puts
the company among the handful of manufacturing companies
in India and the world to have LGBTQIA+ employees in core

operations. 

NUTANIX OPENS NEW OFFICE IN PUNE

Cloud computing company Nutanix has expanded its
operations in India by opening a new facility in Pune that
will provide service to customers and partners in India and
across the Asia-Pacific region.

The new facility is one of the largest Nutanix campuses outside
of the US. It is part of Nutanix’s global service and support function,
providing Nutanix customers with 24-hour help as part of the
company’s ‘always-on’ service and support programme. It will also
host, in a hybrid work model, research & development, customer
success, training, and product support professionals and teams, accounting for a large percentage of Nutanix’s team

members based in India. 

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 13 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

APPOINTMENTS

RESTRUCTURING AT RAVI KUMAR, CPO OF
PAGE INDUSTRIES
AIR INDIA
NC handrasekaran, The newly-appointed Chief People Officer of Page
Chairman of Industries, Ravi Kumar is an experienced Human
Air India, made Resources professional with a demonstrated
a restructuring in top history of achievements across industries. Skilled in
management, naming HR strategy, talent management, industrial relations,
Nipun Aggarwal as Chief employee engagement, learning & development,
Commercial Officer and transformation and culture building and coaching
Suresh Dutt Tripathi as Chief senior leaders, Kumar has been working with multi-
Human Resources Officer. cultural leadership teams across continents. Prior to
Aggarwal, who is also a Page, he was associated with Roche Diabetes Care.
Senior Vice President at Tata
Sons, takes the position of Air As the CPO of Page Industries, he will be responsible
India veteran Meenakshi Malik, while Tripathi, who was for driving sustainable people practices that will impact
Vice President of Human Resources at Tata Steel from organisational culture, leading to innovative business
2012 to 2021, takes the place of AI’s Amrita Sharan. outcomes. 
Tripathi worked with manufacturing company SRF
Limited for over 10 years as president and group HR BHARATPE ONBOARDS
before joining Tata Steel.  NEW CHRO

SHWETA Fintech company BharatPe has announced the
MOHANTY ROY appointment of Smriti Handa to the post of Chief
IS SAP’S NEW HR Human Resources Officer (CHRO) as the company
deals with complaints of non-payment of salaries for the
HEAD month of March and non-payment of dues to retrenched
employees.
Shweta Mohanty
Roy’s future- In her new role, Smriti Handa will be responsible for
focused people strengthening the company’s culture and HR practices,
strategy combined working closely with the senior leadership. She joins
with a deep passion BharatPe from British multinational consumer goods
for purpose will be entity Reckitt where she served most recently as the
an asset in further Global Talent Acquisition Director. 
elevating company’s
people experience MANOJ GARG IS
in the region and set GROUP CHRO, DR. LAL
new benchmarks for
employee happiness PATH LABS
and wellbeing.
Over the last 19 years, she has had the privilege to Being associated with Dr. Lal Path Labs for over
lead and manage talent transformations in complex and seven years, Manoj Garg has now been elevated
matrix business environments. While she comes with to the position of Group CHRO.
strong business and people acumen, her real value add is Passionate about technology and its impact on
to influence business decisions with a sense of purpose. organisations, Garg has been always interested in
Roy’s work has been in areas that can bring the real building scalable business and organsations, managing
change — whether it is early talent, new age leadership large scale organisation change and talent agenda. Prior
or diversity.  to being associated with Dr. lal Path, he has proven his
acumen in companies like Bharti Airtel, Dell, Asian
Paints, etc.

Fond of meeting business and HR leaders and
revenue specialists, Garg likes attending conferences
and seminars. 

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 14 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

APPOINTMENTS

CAIRN OIL & GAS’ DEPUTY CHRO
Cairn Oil & Gas has announced the appointment of
Neha Saxena Shenoy as its Deputy Chief Human eywell as Director- Human Resources for close to two
Resources Officer. years. She started working with Honeywell in August
In this new role, she will work closely with SBUs to 2020.

Shenoy has over 18 years of experience in human re-
drive enhanced business performance and attract the sources. Previously, she worked with leading organisa-
best talent, announced the company in a LinkedIn post. tions like Reckitt, Microsoft, Adobe, GE, Fidelity Invest-
Prior to Cairn Oil & Gas, Shenoy worked with Hon- ments, and Larsen & Toubro in HR leadership roles. 

P&G INDIA ANNOUNCES AMIT LUTHRA
ITS NEW CEO IS INDIA MD OF

Procter & Gamble has an- LENOVO ISG
nounced the appointment
of LV Vaidyanathan as the Lenovo has announced Amit Luthra as the
Chief Executive Officer for its new Managing Director for its Infrastruc-
operations in India from July 1, ture Solutions Group (ISG) business in In-
2022. Vaidyanathan is an alum- dia. In this role, he will lead and build Lenovo ISG’s
nus of IIM Ahmedabad and business in India. Based in Bengaluru, Luthra will
started his journey with P&G also play a key role in advocating Lenovo’s end-to-
in 1995 as an intern, joining the end offerings from the pocket to the data centre
India sales team straight from to the cloud and in driving customer confidence
campus in 1996. He has more in the data center business across the market. He
than 26 years of experience across diverse geographies and will be instrumental in growing the edge, hybrid
cultures like India and ASEAN countries, including Singa- cloud, high-performance computing (HPC), AI,
pore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) and storage
Vaidyanathan will take over from Madhusudan Gopalan, solutions portfolio and strengthening ISG’s rela-
who is going to take on an important leadership role within tionships with the partner ecosystem.
P&G as Senior Vice President – Grooming & Oral Care, P&G
Japan & Korea. During his four-year tenure at the helm of Luthra brings over 15 years of experience in
P&G India, Madhusudan led the transformation of the busi- planning and leading strategic enterprise IT busi-
ness and found its winning formula to consistently deliver nesses and building efficient teams. 
sustainable top and bottom-line growth. 

SAP’S VP-HR IS NOW GOOGLE’S HR
HEAD - INDIA

Senior talent professional Shraddhanjali Rao has joined Google as its head of
HR for India market. In a LinkedIn post, Rao, who joined the search-engine
behemoth from SAP India where she was vice president – HR, said she was
“inspired by the opportunity to touch a billion lives and ultimately make the world
a better place through data and tech”.

Rao is an HR leader with extensive experience in developing and executing HR
strategy for building high-performance organisations across geographies. Her areas
of interest and expertise include strategic HR business partnering, executive coach-
ing, change management, succession management, and corporate governance.

She joined SAP as associate manager, HR, in 2007 and steadily rose to lead its
HR function for India in 2017, a role she held for five years. Rao joined Tata Consul-
tancy Services, India’s largest software services exporter, in 2004 after completing
her MBA in HR & Marketing from T.A. Pai Management Institute, Manipal. 

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 15 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

GUEST COLUMNS PARTHA DESARKAR

T he Covid-19 crisis not only af- CHANGING
fected physical health but also ASPIRATIONS
mental health and wellbeing, OF WOMEN
especially among women. Many EMPLOYEES

long-standing challenges women faced at the › There is a need to address
their mental health, wellness
workplace were exacerbated by the global and career development
needs through counselling
health crisis, as they strived to balance profes- programmes, facilities like day
care and greater flexibility
sional responsibilities alongside new domestic
WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
demands.

It quickly became clear that there wer-

en’t adequate safety nets in place. Additional

support in the areas of healthcare, childcare

and in the workplace became essential, not

only to allow career success but also for men-

tal wellbeing. Companies have realised that

they must reassess their policies and prior-

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 16

GUEST COLUMNS

ities to retain and attract women • Provide professional support Photograph by Freepik
employees. and mentoring. When employ-
ees hesitate to open up in front (L&D) opportunities: L&D has
Prioritising mental health of colleagues, a third party can become a major factor for the
The demands of remote working sometimes help. growth and retention of wom-
and home front on women employ- en in organisations. Companies
ees during this pandemic have nega- • Offer 360-degree programmes to are designing various innovative
tively affected their health, work and improve mental, physical, emo- methods of learning to engage
economic wellbeing. Over 65 percent tional and financial health. employees and encourage them
of working women believe the pan- to expand their skillsets. Many
demic has made things worse for Ensuring growth opportunities organisations, including us, have
them, according to CNBC and Sur- Mental wellbeing is also linked to designed learning modules that
vey Monkey’s new ‘Women at Work’ career opportunities. Historically, cater exclusively to women. They
survey. The level of burnout — espe- women have faced many challeng- cover personality development,
cially among women — has also af- es in this regard due to various do- skill enhancement and other
fected their productivity. mestic factors. However, they are leadership programmes.
increasingly choosing to grow pro-
To ensure the mental wellbeing fessionally. The tech industry has en- • Mentorship opportunities: To
of their employees, companies must couraging trends to offer. There has see examples of women breaking
adopt a systemic approach rather been a 10 per cent rise in the number the barriers is hugely empow-
than take reactive measures. For ex- of women working in India’s tech- ering. It is also an opportunity
ample, at HGS, we’ve an Employee nology sector. According to NASS- to allow women to relate to and
Assistance Programme (EAP) that COM, women constitute 35 percent learn from one another across
provides counselling and lifestyle of the tech workforce today, much levels in an organisation. Struc-
management advice for our em- higher than the 24 percent across tured mentorship programmes
ployees and their immediate fami- other industries. allow for this. In addition, they
ly members. EAP has significantly provide a chance to female em-
helped our people in improving their Diversity inspires creativity and ployees to understand how best
mental wellbeing. innovation. Research proves that to navigate work-life situations
businesses with greater gender di- and nurture aspirations to grow.
It would help to pay close atten- versity do well in terms of produc- Women have been steadily
tion to factors that trigger negative tivity, innovation, profits and share-
emotions. Organisations can im- holder returns. Therefore, providing breaking biases and stereotypes.
prove mental wellbeing in the fol- opportunities for the professional They have not only been successful
lowing ways: advancement of women employees is employees but also successful en-
• Recognise that mental health is not only a good thing to do but also trepreneurs. Today, jobs that offer
the right thing to do. growth opportunities while ensuring
an issue and normalise conversa- mental wellbeing are a priority for
tions around it. Here are some ways in which or- many. Businesses everywhere would
• Drive mental health awareness ganisations can help: do well to act accordingly.
and create an internal committee
to address issues among employ- • Flexible work policies: Remote About the Author
ees. working and flexible work hours Partha DeSarkar is Group CEO,
allow employees to accommodate
Diversity inspires personal responsibilities such as Hinduja Global Solutions
creativity and childcare, parental care and edu-
innovation. cation. They ensure women have
Research proves greater control over their work
that businesses while balancing personal respon-
with greater sibilities.
gender diversity
do well in terms • Sound maternity and fami-
of productivity, ly-friendly policies: Such meas-
innovation, profits ures help employees maintain
and shareholder self-sufficiency and consistency,
returns” thus improving satisfaction, en-
gagement and retention.

