Lumax World gets a new global R&D head HR, Lumax Industries-Engineering Centre in Parul Pruthi. She moves from Revolt where she had been playing CHRO since 2025. Parul Pruthi began her professional journey with Aon Hewitt, as production support analyst, in 2006. Over a year into this role, she was elevated to PeopleSoft HR consultant. In April of 2010, armed with an MBA in HR from the International Management Institute (IMI) Delhi, Pruthi joined Magneti Marelli S.p.A-Electronic Systems and Powertrain, as senior HR generalist. Among her responsibilities were: manpower planning and budgeting, policy formulation, headcount reporting for all JVs to…
Author: HRK News Bureau
Kroger, the US supermarket chain with 409,000 employees and more than 2,700 stores, has announced plans to lay off 3,000 corporate staff over the next three years. The decision comes as the company accelerates its use of artificial intelligence to streamline operations, reduce duplication and redesign workflows. The move reflects broader pressures in the retail sector. Kroger faces intense competition from Walmart, Amazon and discount chains such as Aldi and Lidl, all of which are reshaping consumer expectations around price, convenience and delivery. Kroger’s proposed merger with Albertsons was blocked in 2024 on antitrust grounds, leaving the company to pursue…
India’s AI boom is creating jobs that go well beyond conventional software engineering. According to Indeed, postings for forward deployed engineers (FDEs) grew nearly 19 fold between June 2025 and June 2026, peaking at an 1,807 per cent year on year rise in June. Even after moderating, demand remained far higher than the previous year, suggesting FDEs are becoming a structural part of how companies deploy technology. The role blends technical depth with customer engagement. FDEs are expected to work directly with clients, assess whether AI systems fit workflows, and ensure deployments deliver measurable business results. Skills listed on Glassdoor…
Zomato, the online food ordering, delivery and restaurant-discovery platform, has picked Siddharth Junjurde for the role of regional head-human resources. This engineering graduate began his tryst with HR as an HR partner with Amazon in 2017. Over five and a half years into this role, he moved to JLL as administrative business partner. Curefit appointed him human resources business partner in February of 2024. Soon, he was roped in by Zocdoc in a similar capacity. His association with Delhivery, the logistics services provider, began in July of 2025. With a background in Mechanical Engineering, Siddharth Junjurde sure has managed to…
SpiceJet is facing fresh turbulence as around 40 pilots operating its Q400 aircraft refused to fly until their pending salaries are cleared. The protest has drawn support from the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA), which has assured solidarity and assistance to the pilots. The airline, already grappling with financial and operational challenges for months, is under close watch by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to fleet data, SpiceJet currently has 10 aircraft in operation, including two Q400s, while 37 planes remain grounded. The pilots’ stand, as described by ALPA, is a defence of their rights, professional…
The Telangana government has announced a major bonus for employees of Singareni Collieries Company (SCCL) following the coal miner’s profit of Rs 1,754 crore. Every permanent employee will receive Rs 1,53,912, while each contract worker will get Rs 5,500. The announcement continues the tradition of festival bonuses ahead of Dasara. Beyond the bonus, the government has outlined a series of welfare measures. Pending compassionate appointment cases—estimated at 250–300—will be cleared within 15 days. Housing initiatives are being expanded, healthcare facilities upgraded, and solar power-generation projects strengthened. District collectors and SCCL officials have been directed to prepare lists of eligible beneficiaries…
Digital lending platform Kissht has launched Kissht Mitra, a mental wellness programme offering employees confidential access to psychologists and coaches, as companies increasingly look to make professional support more accessible at work. Launched on 10 October, coinciding with World Mental Health Day, the programme has been developed in partnership with Yin Yang Leadership Solutions. Sessions will be available to employees from 15 October. The initiative gives employees access to three practitioners with experience in psychology, psychotherapy, leadership coaching and organisational development. The programme is open to all employees, with practitioners bound by confidentiality agreements intended to help employees seek support…
AGI Greenpac has appointed Shaili Tyagi as chief human resources officer (CHRO), effective 12 October 2026. Tyagi brings over 25 years of experience in human resources, with a background spanning talent management, leadership development, organisational effectiveness and business transformation. Her career includes senior HR leadership roles at Sheela Foam, DCM Shriram, Bharti Airtel and Telenor India, alongside experience in HR transformation at Syngenta India and learning and development at Sodexo. Prior to joining AGI Greenpac, Tyagi was CHRO at Sheela Foam, which owns the Sleepwell and Kurlon brands, since May 2024. Before that, she spent nearly six years at DCM…
Yuken India has appointed Ganesh S S as head–human resources (senior manager – HRD), effective 10 October 2026. The appointment was approved by the company’s Board of Directors on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. The company formalised the appointment through a circular resolution passed on 13 October 2026 and disclosed the decision to the BSE and the National Stock Exchange under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015. Ganesh brings over 15 years of experience in human resources across IT, manufacturing and construction. His expertise spans HR business partnering, talent acquisition, performance…
