From the CHRO’s Den: How an eye for the P&L and an appetite for transformation set 40 HR leaders in India apart from a pool of thousands

The CHRO’s Den is an invite-only community of HR and Learning chiefs who are hungry about supercharging talent in APAC in the 2020s. Every week, we discuss pressing topics on HR and L&D - from great examples of initiatives driven by our peers to tips on how we can successfully develop talent in our organisations. By joining the CHRO’s Den, you’ll get weekly insights, tips, exclusive invitations to peer discussions and opportunities to network with trailblazers of the HR, learning and business circles. Fill in this form to join the guestlist.

--

What a great time it is to be a HR leader in India today. The country is slowly but surely enhancing its standing as a nation that is increasingly able to attract, grow and retain talent after it climbed eight positions in the 2020 Global Competitive Index. With India reported to be the world’s youngest population this year and have the world’s largest workforce by 2027, the 2020s is serving up to be a decade rich with potential.

I was therefore really excited to be a part of a jury that selected 40 of India’s top rising HR leaders from a significantly larger pool of applicants last week. We were on the lookout for professionals who would embody the roaring people leader of the 2020s: someone who looks at their job not as an administrative function, but as a strategic partner to the c-suite that makes a real business impact. It wasn’t an easy task, but after much deliberation with my fellow judges, we finalised the BusinessWorld People 40 under 40 HR list.

The applicants went through a screening process where they pitched some of the milestones they have achieved during their career in the hopes of being inducted into this esteemed list. While each one of them came in with impressive track records and achievements, I’d like to share the three common factors — along with some fine examples — that helped these 40 individuals stand out from their peers as the cream of the HR crop:

1. Made a clear impact on the balance sheet

One very encouraging takeaway from this exercise is the desire that many in the 40 under 40 HR list had to create a real business impact for their organisation. The Head of Business HR and Talent Management for Panasonic, for instance, led the HR strategy for business continuity this year, ensuring that there were zero layoffs during the pandemic. Another one of the winners saved his organisation more than a million dollars by significantly reducing cost of hires and making efficiency gains in HR processes.

2. Promoted a strong culture of learning within their respective organisations

Learning and development has a strong positive impact on retaining and engaging employees, and it was encouraging to see that a majority of the winners embraced this. HT Media’s HR Head was popular among the jury in that she curated learning programmes according to various employee demographics, instead of implementing a one-size-fits-none initiative. She rolled out bite-sized digital learning to help upskill the sales department and introduced reverse mentorship sessions for the leadership team.

3. Acted as a champion of transformation

The 40 individuals who were shortlisted embodied the notion that HR leaders should be at the heart of transformation initiatives due to their strong understanding of what makes people tick. I was particularly impressed by the HR Head of ICICI Securities, who spearheaded an organisational restructuring process aimed at reducing cost inefficiencies and boosting profitability. She also transformed her organisation’s L&D efforts by rolling out bite-sized learning on-the-go that employees could consume while working from home. Due to the demands of the pandemic, she shifted year-end employee and compensation assessments virtually in order to ensure that these critical processes that are typically conducted physically can still take place seamlessly.

To sum up, the Businessworld People 40 under 40 HR list was a great avenue to take stock of the characteristics and attributes needed for people leaders to succeed in the 2020s. While the first two points in the article were previously elaborated upon in The CHRO’s Den, our next discussion on Wednesday 7 October will focus on digital transformation.

Christopher Lind  — who is the Global Head of Digital Learning for GE Healthcare and a people leader who has spent his entire career reimagining L&D —  will be on the panel to share how HR professionals can make a business impact while keeping people at the heart of the change initiatives you drive. Joining him is Darren Yong  —  Head of Client and Market Development & TMT at KPMG and an expert that has worked with the biggest brands on transformation programs — who will be providing us with insights on the topic from a business leader’s perspective. 

We look forward to having you at the webinar, which will be held on Wednesday, 7th October at 9.00pm SGT. For members of The CHRO’s Den, more details will be in your inbox real soon. For those who are not members yet, you’ll get exclusive invites to this discussion and more once you sign up for The CHRO’s Den and your application is approved.

See you there!