• Learning and development

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 17 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

GUEST COLUMNS PRABIR JHA

T here is no debate that
a thriving society
would gain immense-
ly by pursuing gender

equality. And whether it is the or-

ganised or the unorganised sec-

tor, the agenda must be nurtured.

Whether it should necessarily con-

tinue in the shape and form as it is

in today, is a different issue though.

There has been much noise, some

symbolism and plenty of misplaced

action in the name of diversity and

inclusion in the larger institutional

realm. But it has failed to move the

larger agenda. And will continue to

fail unless the paradigm of thinking

changes.

GENDER Build a larger social conscience:
EQUALITY TODAY There is nothing more powerful
FOR A THRIVING than shaping a more equal mind-
SOCIETY set. A lot comes from the social dis-
TOMORROW course of the times. Unfortunately,
our social fabric is still steeped in
› Tokenism inadvertently creates stereotypes the myths of the past. Educating
and more fissures. True equality will happen the parents of the girl child, more
when we think less in terms of gender schooling support for girls and
curriculum revamp from primary
school will start moulding hearts
and minds to believe in the pow-
er of gender equality. The society
must think more equally before it
can behave more equally. Then you
will have more women truly serving
as leaders of panchayat bodies than
be puppets of their kinsmen despite
the so called reservation of seats.
Reservation in any case becomes
then more an exercise of political
convenience than societal evolu-
tion.

Focus on the unorganised sector :
Unfortunately much of the gender
enhancement programmes are left
to the non-governmental agencies.
While they do their bit, the scale
needed is massive. Exploitation is
obvious. Unless the state ensures a
massive judicio-legal enforcement
of the rights of women in the unor-
ganised space, everything will only
be a drop in the ocean.

Talk Talent, Not Gender: As some-

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 18 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

GUEST COLUMNS

Photograph by INDIAPICTUREBUDGET

one who has played pol-

icy and structural cards

for empowering and

advancing women in

the workplace for many

years, I confess that my

approach was as flawed

as most I see around me.

There is just so much

tokenism — women on

boards, exclusive train-

ing programmes for

women, the all-women

events for that once-

a-year Women’s Day,

women mentors for

women. The list is end-

less. I would not do that

anymore. The agenda

must not be to stereo-

type inadvertently and

build more divides. It

must be about talent and

meritocracy. When you do tokenism But the focus should be on plural- ers. Then one does not need to do
from hiring to promotions, you cre- ism — building enough diversity in shabby shams of say, average women
ate fissures even within the ranks of our thinking and doing. Two wom- directors but solid selections of best
women. When you can ensure that en do not necessarily have a differ- competence. You create role models
talent has no bias, it will be better ent perspective just because of gen- that cut across genders. That final-
received by all, irrespective of gen- der. Education, social backgrounds, ly is what equality is about. A Prime
der. Otherwise, it allows nepotism, work experiences, individual psych- Minister or a CEO, not a woman
favouritism and mediocrity benefit ographics, industry or function an- prime minister or a woman CEO.
the individual but destroys the sup- choring actually count for more. We
port to a more substantive cause. must build genuine pluralism. That The challenge then is if we cele-
brate tokenism over substance. Do
Build Pluralism, Not Diversity: I alone will build a culture beyond we focus more on the upstream rath-
er than downstream? Do we look at
don’t think women’s equality in any- me-too thinking. Yes, it takes time the wider mass of women or stay
restricted to a more incestuous and
one workforce comes by just having but why abort an agenda prema- self-serving agenda of better-placed
people, who happen to be women?
more women. Surely there must be turely by destroying credibility with There are no short cuts. There must
be a resolve beyond convenience.
no discrimination hurting the cause. our short-term actions? Only when we think less in terms of
gender, will equality of gender nat-
There is just so Create stories. Also change the story- urally happen. Focus on merit. Stay
much tokenism — telling: It is always inspiring to have committed to talent. Change so-
women on boards, examples of any glass ceiling breach- cial psyche. Build better education.
exclusive training es, including those that are gender The world will change. Till then we
programmes for linked. But the way the stories are will only continue with our one act
women, the all- told must change. They must not plays.
women events for play up that these successes hap-
that once-a-year pened because they happened to About the Author
Women’s Day, be women (symbolism triumphing Prabir Jha is the Founder & CEO of
women mentors for over better talent). They must cele-
women. The list is brate the impact. When you do that Prabir Jha People Advisory
endless” you create a deeper awe. You don’t
play up the gender. It gets told far
better. And inspires everyone — in-
dividuals, communities, stakehold-

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 19 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

GUEST COLUMNS RAJENDRA MEHTA

THE ART
OF ‘PEOPLE
FIRST’
› Hybrid work is here to stay but ensuring that the organisational
values are not diluted and employees remain motivated will be a big
challenge for leaders

T he need to create people-centric work cultures and the impact opportunities in newer capacities.
of employee happiness on the organisation’s bottom-line is a This shall intensify the war for tal-
well-researched and established aspect of people philosophies. ent, which shouts out the impor-
An entity powered by the force of human intentions does not tance of building talent at all levels.
Upskilling shall be the key differen-
only succeed in terms of business outcomes but also is resilient and provi- tiator for future success and organ-
isations must invest to ensure that
dent of future requirements. The pandemic and its impact of it on organisa- their talent pools are not rendered
redundant. Leadership must re-
tions in the initial stages reaffirms that with a strong people pillar, adversi- vamp and inculcate traits that will
keep employee touch-points human
ties are easier to overcome. Organisations realised the value of focusing on in a very tech-enabled setup. Lead-

overall employee wellness through core actions and those mechanisms will Remote work
can become
continue to reap benefits, since it has now been embedded in the workplace more satisfying
when managers
of the future. set expectations
for the teams,
We have all come to agree that the future of workplace is distributed and communicate
hybrid. While this is no further an uncharted territory for all us, but regularly and
several elements of people operations need to be re-engineered accordingly set aside time to
to keep a dispersed setup well connected. One of the major challenges that touch in beyond
organisations are facing in this regards is the dilution of culture and val- the needs of job
ues of the organisation, since remote work can lead into social isolation. To delivery with team
curb this outcome, organisations need to build more humane leaders. There members”
are specific, research-based steps that managers can take to improve the en-
gagement and productivity of remote employees. Remote work can become
more satisfying when managers set expectations for the teams, communicate
regularly, and set aside time to touch in beyond the needs of job delivery
with team members. The future workplace will also have a need for ‘culture
officers’ in such “phygital environments” to keep the cultural weave uninter-
rupted.

The future shall also accelerate the extremes of automation. While au-
tomation poses a threat to manual labour, it shall also create humongous

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 20 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

GUEST COLUMNS

ers must demonstrate in practice, when diversity becomes a practice. satisfaction and build relationships
empathy towards people, ownership Social sustainability is another for continued business. Employ-
of outcomes and perseverance in ee centricity must be driven on the
adversity. Such investment in devel- key aspect for the future of workplace same principles and rigour for an
opment across levels will contribute to be people centric. The post-pan- inter-generational workforce to
to the engagement of the teams and demic era has generated a renewed operate in collaboration. Agility in
prep the organisations for demands sense of purpose amongst us all and offerings shall be a key principle in
and opportunities hitherto un- the sense of contribution to greater talent attraction and engagement for
known. good presents as a key motivator. the future.
Organisations must act upon this
The need for diversity and inclu- to create structures that channelise Great organisations let employ-
sion in workplaces is much discussed such needs of employees and start ees have the opportunity to learn,
now, and the hybrid environment taking rapid strides in their com- earn and grow. The workplace may
presents golden opportunity to drive mitment of sustainability towards be vastly different from what we
this agenda, and utilise untapped po- employees, external communities, understand today, but establishing
tential. Diversity beyond the bound- resources and the planet as a whole. human connections shall continue
ary of gender and race opens up an to stay a prime factor for success and
opportunity to cognitive diversity, Lastly, the workplace of future is the value of strong organisation cul-
which is the most beneficial outcome cross-generational and cookie cut- ture shall only be multifold in build-
and will build sturdy organisations ting shall not work in such a melt- ing a people-centric workplace in a
that encompass perspectives of all ing pot. Organisations must create tech enabled setup in future. 
kinds. Businesses shall benefit from generation-based value propositions
idea pools, may discover newer mar- and prioritise the engagement of dif- About the author:
kets, identify a niche which was not ferent generations on parallel with Rajendra Mehta is Group CHRO,
already on portfolio and the count emergent need. Customer centricity
of such benefits shall only increase, leads us to innovate products based Welspun
on needs, build services to ensure

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 21 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

GUEST COLUMNS VEENA SATISH

ORGANISATIONS NEED

ENGAGED EMPLOYEES
› This can be done through healthy
discussions, sharing of ideas, respecting
juniors, avoiding micromanaging and other
doable measures

W e know that an engaged workforce is focused, dedicated,
and loyal to jobs and the organisation. But what we may
miss knowing is that a highly engaged workforce needs
an enabling environment, so employees stay invested for

their success and the organisation’s positive business outcomes.