AI-focused telecom technology company blackNgreen (BNG) plans to expand its technology workforce by 65 to 100 per cent over the next 12 months as it increases hiring in India and international markets. The company also expects to double its sales and business development teams within six to eight months and recruit six to seven senior leaders. The proposed expansion is significant for a company that reports employing more than 400 people globally. However, BNG has not disclosed the current size of its technology team or the absolute number of new positions it intends to create. Around 75 per cent of…
Wipro has granted 2,46,048 restricted stock units (RSUs) to identified employees under its Employee Stock Options, Performance Stock Unit and Restricted Stock Unit Scheme 2024. The grant is effective from 12 October, 2026, according to the company’s disclosure to the stock exchanges under applicable Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulations. The RSUs will vest according to the schedule approved by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee of Wipro’s board. Employees will be able to exercise the units within the exercise period approved by the committee. The company has not disclosed the identities of the employees receiving the grant or…
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) added 4,500 employees in the September quarter, with nearly 80 per cent of new hires bringing digital and new-age technology skills. Around 25 to 30 per cent of these recruits had specialised artificial intelligence (AI) skills, reflecting the IT major’s focus on capabilities aligned with evolving client requirements, according to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI). The company is expected to maintain this hiring mix, with the required talent available in the market. The strategy reflects TCS’ efforts to strengthen its capabilities in AI and other emerging technologies as businesses expand their use…
Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD plans to increase its European workforce to more than 40,000 employees by 2030 as it expands manufacturing operations and strengthens its presence in the region. The company expects to employ more than 10,000 people in Europe in the near term as it moves beyond exporting vehicles to establishing a larger local production base. Stella Li, executive vice-president of BYD and head of its overseas business, outlined the employment target in an interview with Bloomberg TV at the Paris Motor Show. She said the company’s commitment to Europe was long term and that its workforce would…
Jayati Dwivedy has joined Diageo as global head of talent acquisition. She brings extensive experience in talent acquisition leadership, recruitment operations and workforce planning, having led hiring and recruitment transformation across technology, telecommunications, manufacturing and consulting businesses. Dwivedy moves to Diageo after nearly seven years at Philips, where she held several leadership roles. Most recently, she served as global talent services lead for enterprise operations and services and integrated supply chain from June 2025 to September 2026. Before that, she was head of talent acquisition–enterprise for EMEA and Asia from July 2022 to May 2025, having earlier served as head…
Rajesh Srivastava liked to describe himself as a “lifelong learner”. It was a modest description for someone who had spent nearly three decades helping organisations decide how other people should work, grow and develop. But perhaps it also explained something about his approach to human resources. For Srivastava, learning was not simply something employees were expected to do. It was something an organisation had to make possible. Srivastava, who had been serving as chief human resources officer at Ion Exchange since April 2025, has passed away. His career had taken him through some of India’s established industrial and consumer businesses,…
BMW’s plan to cut 8,000 jobs in Germany by 2027 has started with a glitch. The company rolled out a voluntary-severance programme last week, giving eligible staff access to personalised offers through its internal HR portal. But when more than 40,000 employees tried to log in, the system slowed down and even crashed at times. Employees reported that status checks were taking too long or the portal was going dark altogether. A BMW spokesperson admitted that traffic spiked sharply once emails went out, saying the surge was “expected” given the curiosity around severance offers. No further technical details were shared.…
Pritika Gulati has taken on the role of India HR leader at O’Reilly Auto Parts India. She moves from Amagi where she was human resources director since December 2022. Backed by about two decades of experience, Gulati spent the initial 12 years of her career with KPMG India. She joined as executive-HR in 2010 and got promoted to senior executive-human resources in two and a half years. Another promotion in 2015 made her assistant manager-human resources. Two years later she was elevated to manager-human resources in April of 2017. By 2020 she had reached the position of associate director. It…