Companies need to differentiate between ‘happy’ employees and ‘en-

gaged’ employees to achieve this. They can start by considering employees

as stakeholders rather than just as ‘workers’ labouring for their salaries or to

boost the company’s bottom line. in 80 per cent of the situations when
employees are not engaged with
Companies can create an excellent ecosystem at the workplace with the their organisations, it is because
there is no trust between the em-
right stacking up of all the essential ingredients like exciting work, an identi- ployee and the immediate manager,
a fact that holds good at all levels.
ty for the employee, providing the right tools and training for their jobs, and
To change this, experts recom-
building a culture of trust and recognition. mend some visible ways of
building trust and engagement, like
Having said that, employee engagement is not a simple or a one-time leaders walking around the hall and
engaging with employees, asking for
exercise to implement. It’s a continuous strategy that needs to be fine-tuned ideas before making a critical deci-
sion, creating a system of healthy
for people and business success. When used in the right way, it has a quanti- interaction, and debating conflict-
ing ideas over a business decision,
fiable impact on business outcomes. A Gallup employee engagement survey sharing of bad news with the staff
instead of hiding it, avoiding micro-
pointed out that highly engaged teams are 21 per cent more profitable than managing, bringing transparency
and clarity in managing, respect-
disengaged teams, the latter costing American companies a whopping $550 ing the junior team members, and
not the least, setting an example by
billion per year! removing the rotten apple. At the
same time, rewarding and recognis-
In fact, employee engagement levels also forecast company performance ing high-performing employees.

during a recession. This considers the fact that engaged workers continue to Improve teamwork and productivi-
ty: Teamwork drives and helps build
make a difference, while disengaged ones get disillusioned, which impacts
WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
their performance.

One of the tried and tested ways of doing this is through employee en-

gagement surveys designed to measure and assess employee motivation lev-

els. These surveys give HR a peek into employees’ attitude towards work and

the overall workplace environment.

HR has to work on the following aspects to develop a holistic survey and

feedback system: Develop a survey communication plan, increase the survey

response rate and communicate continuously with employees about the de-

velopments in the organisation. All these factors help build employee trust

and encourage honest feedback.

Organisations will have to work on the following elements that increase

employee engagement levels.

Build employee trust and recognition: A Dale Carnegie study discovered that

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 22

GUEST COLUMNS

Photograph by CANVA

close-knit personal relationships at Glassdoor, a company providing incentives based on employment
apart from motivating employees workplace insights, say that there’s tenure or unique incentives.
to support one another. It brings a strong statistical link between em-
different perspectives and ideas, ployee well-being and customer sat- Engage employees in a remote work-
which in turn increases their abil- isfaction based on a large sample of ing system: The best way to do so is
ity to problem solve and arrive at some of the biggest brands. to stay connected through technol-
solutions more efficiently. There is a ogy, foster social interactions, listen
greater awareness of each one’s re- Therefore, a more satisfied to feedback, keep them in the loop
sponsibilities and roles. workforce is associated with the about organisational developments
companies’ ability to deliver better and support them with training and
Enhance customer experience customer satisfaction — particu- other tools. Organisations nowa-
through happy employees: Analysts larly in industries with close inter- days are also building online plat-
action with customers, like retail, forms where employees open up
A more satisfied tourism, restaurants, healthcare, and speak their minds. In fact, some
workforce is and financial services. of them are creating virtual coffee
associated with vending machine areas and happy
the companies’ Retain talent: Studies point out hours, so employees don’t miss their
ability to deliver that employees get rooted in jobs favourite hangout places.
better customer and workplaces and, consequently,
satisfaction — become entrenched in their profes- Ushering in an industry-leading
particularly in sional communities. They then be- employee engagement experience
industries with come more engaged with their jobs ecosystem is possible. All it needs
close interaction and organisations. So, they hesitate is for organisations to use the right
with customers, to move out of this status quo as it keys to unlock the best potential of
like retail, tourism, would mean a disruption in both their people while keeping them
restaurants, their social and professional lives. committed to the organisation. 
healthcare, and Companies can enhance this root-
financial services” ed experience and engagement by About the Author:
providing mentors and recognising Veena Satish is VP People & Culture,
BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 23 their performances as team mem-
bers. They can also offer financial MoEngage

WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

EVENT

Photograph by GranzCreative

Labour Day
Explained

› How did labour laws evolve? Are workers’ rights in sync with
changing world of work? Experts mulled on some questions at a panel
discussion on May 1

By Sugandh Bahl

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 24 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

EVENT

I t’s from society that both Historically Speaking opposite the Madras High Court
employers and workers are On 1st May 1886 labour unions in on the Marina beach and the other
drawn, and it’s in larger the United States of America decid- was held at Triplicane. In the meet-
societal interest to know ed to go on a strike. They demanded ing, Singaravelu passed a resolution
that workers should not be made which stated that the government
what rights are exercisable by both to work more than eight hours a should announce a national holiday
day. The strike was followed by a on the May Day or Labour Day in
sections. bomb blast in Chicago’s Haymarket India.
Square on the 4th of May.
Hence, on the occasion of Inter- The Indian Case
This incident came to be popu- India’s labour laws emanate from
national Worker’s Day, May 1, BW larly known as ‘Haymarket Affair’. the pre-Independence times when
Since then the 1st of May is celebrat- the country was becoming industri-
BusinessWorld in association with ed as the International Labour Day alised; the labour laws were mostly
(International Workers Day or May focussed around factory and indus-
BW People organised a few panel Day) in many countries across the trial labourers.
world, including India.
discussions in order to educate the As employee and organisational
The protests in the US helped to sector grew, the rest of labour laws
workforce on their rights, and un- establish the eight-hour work day picked up pace during that time.
norm in India too. However, in In- “The only challenge since decades
der what circumstances these can dia, the first Labour Day celebration has been to create awareness for
was held in Madras (Chennai), on 1 both employees and employers on
be exercised; also keeping in mind May 1923. A champion of workers’ what laws they have to adhere,”
rights and co-founders of the Com- states Shoubhik Dasgupta, Partner,
the labour laws drawn from the munist Party of India, Malayapu- Pioneer Legal.
ram Singaravelu Chettiar launched
times when socialism was on rise, the Labour Kisan Party of Hindu- According to the Periodic La-
stan on this day. bour Force Survey (PLFS), the un-
what is the future our workforce in employment rate in urban India
He arranged for two workers’ stood at 9.4 percent between Janu-
the ‘phygital’ working mode. meetings to be held in Madras on ary and March 2021, with an even
that day. One meeting was held higher proportion of youth unem-
Speakers from diverse sectors ployment (22.9 percent). In the
In India, the same time period, more than 11 per-
shared the podium: Vaibhav Bhard- first Labour Day cent of the urban workforce report-
celebration was ed working for less than 36 hours
waj, Partner, IndusLaw; Akshay held in Chennai in a typical week. During the pan-
on 1 May 1923. demic-induced lockdown in 2020,
Jain, Partner, Saraf and Partners; A co-founders urban unemployment reached un-
precedented peaks (approximately
Shoubhik Dasgupta, Partner, Pio- of the CPI, 21 percent in April–June 2020).
Malayapuram Moreover, employment in much of
neer Legal; Arjun Nair, Co-founder, Singaravelu urban manufacturing and service
industries tends to be highly sea-
Great Learning; Prateek Shukla, Chettiar sonal and contractual, with greater
launched ‘casualisation’ being reported over
CEO and Founder, Masai School; the Labour the last decade.
Kisan Party of
Ramesh Balasundaram, Co-founder Hindustan on Hence, “labour laws, while in
this day. written form are seen as impeccable
& Director of BalUtsav; Dr Deepak but lack practicality in factual form,”
stated Akshay Jain, Partner, Saraf
Deshpande, Senior Director, NTT Partners. Therefore, when asked
whether India’s Labour laws are
Global Data Centers & Cloud In- worker centric or not, the answer is
both Yes and No. 
frastructure India; Anshula Verma
WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
Director & National Head - Talent

Acquisition Ernst & Young (EY);

and Abbas Jalis Rizvi Head of Peo-

ple Analytics and Programmes, Er-

icsson.

There were discussions on how

the government has been mulling

a high limit on allowances at 75-80

percent of the wages of an employ-

ee in the first year of the roll-out of

the labour code on wages. Panelists

were of the view that this could grad-

ually be brought down to 50 percent

over three years, as specified in the

code. The other major change under

consideration that they discussed is

the restoration of the threshold on

the number of employees in an or-

ganisation to 100 from the existing

300 under the industrial relations

code, for seeking the government’s

permission before retrenchment or

closing down operations.

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 25

MOST

INFLUENTIAL

W O M E N OPENING ESSAY

Commemorating
The Contributions
Of Women In HR

› HerearesomestellarleaderswhoshoulderedtheHRresponsibilities
of teams — big or small — in their respective organisations, steering
them well during the choppy waters of pandemic

T he pandemic has been particularly hard But there were areas of improvement too — from
on women as many had to quit or reduce women leaders and HR honchos undertaking success-
working hours for care-giving —focusing ful initiatives to emphatically impacting their organisa-
on kids, elderly folks or companions. A few tions.

women professionals lost their positions on account of Data provides a clear window on the state of women
in leadership—including both gains and losses. The in-
the changes in the work market.
WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 26

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

sights are sobering, but also enlight- track down their solidarity, express fluential Women - 2022, given the
ening. By understanding reality and their voice and apply ingenuity. They work they have done during last year.
making sense of it, women can be- can likewise shape the circumstanc-
come more resilient, solve problems es for other people, supporting and The selection process at BW
and innovate toward greater happi- affecting the frameworks which People’s listing included an industry-
ness, fulfilment and achievement. make the world inviting for wom- led advisory board and editorial
en’s involvement in the workforce. inputs from BW BusinessWorld and
There is one segment that feels The state of women’s progress in the BW People’s team. Women leaders
that the very need for separate wom- workplace and in leadership isn’t who have made it to this list this year
en representation should not exist just a women’s issue. It is an issue for come from various sectors ranging
and they should find a place at work all of us—so we can build communi- from pharma to tech to FMCG.
in the natural course, based on mer- ties where we can tap into the very
it. Then, there is also a lot of banter best from each of us. While there are several
about women’s representation in ad- factors that resulted in why these
ministration. Despite the disagree- As the world gets together to ap- women leaders should be a part of
ments, it has additionally catalysed plaud the women workforce BW People’s list of most Influential
research and reinforces the powerful and its contribution in changing the Women in HR 2022 list, the one
commitments women make. face of the HR fraternity, BW People factor which was common for all
hereby announces its list of Most In- were the decisions they made and
The news is great about wom- work done by them during pandemic
ens’ ability, versatility and adequacy. and after the pandemic. 
The bad news is that women actually
face colossal headwinds with regards
to predispositions. Yet, women can

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 27 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

AMITA MAHESHWARI

Head HR - Asia-Pacific
and India, Disney Media &
Entertainment Distribution
(DMED), The Walt Disney
Company & Star India

“TRUE LEADERSHIP
IS ABOUT
IMPACTING LIVES”

› Star India’s HR Head on the true meaning of HR function, and how
she is shaping the work culture of this mammoth media company

A mita Maheshwari’s journey as an HR professional spanning her as an authority in the field. Un-
26 years, multiple industries — consumer, technology & busi- der Maheshwari’s leadership, Star
ness process, financial services, media & entertainment and India, part of Walt Disney, has been
digital — and geographies across the globe has truly moulded able to diversify and upgrade its tal-

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 28 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

ent pool across the organisation. She initiatives like a 12-month materni- We created
has successfully dealt with HR tran- ty benefit, much before the govern- unique
sitions and management changes. ment mandated a six-month ma- programmes
Excerpts from an interview: ternity leave for all organisations in for building
2016. entry-level
You have had such a talent through
rewarding and impactful As part of our talent strategy, we ‘creative interns
journey as an HR professional. decided to hire talent from across programme’, for
What drives you? industry and across the world for which we went
It is “people” that drive me. True senior-level positions and for our to the heartland”
leadership, I believe, is about im- build-out of Hotstar. We also creat-
pacting lives and enabling growth. ed unique programmes for building had to confront. The HR teams in
It is about recognising potential and entry-level talent through ‘creative APAC and India did a phenomenal
nurturing it while at the same time interns programme’, for which we job in ensuring that employees were
generating positivity and produc- went to the heartland and hired and able to adapt to a new way of work-
tivity. As my team and organisation trained people for creative jobs; and ing with minimal disruption. In fact,
grows in strength and skill, so do I, we launched the Star writers pro- all our offices in APAC and India
as a person and as a leader. What gramme with a Hollywood screen- moved employees to a work-from-
really matters to me is the bonds I play writer to launch our own writ- home set-up well before government
develop with people around me. er’s academy. guidelines mandated us to do so.

We are in the business of in- What are your priority areas Despite the demands on our
spiring people with the stories we for your organisation? employees to adapt to a new way
broadcast and stream. Great ide- Disney Star runs on three engines — of working, we continued to deliver
as come from great talent. And the content, technology and monetisa- innovative and cutting-edge content
potential and value of great talent is tion. In order to efficiently drive all to our audiences with no disruption
what drives organisations to great of these three pillars, we need to fo- in our services. We launched Dis-
purpose and profit. I call it ‘manage- cus on attracting best-in-class talent ney+Hotstar in April 2020 and we
ment of imagination’. To drive this, that is diverse, inclusive and equi- also went on to create the first ever
I have always looked for new chal- table. We also need to create hybrid bio-bubble of 700+ employees for a
lenges, the ability to build scale and models where responsibilities are sporting extravaganza like IPL, pro-
create impact and the freedom to in- managed seamlessly between those viding hope to millions of audiences
novate and take decisions. I strongly working remotely and those that during the tough times.
believe that we need to trust and em- come into the workplace. One key
power our people while also holding area that we are focused on is creat- Each business and HR leader
them accountable. ing an ethos that develops a sense of was personally enquiring and pro-
pride and belonging to Disney Star, viding timely help to our colleagues
How has your organisation especially for those who joined the and their families that included or-
helped you in bringing out company remotely during the pan- ganising counselling sessions, travel
your best potential? demic. and medical aid, arranging hospital
There are no limits to imagination at beds and oxygen cylinders and or-
Disney Star. When I joined Star in Can you shed light on the ganising allowances for WFH sup-
2009, it gave me complete freedom crisis management at Disney port. We reimagined all our policies
and autonomy to design and create Star during Covid? – insurance, well being, benefits,
innovative and bold HR practices When the Covid-19 pandemic struck safety protocols and sensitised all
for the company. My leaders have in early-2020, we had no defined our employees and managers about
always trusted my judgement and policy or playbook by which we Covid appropriate behaviour. 
decision-making which has helped could deal with a scenario none of
me bring out the best for the organ- us had ever experienced. But we
isation. moved very quickly and were able to
not only abide by government guide-
I completely revamped the HR lines but also went further to design
organisation and built strong HR and build a robust framework to
practices and tech solutions. We deal with the new normal that we
rolled out multiple market shaping

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 29 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

ARCHANA BHASKAR

CHRO
Dr Reddy’s Laboratories

A VOICE FOR WHOLE
INDUSTRY

› Given the pivotal role of pharma in healthcare, its leaders should
be mindful of concerns of all stakeholders, says Bhaskar

B eing responsible for efficient functioning and innovative approach, found solutions for prompt
and wellbeing of a team that has been at responses, so critical in the healthcare crisis.
the forefront of the Covid response, Arch-
ana Bhaskar, in her role as CHRO of this She remembers, “ Once we were past the initial ad-
justment to the enormity of what was happening, we
pharmaceutical major, has proven her mettle in this started to look at how best we could use our strengths
and make ourselves useful to society. We formed a team
crisis time. Despite lockdowns, curfews, scarcity of raw for community outreach measures – supply of medi-
cines, ventilators, tele-consultation, personal protective
materials, transport issues, etc, she is proud that all the equipment, oxygen concentrators and even an oxygen
plant. During the first and the second waves, our phones
teams stretched themselves, and through collaborative rang off the hook. There are patients around the world
who depend on our products. With them in mind, we
BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 30 kept our manufacturing plants running round-the-
clock.”

Driving Force
Freedom to experiment and empowerment is what
Bhaskar values most in her organisation. Sharing that
the company has institutionalised ‘respect for the in-
dividual’ as a core value, she says, “The company has a
well-defined purpose, promises, principles and values.
As a people development professional, this balance be-
tween integrity and respect for people on the one hand
and industry leading ambition on the other has been a
very powerful attraction.”

Internalising the company’s, and industry’s goals as
her own, she says, “I believe that in my role at Dr. Red-
dy’s, I carry the responsibility of thinking not just about
the company but about the industry. Any leader today
must think about all stakeholders – people in the com-
pany, our partners, communities that we are a part of,
and of course the planet.” 

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MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

CHANDRA BHATTACHARJEE

CHRO, Grasim Industries (Global
Chemicals, Insulators and Fashion
Yarn Business)

S tarting her career in
1990 as HRD officer
with L&T, and gaining
rich experience along

the way, including as Head of Hu-

man Resources at National Stock

Exchange of India, Chandra Bhat-

tacharjee has steadily and pro-

gressively climbed up the ladder,

including during her stint in the

Aditya Birla Group. Now, as the

CHRO of the group’s flagship com-

pany Grasim Industries, producing

chemicals, cement, insulators and

other products for domestic and ‘MOTIVATE
EMPLOYEES TO
overseas consumption, she has a GIVE THEIR BEST’

great macro and micro understand-

ing of the manpower and talent

needs of an organisation, and sheds

light on some key issues, in a suc-

cinct manner:

What are the key areas that › The CHRO of Grasim Industries believes
you intend to focus on for that engaging employees is crucial to achieving
your organisation to run business goals too
effectively and efficiently?
What are the strategies and As a people person, what are
Succession planning is one of the techniques that you believe in the goals you strive to achieve
key areas of focus. I believe that suc- to solve employees’ problems in an organisation apart from
cession planning will drive talent and achieve an organisation’s management goals?
development and help retain em- goal?
ployees. It will improve employee Employee engagement is the
engagement and managerial effec- Empathy and active listening are key to achieving organisational
tiveness. the key. The ability to understand goals. Ensuring that employees
the context of the employee is very are motivated to give their best
What drives you? important, and so is being solu- everyday is both a challenge and an
• The joy in making a positive tion-oriented and having a can-do opportunity. 
attitude.
difference to the lives of our em-
ployees

• The opportunity to bring change
in mindsets and behaviours

• The satisfaction when you see
talent being developed

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“SAFE PLACE DEEPTI VARMA
TO FAIL, GET
BACK” Director, HR for Amazon
in Asia-Pacific and Middle
East (E-Commerce)

› Completely in
sync with the ethos
of her organisation,
Varma describes how
she has thrived there

D eepti Varma’s 23-
year work journey
transcending several
industries like phar-

maceuticals, IT and manufacturing

— she has shaped the HR culture

at organisations like Dr Reddy’s

Laboratories, NIIT and Unitech

— has shaped her as a complete

HR professional, with thorough

understanding of all aspects of HR

function. At Amazon, with which

she has been associated since more

than eight years, she has complete-

ly aligned her goals with those of

the organisation, especially when it

comes to inclusion and diversity.

A highly-driven profession-

al, she attributes her growth and

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The opportunity Innovative Hiring Are they ready for what’s next?
to work with
global leaders Describing the organisation’s goals Employee Safety First
and great minds towards which she is working, Var-
has shaped my ma describes, “At Amazon, we strive The litmus test for leaders’ empa-
thinking and to excel in all areas to make it the thy quotient came during Covid and
ability to think best place to work for our employees, Varma describes how the organisa-
outside the box. partners, and customers. Diversity tion dealt with the crisis. “To deal
As a person, I and inclusion are a shared responsi- with the increased stress levels dur-
love speed and bility across business functions and ing Covid-19, Amazon introduced
innovation, and employee groups, which allows us Project Harmony, allocating buddies
at Amazon I am to scale. A diverse workforce fosters for every team to enable employees
able to find that new ways of thinking and innovation to interact with others to understand
space” and helps us reach out to a wider what they were going through, share
range of customers. experiences, give, and receive tips
learning curve to the organisation on better work-life harmony, and
that to her organisation, saying, “At Elaborating on the talent ac- learn how to handle stress. This had
Amazon, you are an owner. You have quisition and retention strategy, a huge impact. We also launched a
the freedom to experiment, and it’s a Varma shares, “We always try to do wellness app for employees.”
safe space to fail and get back again something innovative that helps
and take on newer opportunities, the employee experience get better, Shedding light on work from
where the sky is the limit! This really but at the same time, provide them home during the pandemic, she says,
resonated with my DNA. We are in a with the relevant information. We “Despite the challenging situation,
business that impacts the lives of so launched Alexa to onboard employ- we were nimble and quick to react,
many people across the globe each ees, and we started an experiment which helped us optimise process ef-
day. That drives me to work harder where we used Alexa to get people ficiency and the employee/candidate
each day so that we can touch the to understand some of the answers experience. The WFH concept was
lives of millions of customers every that they had and not entirely rely on not new to us, in fact, we had pio-
day and make a difference.” their managers. We focus on being a neered the WFH concept with vir-
company for builders that is condu- tual roles and remote working even
She further says, “Amazon is a cive to innovation.” before Covid had started with the
great training ground to build sev- Virtual Contact Centre (VCC), where
eral skills. The opportunity to work Best Employer Dream people can work from their homes.
with global leaders and great minds Hence, we were better prepared to
has shaped my thinking and ability To fulfil Bezos’ dream, a set of prin- tackle the virtual transformation.
to think outside the box. As a person, ciples have been framed, the first
I love speed and innovation, and at principle encouraging leaders to “We also covered Covid-19 vac-
Amazon I am able to find that space. lead with empathy, have fun at work, cine cost for its associates, associ-
Amazon has helped me resonate and make it easy for others to have ates, sellers, network of delivery ser-
with the leadership principles (LPs).” fun. The second principle — success vice partners, employees and their
and scale bring broad responsibility eligible dependents. We introduced
And she emphasises, the or- — reminds leaders to be humble and extensive safety measures along with
ganisational work ethos flows from thoughtful about even the secondary other financial support initiatives
founder Jeff Bezos’ dream for Am- effects of their actions and to be ac- including comprehensive support
azon to emerge as the ‘Earth’s Best countable to local communities, the mechanisms for employees and Cov-
Employer’. planet, and future generations. id-19 health insurance cover com-
pletely free of cost for registered sell-
Varma elaborates that leaders ers amongst other initiatives. We set
work every day to create a safer, more up Amazon Relief Fund and Partner
productive, higher performing, more Support Fund for its operation part-
diverse, and more just work envi- ner network. We emerged stronger
ronment. “They lead with empathy, and more connected while we had
have fun at work, and make it easy each other’s backs, and this spirit
for others to have fun. Leaders ask from Day 1 is what we stand for.” 
themselves: Are my fellow employ-
ees growing? Are they empowered?

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IRA GUPTA

Head-HR
Microsoft India (IT)

SHOW
EMPATHY
FOR UNIQUE
CONTEXTS

› There is no one
way of working
that applies to

all; flexibility and
empowerment will be
the key in post-Covid

world, says Gupta

Interview by
Sugandh Bahl

A n alumna of XLRI-Jamshedpur, Ira Gup- where she worked for more than 15 years, since 1997.
ta has been associated with Microsoft Excerpts from an interview:
for close to 10 years, aligning the people
strategy of the organisation with busi- What keeps you motivated?
In today’s world, where the lines between work and per-
ness goals, implementing HR policies and systems, and sonal life are so blurred and where we spend a signif-
icant part of our life at work or thinking about work –
working towards talent development. Prior to the Mi-
WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
crosoft stint, she was associated with GlaxoSmithKline,

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one needs to find a sense of purpose ing willing to learn and take action to Our culture is
in what one does. drive meaningful change. grounded in
the concept
Each day, our employees How can HR team solve of ‘growth
show up to contribute to employees’ problems while mindset’, which
our ambitious mission of keeping organisation’s goals in is essentially
empowering every person and mind? the belief that
organisation on the planet to The transition to a more hybrid potential is not
achieve more, and ultimately workplace will require organisations pre-determined,
making a difference in the to approach things with a learner’s and everyone
world. What could be more mindset but more importantly with can learn and
inspiring than that? deep empathy. We must show em- grow”
And last but not least, people are at pathy for the unique context of the
the heart of what brings meaning to other and give grace where we can. how we are trying to enable each of
my work. The people with whom I In the past, organisations have been these elements
work, the teams that come togeth- wired to develop and implement pol-
er to make something bigger than icies with consistency and scale. The How did Microsoft manage the
themselves, the leaders who inspire hybrid workplace is here to challenge transition to work from home
with their head and heart, the col- that premise as every individual and during Pandemic, and ensure
leagues who become friends com- every team may operate in a unique employees’ wellbeing?
bined with a culture that encourages context and therefore inclusion will As I reflect, there were three phases
you to grow provides a lot of joy and be key. Technology will be a key ena- we went through during the pan-
inspiration to me every day. bler of inclusion in the hybrid work- demic — Respond, Recover, and per-
place, enabling every employee to do haps Reimagine for the future.
What are the key areas that more.
you intend to focus on for your We were navigating in unknown
organisation? What are the challenges of the waters. We started to try out things
The pandemic has led to one of the new normal? much before the lockdown was im-
biggest shifts in the concept of ‘work’. The last two years have resulted in posed which got us ready when it
The defining trait of this new world significant changes in how we think did. We ended up realising that
of work is that there is no standard of work and our expectations from while we may be ready from a tech-
blueprint for companies. Every or- the workplace. What we’re experi- nology perspective, we may need to
ganisation will need to create its encing is possibly the biggest work- be more ready from a leadership and
unique roadmap. Flexibility will be force transition of our lifetime. An manager readiness perspective to do
key for companies to empower em- earlier such transition in the 90s was this over an extended period of time.
ployees to do their best work in a way enabled by technology and the inter-
that works best for them, while bal- net to achieve greater speed, efficien- We mobilised multiple resourc-
ancing business needs. cy, and collaboration. This one, also es to support our employees. These
enabled by technology, is rooted in include 24/7 telemedicine helplines,
That said, success for an organi- the idea of empowerment, flexibility enhanced insurance cover for Cov-
sation will continue to be a function and inclusion. id-19 treatment, hospital-assisted
of their culture and values which are quarantine support, access to test-
the heart and soul of the company Remote work has created new ing, ambulance support, medical
and help build the foundation for opportunities, but it has also pre- supplies, food delivery and more.
present and future growth. For ex- sented challenges in maintaining
ample, at Microsoft, our culture is deep social connections. In a remote I strongly believe that we are
grounded in the concept of ‘growth environment, work is not just about building a new and a better work-
mindset’, which is essentially the be- productivity and output; it is also place that will embrace flexibility,
lief that potential is not pre-deter- deeply about social capital, about promote inclusion, build lasting con-
mined, and everyone can learn and flexibility, about wellbeing and about nections, and drive innovation. 
grow. Part of the mindset needed to effective collaboration between re-
adapt to a new normal is accepting mote and physical workers. Technol-
what we don’t know enough and be- ogy will continue to play a big role in

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WOMEN

LAKSHMI C

Managing Director and Lead - Human
Resources, Accenture in India
(Global professional services)

WORKING FOR
BROADER IMPACT

› Lakshmi C strives to empower youth from diverse backgrounds at
Accenture; her own learning at the organisation has been steep

By Sugandh Bahl

L akshmi C is entrusted with the responsibility of about 2,50,000 Enabling Role
employees of Accenture in India, to achieve their personal and Lakshmi is passionate about creat-
professional aspirations. “This fuels me and it gives me im- ing 360° value for stakeholders and
mense pride to do that while also creating a culture of equality that includes the communities we
live in. She explains further, “I enjoy
that helps all our people be their authentic selves and thrive at work, every mentoring young people, especially
young women who are starting their
day,” says this MBA from XLRI-Jamshedpur, who has been associated with careers and who come from diverse

Accenture for more than 11 years. Lakshmi’s prior stints include iGate Solu- WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

tions and Nestle.

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socio-economic backgrounds. As a this the ‘Net better off framework’. We need to
Melvin Jones fellow of Lions Club And when people are net better off, actively listen
International I’ve also had the op- they are five times more likely to to our people,
portunity to support activities that experience increased performance act on their
enable persons with disabilities. In at work, which automatically trans- feedback and
other words, my personal purpose lates into business performance.” co-create
is strongly aligned with Accenture’s experiences
purpose and enables me to contrib- Further explaining Accenture’s that address
ute towards creating a broader im- philosophy, she says, “We need to their evolving
pact in our communities.” actively listen to our people, act on needs as well as
their feedback and co-create expe- emerging market
For a person working relentless- riences that address their evolving trends”
ly for others’ empowerment, Laksh- needs as well as emerging market
mi’s own growth at Accenture has trends. For example, In early 2021, who experienced loss and coaching
been phenomenal. She says, “I have we modified our parental leave pol- our people managers on leading
been with Accenture for nearly two icies, such as our maternal, pater- with compassion and empathy.
decades and am proud to belong to nal, adoption and surrogacy leave,
an organisation that both encour- to make them more inclusive and Future Skills
ages and supports me to push the focus on the importance of care On the Post-Covid hybrid work cul-
envelope and be my best self. Over giving versus gender-binaries. We ture and the accompanying chal-
the years I have had access to truly have also enhanced our medical in- lenges, Lakshmi says, “The pan-
boundaryless learning and career surance benefits programme to give demic has brought about an era of
opportunities that have built on our people the choice to personalise compressed transformation. And
my strengths and capabilities and their medical insurance based on talent strategy is perhaps the most
helped me make an impact on our their unique family situation. important element of the com-
people’s experience through inno- pressed transformation conundrum
vative talent practices. The tremen- “Lastly, we need to remain laser that organisations are grappling
dously talented Accenture teams I focused on ensuring that our people with. Organisations need to rethink
have worked with across the world become lifelong learners by imple- how they design work and roles to
have helped shape my journey to menting innovative learning deliv- create the right balance between
becoming the leader I am today.” ery strategies. Every year Accenture humans and technology, their tal-
spends nearly US$1 billion globally ent sourcing strategies and how
The role of HR lead for Accen- on learning and development.” they can adopt more hybrid models
ture in India is both challenging of work.”
and inspiring, says Lakshmi, espe- Covid Response
cially since India is a hub of inno- Given the uncertainties and
vation for Accenture globally and With great alacrity, the leadership complexities globally, Lakshmi
an important talent location. The swiftly enabled the transition for emphasises, “Continuous learning
responsibility of 2,50,000 employ- the entire staff to remote working is imperative to remaining relevant
ees is a mammoth one and Lakhsmi environment, equipping them ap- and our immersive and personalised
says, “It is key to build trust-based propriate infrastructure. “We have L&D programmes focus on building
experiences for people so that they since navigated the pandemic keep- skills for tomorrow and integrating
truly feel seen, safe, connected and ing our people’s well-being as our learning across our business.”
courageous.” north star. Technology has been a
big enabler for us. We have since Another priority is to enable
Unlocking People Potential long been one of the world’s most inclusive growth and skill margin-
“Caring for people is caring for digitally enabled organisations.” alised people in our communities
your business. Accenture’s ‘Care – for instance persons with disabil-
to do Better’ research establishes On human level, the organisa- ities, transgenders and people from
that by meeting six fundamental tion supported employees through economically weaker sections of
human needs at work — emotion- measures like 24*7 emergency help- society.
al & mental, relational, physical, line, remote doctor consultations,
financial, purposeful and employ- home delivery of relief kits, oxygen WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
able — organisations can unlock concentrators, and caregiver leave
their people’s full potential. We call options. The organisation offered
expert sessions on relevant topics,
BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 37 group and grief counseling for those

MOST
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WOMEN

MADHUMITA MITRA

CHRO and Senior VP-HR,
Welspun (Manufacturing)

IN THE

ROLE OF

JOINING › It is Mitra’s firm belief that for

DOTS businesses to prosper, employees’
individual career trajectory has
to be nurtured

M adhumita Mitra has traversed several The aim is now to keep the learning curve ongoing,
industries ever since starting her ca- through upskilling programmes around tech tools, re-
reer with HCL Technologies in 1995 wards, identifying and nurturing digital champions and
— transport, logistics, oil and gas, more.

telecom, IT, FMCG. She has worked with organisations Sum Of Individuals
At the same time, she is firm on balancing business and
like Hindustan Unilever, Aircel, Linde and NIS Spar- people perspective, cautioning, “I firmly believe that any
business strategy that blindsides people perspectives,
ta and has taken on global roles in various capacities. is not well crafted. The advancement of organisation
is only powered by the collective of individual growth
Prior to Welspun, Mitra was associated with AP Moller trajectories. We as people professionals have this act of
joining dots – and creating agile teams and workflows
-Maersk. that are mutually beneficial.”

At Welspun, her focus currently is on further digital She further informs how Welspun strives to get it
right as early on possible – starting from talent selection.
advancement. She informs, “Welspun has been a fore- “The specific people goals are to drive employee experi-

runner and essentially it has now advanced digitised WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

capabilities in every organisation workflow. Technology

governs a lot of areas at Welspun. The tech infrastruc-

ture at Welspun is a growing unit and from the human

perspective, it is our focus to build the right skill capabil-

ities to avoid talent loss due to redundancy.”

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ence along the lifecycle journey, build capable successors
for critical roles and build a pool of mobile talent at all
levels. This principles are in tandem with our business
needs and hence the return on people investments are
well defined. The globe is in a state where the war for
talent is boosted by the concern of un-employability – the
most effective solution to the issue is to grow talent in-
side. That is at core governing fact of people practices at
Welspun.”

Mitra’s own experience at Welspun has been fruitful,
and she has got opportunities to ideate, experiment, in-
novate strategies and to add value to the organisation.
“The forward looking nature of the organisation – is in
itself a boon for agile learners. Apart of the cultural set-
ting, the organisation also provides dedicated leadership
development platforms, leadership exchange forums –
all this culminated together provides a thriving environ-
ment for leaders and teams alike,” she elaborates.

Prompt Measures succession. The entire employee lifecycle events were
Like all proactive and dynamic HR leaders, Mitra has conducted virtually, – right from video interviews and
taken the Covid, lockdown and the new normal chal- predictive assessments in talent selection process, virtu-
lenge head on. She describes a host of measures that the al cultural orientation, gamification and digital learning
organisation took for employee wellbeing and smooth platforms, workload distribution tools, continuous com-
functioning of business. munication through virtual townhalls and online talent
recognition platforms.”
On the employee front, she informs, “For us our
employee’s welfare is of utmost priority and hence the These efforts strengthened organisation resilience
existing wellness practices were extended to build an and as a team Welspun over achieved revenues even
employee isolation and recovery unit in our Anjar Facil- amidst the pandemic setback.
ity. The organisation also provided protection cover for
employee’s families, 24x7 health helpline, home isolation Her approach regarding the next normal is calm and
care partnerships, hospitalisation, oxygen provisions and assuring. “The problems that arise are not intrinsic, rath-
more. er more towards the need to shift gears. Managers need
to align their style of management, teams need to adapt
On the work front she says, “We had seamlessly tran- to the new- age technology for execution, and leaders
sitioned into a hybrid working model for our corporate must develop capabilities to influence.”
setups and our manufacturing facilities operated by
the audited practices of Penta-Protocol that ensured all Human Connect
round protection and wellbeing of our associates at every From the HR front, the requirement is to build diversi-
touchpoint. The business operations were supported by ty in teams – beyond the boundaries of gender, through
virtual collaboration tools, virtual product galleries, au- improved representation which in turn will add newer
tomated productivity monitoring systems and proactive niches to businesses. The other challenge that Mitra
job rotation for building readiness towards emergency points out is of disconnect – in culture, communication
and care, and it is in this note that we hope to see em-
The specific people goals ployee experience designers who can create seamless
weave of organisation practices in a hybrid setup. “A good
(of Welspun) are to drive start is if we individually start now to reimagine our roles
and organisations, in their capacity, foster strategic and
employee experience along SME skills to support that transformation. In real terms
organisations, in their journey towards the next normal,
the lifecycle journey, build shall be required to engineer technology and human con-
nections for success,” she suggests. 
capable successors for

critical roles and build a pool

of mobile talent at all levels”

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 39 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

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WOMEN

MAMATA VEGUNTA

Director – Human Resources,
Invesco India Private Ltd.

› From a poet
father to other
family elders
who imparted
valuable
life lessons,
Vegunta has
had a rich
repertoire in
family to learn
from

HOME-GROWN H ere is a human resource
LEADERSHIP journey that started at
home. Vegunta vouches
BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 40 for the importance of les-

sons learnt at home, saying, “I have been

fortunate to get a rounded view on life and

leadership even as I was growing up. My

father, being an acclaimed poet, would

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talk about leadership in a manner Investment In People good example because as leaders we
that was different from the narrative face these challenges in our teams.
of many others. He would say that The uniqueness of her perspective Everyone means well; they commu-
leadership is about contribution and comes through in her understanding nicate differently.
sacrifice, and that leaders are not of how organisations and its people
extraordinary but do extraordinary prosper. She explains the symbiotic Making Sense of Change
things to empower others. Simi- relation between an organisation
larly, in my married home, I have and its employees: “I do believe that Well-placed to process the tectonic
been fortunate enough to see my the perfect tuning and organisation- shift during Covid-19, Vegunta says,
father-in-law ‘practise’ leadership. al alignment happens when (a) peo- “The pandemic changed our pur-
He was as inclusive as one can be, ple understand, share and support pose. We are not the people we were
and I learnt from him that gener- the company’s vision and goals , and before the pandemic. The world
osity makes you the owner and not (b) organisation knows the pulse around us has changed. This may
the giver. My mother and mom-in- of its people and supports them in cause us some discomfort, but the
law are phenomenal women with their pursuit of finding a purpose at essence of life is in the renewals and
unique perspectives and strong voic- work. transformations.”
es. I continue to work with amazing
leaders and teams. All these have “As a team, we have the drive to She further says, “We should con-
shaped my perspectives.” learn and grow together. We con- sciously embrace this transition and
stantly work on people and organisa- use it to craft an intentional, mean-
The learning has continued all tional alignment, fostering a culture ingful future. We are in a liminal
through the 25 years of career and of excellence and client centricity, moment for people and the world of
Vegunta is candid in admitting, “The where our people feel empowered, work, and our responsibility as lead-
people and organisations I have have a promising future and know ers is to reimagine work and people;
worked with provided me opportu- that they belong.” and nudge and lead this change.”
nities and helped me find meaning
and thrive.” Over the last decade or She elaborates, “Invesco is a Her take on what constitutes
so, she has been an active participant learning organisation which inten- work is also insightful: “In a world
in industry forums working on sev- tionally invests in people. We have a where work provides identity, the
eral initiatives. One such initiative culture of inclusion and excellence, pandemic has shifted the work-life
is an organisational framework for where we empower our people to perspective. Work is what you do;
women’s safety and security, which meet the needs of our clients, em- not a place you go to, every day. Life
she helped create though the Society ployees, and shareholders. We want is no longer at the fringes of work. It
for Cyberabad Security Council and the best for our people. We want to is fused into work. Purpose doesn’t
Cyberabad Police. watch their growth through new have to be outside what is consid-
skills, new experiences, new per- ered work. As a leader in the people
We want to spectives — and we want it to be function, my priority is to ease these
meaningful both personally and transformations.”
be excited by professionally. Our culture thrives,
because our people can be their best While mentioning empathy,
work. We want selves, doing their best work — for wellness and mental health and gen-
our clients and each other.” der challenges, she again adds a phil-
happiness, but osophical note, saying, “We want to
In this context, her advice to any work on things that have a purpose.
in our search for leader is, “Recognising effort and We want to be excited by work. We
contribution makes the leader a part want happiness, but in our search for
it on road trips of the team that succeeded; not rec- it on road trips and weekend geta-
ognising alienates the leader.” ways we are disappointed with what
and weekend we find. Our growth and happiness
Leading in an inter-generation- happen slowly over time. In this age
getaways we are al context has become even more of instant gratifications, we try to by-
important. “My son talks about pass delays. But we need to embrace
disappointed purpose and leadership in a very the ‘long game of life’ and invest in
different manner than his father. those days, months, and years in the
with what we It’s fascinating to hear them debate. slow but intentional growth that
As a referee, I get the impression leads to lasting change.” 
find” that they are saying the same thing
but speak different languages. It’s a

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WOMEN

NAMRATHA ROY

Chief People Officer, Zenoti
(Software Company)

ALL FOR MARKET
DISRUPTION

› Imbibing much from her global experiences, Roy is soaked in the

innovative work ethos of her organisation

N amrata Roy, a certified coach in Integral
Coaching Methodology, has a global ex-
posure in human resources across sev-
eral industries, having been associated

with organisations like Microsoft and Cisco Systems.

Excerpts from an interview:

What are the key motivators for you? leader in this industry, offering software and solutions
The opportunity to lead transformational growth that enable the success of our customers in the beauty
through high-quality teams and innovative solutions at- and wellness industry. I am motivated by the challenges
tracts and motivates me. I love my work and wake up that I get to solve, and the opportunity to be part of a
excited about the small and big opportunities to impact market leader’s growth story.
Zenoti’s business success through people and culture.
Lastly, one can only reach their full potential if they
I’m always excited about market disruptions, social focus on their wellbeing. The culture at Zenoti encour-
missions and opportunities to create value and be a part ages me to take accountability for my wellbeing while
of building something big. I do my best work in cultures supporting me through various wellness programmes
that are collaborative, inclusive and entrepreneurial. and resources, as well as progressive policies like gener-
Values are non-negotiable, the willingness of the organ- ous time-off and flexible work hours.
isations to ensure values are always front and center is
important and I’m passionate about enabling organisa- WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
tions to live their values.

In what ways is your organisation an enabling
workplace?

To begin with, the company believes there is greatness
in every single person, and for that greatness to be ex-
pressed, they need to feel good. And this overarching
philosophy extends inwards to employees and externally
to our customers.

Next, we work in an environment that allows us to
do meaningful work and deliver exceptional customer
experiences. Zenoti is already a unicorn and a market

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Photograph by CANVA

What is the revenue status of the people function. The HR swers and we’re listening keenly to
function will need to enable a our employees to learn & evolve our
and monetisation model of the high-functioning organisation that approach to how we engage with hy-
can execute seamlessly through brid work and teams.
company and how do you see people, structure, process and
culture. Zenoti’s ability to extend Our perspective is that how and
the role of HR contribute to successfully into adjacent markets from where work gets done will con-
and segments is also dependent on tinue to evolve in the future and it’s
this in the big picture? how effectively the people function almost impossible to identify and
can create the infrastructure in a solve for problems proactively. So,
Zenoti employs a SaaS delivery model new country or facilitate org design we leverage trust and empowerment
as part of which we charge recurring and talent development so we retain as the cornerstones that will enable
subscription fee to our customers in our top spot in developing product managers and employees to balance
the beauty & wellness industry across and ensuring amazing customer organisational and employee needs
enterprise, mid-market and small adoption and experience, globally. and find solutions that solve for indi-
business segments. The frequency viduals, teams and the organisation.
could be monthly, quarterly, semi- What are the challenges of
annual or annual. Along with our hybrid work culture that you Productivity is always top of
core platform, we also offer multiple are grappling with at Zenoti? mind as we continue to navigate
value-based add-ons that customers As we know, the onset of the pan- the new or the next normal. Zenoti’s
can purchase as additional top-ups to demic forced the work-from-home laser focus on the OKR (Objectives
their core subscription. We also have experiment at full throttle for many and Key Results) methodology (and
a professional services group that companies. However, Zenoti’s pace of powered by technology) as a means
assists customers with migration, growth and global presence prompt- to align goals and track progress
adoption etc, which are charged as ed us to embrace and operationalise at the company, business unit
one-time service fees. Lastly, we also hybrid quite early and in fact, 2020 and individual levels, ensures we
offer payment processing capabilities was one of our most successful years. deliver on our commitments to our
via our integrated payment solution That said, we don’t have all the an- customers, investors and employees
and charge processing fees as even while embracing a fully hybrid
percentage of transaction volumes. environment. 

Being the market leader in
this space gives us enormous
opportunity and elevates the role

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 43 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

MOST

INFLUENTIAL

WOMEN
PAVITRA SINGH

CHRO PepsiCo

WORK is(Food&Beverage)

Challenging,

Creative & Fun

› Epitomising strength and poise in dire situations, Singh showed
her mettle as new CHRO in Covid times

By Sugandh Bahl

W hen Pavitra Sin- and people are impacted. Business planning our meetings, our re-
gh took over as results are impacted, business eco- views, our office and our business.
Chief Human system is impacted. So, HR had to Everything was up for discussion.
Resource Officer be more of a business partner and Digital is a horizontal way of work-
also a people emotion facilitator.” ing that challenges the conventional
at PepsiCo — an organisation she hierarchy of organisation charts.
Sense Of Surety
has been associated with for close At another level, the learning was This is the area where her fo-
in terms of managing emotions. “I cus is on, as, “the digital wave is an
to 10 years — in October 2019, lit- think managing the emotions on opportunity to reskill the organisa-
a daily basis became important. tion, rethink the old cost and tal-
tle did she know what was in store Normally, one manages emotions ent structure.... Digitisation is an
around events like appraisal cycle, opportunity to reduce complexity
a few months later. For HR profes- promotion cycle, annual confer- in an organisation it is also an op-
ences, annual offsites. Suddenly we portunity to drive more horizontal
sionals, it was the most challenging, were managing emotions on a daily collaboration.”
basis. The biggest emotion was ‘un-
yet learning experience that one sure”. You had to provide some sense Another area of focus is coach-
of sureness in an unsure world,” Sin- ing the leaders to be better commu-
could think of. Hoping that it would gh remembers. nicators, including the ability to in-
dulge in small talk breaking the ice
be once-in-a-lifetime event, Singh As regards change in work pat- conversation in a remote call.
terns, she says, “We had to rethink
recounts her numerous learnings the digital impact on business and She is also focussed on fairness
look at how we work digitally, in in organisation. “We cannot have
during this phase. an inner circle that gets rewarded

“I learnt that there was no play- WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

book, no one to talk to, no previous

experience to learn from. One learnt

by doing the right thing irrespective

of cost, one learnt by exchanging

notes with the peer group and col-

lectively brainstorming.” She adds,

“In a crisis like this, both business

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 44

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

Photograph by BoykoPictures

because they are in the line of sight life in the context of what’s hap- challenged to do better, to do more
of the boss and an outer circle that pened and in the context of the se- and to contribute more. So, intel-
gets neglected since they are not curity of a job is a trend,” she states. lectually I never stagnated in any
seen regularly. This will be a real role.” In particular, it shows Singh’s
challenge of the hybrid work world. Value Creation All Along personal trait when she says, “I will
Making everyone feel included in a always be grateful to PepsiCo for of-
hybrid setting will be the other one.” Looking back, Singh remembers, “I fering me a sabbatical when it was
never started out my career journey not the norm so that I could take
She realises that an increased saying I want to be CHRO or what- care of my family need and equally
emphasis on health and wellness is ever in a career. I wanted to be a come back into a fantastic role.”
shaping up and organisations will good contributor, someone who can
need to keep this at centre stage. be trusted to do the right thing by On the whole, she is happy
“Employees reevaluating their own the employee and the organisation. about her professional journey, and
After I had my daughter, I wanted says, “Each of my roles has given me
I learnt (during to be a good friend and mom to her. an opportunity to create something
Covid) that there What drives me is my goal to make special and impact employee and
was no playbook, a positive impact in whatever I do, the organisation in different ways.
no previous without the negative thoughts of I have enjoyed my work on culture
experience to comparison or ‘what if ’ situations. I transformation, I have equally had
learn from. One do my best and hope that everyone great fun in managing campus re-
learnt by doing recognises me for it — as an em- cruitment. We went digital with
the right thing ployee, as a friend, as a mom, as a campus recruitment way back in
irrespective of family member.” 2007, when no one did it, we ran
cost, one learnt exciting contests for our target stu-
by exchanging In this journey, the organisa- dents to build talent pipelines etc.
notes” tions she has been part of have also Equally, roles like leading DEI have
played their part. She expresses her been personally very fulfilling as it
gratitude to them, especially to Pep- gave me an opportunity to pave a
siCo. path for the next many generations.
Work has been challenging, creative
“PepsiCo has offered me a wide and hence fun.” 
variety of roles - local and global - in
my last 16 years. I have always felt WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 45

MOST
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WOMEN

RAJU MISTRY

President and Global Chief
People Officer at Cipla
(Pharmaceuticals)

“WORKING
WITH
PEOPLE IS
ENERGY
BOOSTER”

› Dynamic, driven and
insightful, Mistry leads
the HR function of Cipla
front, back and centre

I do not see my job as “work” – I
spend enormous amounts of
time doing what I like to do
best – that is people man-

agement,” It is with this spirit that

Raju Mistry is leading the HR func-

tion at Cipla. Rightly placed to man-

age people in the organisation, she says,

“I thrive at every opportunity to make a

difference, contribute in any meaningful

way to our employees. I seldom take things as

a given and seek every opportunity to move to

the next level or continuously improve....

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 46 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

“I believe that our role is not that “Listening and active listening is one I believe that
of an enabler or support function – of the main technique that can be de- nearly than 70-
but a partner. Therefore I make it ployed to solve not only employee’s 80 per cent of
a point to understand the business problems but any problems. One of problems can
issues and challenges and create the the areas that organisations need to be resolved if
HR agenda that is aligned to drive improve upon is the will and skill to people are heard
business and employee engagement. listen effectively. Organisations have and listened to.
I see the HR role as a custodian and to become not only learning organ- Many solutions
champion of both business as well as isations but listening organisations. originate at the
employee interest and maintaining On a very conservative note I believe source of the
that balance is very crucial.” that nearly than 70- 80 per cent of problem itself”
problems can be resolved if people
Energy At Workplace are heard and listened to. Many solu- nessed, real time communication,
When Mistry says, “I also draw a lot tions originate at the source of the openness to share resources, know-
of energy in working with my team problem itself. Fostering authentici- how and anything that was required
– it is like creating magic with them ty and trust also serves to minimise to combat this situation. The one
every day, learning, sharing, debat- problems.” thing that stood out during this peri-
ing, ideating – it helps all of us to od is the safety and care that was ex-
grow and keep us rejuvenated. Be- Most importantly, it is also how perienced by all our employees who
ing a people’s person, working with we perceive and view the ‘problem’, had to show up for work across our
people gives me my energy booster,” she believes. Just change the lens and sites, labs, depots and field. The HR
“such energy would also rub off on look at every problem as an oppor- and Admin teams did an outstand-
other team members and translate tunity to make a difference, to solve ing job of providing and ensuring
into high motivation level. something, to create something. Fi- that everything pertaining to em-
nally, there is no one best approach ployee (and their family) safety and
Such a high-on-motivation per- to solving problems – every situation health was taken care of.”
son herself, Mistry feels happy to is unique and different. Going into
be part of Cipla which continues to details to understand the situation About the problems of next
will provide high probability of suc- normal, she counters, “Actually I
offer an amazing opportunity to cessful resolution, she emphasises. don’t see these as problems – but
make a difference to its 25,000+ opportunities. While the pandem-
employees, and to the society. Concerted Care ic played havoc across the world,
the silver lining that it offered was
“Cipla perhaps is one of the very Speaking about the organisation the enormous amount and pace of
few organisations that spelled functioning as one synchronised change. The wonders of the virtual
out its purpose ‘Caring for unit, she cites the example of Covid working would probably never be
management, saying, “Organisations experienced in ‘normal’ times. The
Life’ more than 85 years ago are run by teams and people accom- pandemic forced most of us to reim-
and continues to hold that plish the impossible when they come agine the ways we work – so many
in a very strong and signifi- together. We did it together as a fam- business processes got reconfigured
cant way,” she says, adding, ily that understood the magnitude – these have generated both efficien-
of the crisis, we reminded ourselves cy and great employee/ customer
“I am reminded of Viktor of the purpose that we all stand for experience.” 
Frankl’s book Man’s Search “Caring for Life” – and the rest was
For Meaning (1946) where easy. Our Covid Task Force centrally
people who survived the comprised of nearly 20-25 members
holocaust were those that representing different functions and
found greater meaning and the geography based Covid Task force
purpose in their lives.” comprising of the different function-
al members were in constant com-
Solution At Source munication – sharing practices that
Mistry has deep — and worked in real time.

philosophical — insight “One amazing thing was the
into problem-solving in or- amount of coordination, collabo-
ganisations, an approach ration and sharing that we all wit-
which can lend itself to any
situation, at individual or
societal level. Her advice:

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 47 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

MOST VISHPALA REDDY
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN Head HR – Philips Indian
Subcontinent (Healthcare)

“STAY
CTTORAUUTESHEE”

› Having the H eading the human resources for the healthcare major Philips
courage to in the Indian subcontinent, including Srilanka, Nepal, Bhu-
withstand internal tan & Bangladesh, Vishpalla Reddy is entrusted with several
and external critical responsibilities, like HR across market commercial
pressure to
conform is Reddy’s operations, Philips innovation campus (R&D), healthcare innovation cen-
cherished goal for
all coworkers tre, global business services and factories. Prior to Philips India, Reddy has

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 48 worked with organisations like Uber and American Express, and has got

wide exposure in terms of managing large employee base across boundaries.

She shares her vision of the role of HR, and her role in the organisation.

WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

What is your driving force? new developments and significant I believe in
What drives me personally is to contributions to ensure effective mentoring
meaningfully create business im- running of Philips. As meaning- women at the
pacts through HR strategy and in- ful innovation stays at the heart of workplace
terventions. This is possible only everything we do, our aim is to im- where sharing
through strong partnerships with prove people’s health and well-be- learnings as a
business leaders and balancing em- ing. Never has this central tenet working mother
ployee and employer needs. I be- been more important than it is dur- would assist
lieve that HR does drive measurable ing these challenging times. Our and encourage
results like any other strategic func- focus areas are to deepen our lead- others to
tion in an organisation. Another ership task of patient safety, quality navigate their
factor that drives me is the opportu- and integrity, to enable our leaders career decisions
nity to work with talented individu- and empower our people as well. as well”
als from diverse backgrounds which
is an enriching process to interact How do you ensure that care’ approach to identify customer
and learn from colleagues to work organistional goals and needs, employee wellbeing as well
together in a collaborative environ- employee needs are in sync, as business continuity. This includ-
ment. I believe in mentoring wom- and in case of problems ed remote servicing for our custom-
en at the workplace where sharing coming up on employee front, ers during the lockdown, managing
learnings as a working mother how do you solve those while demand and supply at the factory to
would assist and encourage others keeping organisation’s goals continue operations to support our
to navigate their career decisions in mind? customers. We also developed agile
as well. This includes reiterating Philips has relentlessly worked to HR policies and benefits to ensure
the importance of family, sponsors provide a healthy and conducive employee engagement and produc-
in the workplace and defining one’s work environment for its employ- tivity during the tough times. The
own path at a pace that works for ees, and we have reconfigured our pandemic allowed us to explore
them. working mechanism likewise. The new ways of working together and
manager’s role is to enable the em- enabled us to embrace flexibility, to
What has been your journey ployee in being productive. The key collaborate impactfully and connect
like at Philips India and what to achieve an organisation’s goals is virtually.
has been your learning curve to have capable managers who are
here? compassionate and can empathise As a people person, what are
Philips is an organisation that is with employee’s problems. For the the goals you strive to achieve
deep rooted with an innovation cul- betterment of our employees as in an organisation apart from
ture and looks at leaders across the well as the organisation we make management goals?
organisation for role model leader- sure that we offer a free space to the Apart from management goals,
ship behaviours — such as taking employees for transparent commu- the ability to be agile and charter
decisions boldly and swiftly with nication and break away from the the unknown is crucial. We ought
an enterprise mindset. Moreover, silos. to consciously move from driving
the organisation has enabled us to change to shape the future thinking
shape our future, drive swift exe- How have you accomplished from a strategic perspective. Anoth-
cution, develop people to upgrade the task of managing an er goal is the courage to lead with the
capabilities as well. Philips encour- entire organisation during a purpose of standing up to internal
ages me to be at my best, embrace pandemic? and external pressure to conform in
flexibility and collaborate impact- Philips has remained committed to order to stay true to the cause you
fully. This enables me to operate the wellbeing of its employees, espe- believe in. 
and bring out my best at work for cially during the Covid-19 pandem-
myself and my team. ic. The Philips management team WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM
has worked extensively to navigate
In your role as an HR person, through the pandemic where we
how do you ensure efficient did adopt several initiatives for em-
running of the organisation? ployee safety and wellbeing. We at
We continuously come up with Philips have adopted a ‘triple duty of

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 49

MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN

DEEPTI GUPTA MANU WADHWA Bachelors in Economics from the
University of Rajasthan. An epicure-
EVP and Head-HR, CHRO, Sony Pictures an globetrotter, Manu likes to trav-
Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd. Networks el and experience culinary delights
from across the world. 
DYNAMIC
NOOPUR JAIN
TALENT AGENDA
A HR Director, Tupperware
India and Change

Leader - Asia Pacific

human resource manage-
ment specialist, Wadhwa
joined Sony Pictures Net-
works India in 2019 to drive the
people strategy for the network. In
her current role, she is responsible
to create a compelling employee
experience while establishing lead-
ership and promoting best talent
practices. With a career spanning
over two decades across various in-
dustries and countries, she has pilot-
ed the workplace and people agenda
for dynamic global organisations
like American Express and General
Electric, in roles as head HR, talent DRIVEN BY
LEADING HR & development, M&A, HR transfor-
mation, and change & digital inno- POSITIVITY,
TRANSFORMATION vation. Prior to joining SPN in 2019,
Manu was associated with Coca-Co- PASSION & PRIDE
la, as the Head of Human Resourc-
es - India and South West Asia. She L
A is co-chairperson of CII Western eading as the HR Director
n HR leader skilled in Region Council for Leadership and of Tupperware India, Noop-
large-scale organisation- HR; member, Society for Human ur Jain, a Delhi School of
al transformation and Economics graduate, has been as-
Resources Management (SHRM) sociated with Tupperware for past 5
change management, Deepti Gup- – Asia Pacific Advisory Board; and
years. Jain has over has 18+ years of
ta is known to have worked across board member (observer), Jombay. HR experience working with organ-

a variety of domains, including IT, Manu holds a PGDBA in Human isations that boast rich cross-cul-
Resources from Symbiosis Centre
ITeS, internet and telecom, phar- for Management and Human Re- tural environments like the US, Eu-
rope, Korea & India. She has worked
maceutical, energy etc. She has source Development, Pune, and a across various domains of HR cov-

proven her acumen in working ering strategy, talent acquisition &

across consulting and business HR, management, talent engagement &

and has also been instrumental in development, compensation & ben-

driving key shifts from culture per- efits, change management & talent

spective and HR transformation. transformation.

Gupta is experienced in building She has also been a part of the
prestigious Tupperware change
and leading large teams across all leaders team at an APAC level. Jain

areas of HR, like talent manage- is an ardent believer and follower

ment, performance management, of 3P’s as her main mantra in life -

learning, rewards and partnering. “Positivity”, “Passion”, and “Pride”.

Prior to working with Jubilant This is something she believes in

Foodworks, this MDI-Gurgaon both personally and professionally.
At present she is happily enjoying
alumna was associated with Info her maternity phase. 

Edge as Executive VP-HR. 

BW PEOPLE JUNE 2022 50 WWW.BWPEOPLE.COM