What began as an effort to make friends after moving to New York has grown into a social-fitness network, attracting more than 30,000 attendees to its events in 2025. Founded by 27-year-old Owen Akhibi alongside his full-time job at JPMorgan, the club generated over $640,000 in revenue last year through ticketed parties and other activities, while keeping its regular runs free. Akhibi launched Peak and Pace in 2024 after relocating from London to New York. Working in algorithmic trading sales at JPMorgan, he wanted to build a social circle beyond the city’s nightlife. The initiative gradually grew into a community…
More than 1,000 former employees of the Flipkart group have appealed to Walmart and Flipkart’s board for fair access to opportunities to monetise their vested employee stock options (ESOPs), as uncertainty over the e-commerce company’s initial public offering (IPO) continues. The collective representation includes former employees from Flipkart, Myntra, Cleartrip, Shopsy and Supermoney. The group is seeking access to liquidity opportunities available to current employees, an extension of the period for exercising vested options after leaving the company, and a designated point of contact to discuss the matter with Walmart and Flipkart representatives. According to a written memo dated 11…
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) will withhold quarterly variable pay for employees at grade C3A and above for the quarter ended September 2026, after falling short of internal performance targets. Junior employees, however, will receive their full eligible quarterly variable allowance, according to a Reuters report citing an internal company memo. In the memo, Sudeep Kunnumal, chief human resources officer at TCS, said the decision followed the company’s performance falling short of internal expectations. The affected grades typically include employees with seven to 10 years of experience, as well as those in senior management positions. Employees at junior levels will receive…
Netflix is reportedly planning to cut around 5 per cent of its workforce in a restructuring that could be announced as early as next week, according to a report by Puck News. The proposed cuts could affect approximately 800 employees, based on the streaming company’s reported headcount of around 16,000 full-time staff at the end of 2025. The company has not disclosed which departments would be affected. A Netflix spokesperson declined to comment on the reported plans, according to _Variety_. The potential layoffs come as Netflix seeks to accelerate growth amid changing viewing patterns and increased investment in new forms…
Mukta D Sharma has taken charge as group chief human resources officer (group CHRO) for Asian Energy Services, Oilmax, Anirit and Kuper, effective September 2026. She brings over 17 years of experience in human resources leadership across manufacturing, automotive and project-based businesses, with expertise in aligning people strategy with business priorities and strengthening leadership capability. Sharma joins the group from Thermax where she served as group HR head from July 2023 to August 2026. During her tenure, she led HR strategy across more than 50 locations, partnering with senior leaders on organisational design, workforce planning and people-related decisions across domestic…
Dr Niharika Rai has assumed charge as chief human resources officer (CHRO) at TK Elevator India, effective 28 September 2026. In her new role, Rai brings experience in strategic HR leadership, organisational transformation, talent management and workforce capability building across global technology, engineering and manufacturing organisations. Prior to joining TK Elevator, Rai was HR leader for Microsoft’s Cloud + AI, Security and MDQ businesses at its India Development Centre. Between October 2024 and September 2026, she supported more than 7,500 employees and partnered with over 20 senior executives, including corporate vice presidents, vice presidents and partners. Her responsibilities included organisation…
Bhrigu Joshi has returned to SAP for a second stint. This time, he will be heading people and culture for India. Joshi’s earlier stint with SAP lasted six years, from 2019 to 2025. He had entered SAP in August of 2019 as director-HRBP, technology and innovation board area, based out of Bengaluru. Over three years into this role, he was elevated to senior director-global people initiatives, working out of Gurgaon. He relocated to London when he was promoted to vice president and head-people and culture, SAP, UK and Ireland, in December of 2023. Two years later, he returned to India…
Vedanta Group, the Indian metals, oil & gas, critical minerals, power and technology conglomerate, puts employee well-being before everything else to build an inclusive and supportive work environment. The Group’s broader workplace culture is guided by its CIIAO values of Care, Integrity, Innovation, Agility and Ownership. These principles reinforce the importance of putting people first, building trust, finding effective solutions and taking responsibility, complementing the organisation’s efforts to support employee well-being. On World Mental Health Day, Vedanta Group highlighted how it recognises that mental and emotional well-being are integral to personal and professional life. The organisation’s approach brings together confidential…
Native, a human resources services company, has appointed Rahul Pinjarkar as managing partner and head-enterprise growth. He brings to the table over two decades of experience, having begun his professional journey way back in 1999, as senior executive-HR at Wockhardt. Two years later, in 2006, he moved to Philips as factory manager, corporate HR-L&OD & BU HR. After a five-year stint, he moved to ICICI Prudential AMC, as senior manager-HR, sales and operations (All India). The next two years saw him partnering with business leaders on end-to-end HR for distributed teams across branches, looking into talent acquisition, talent management, engagement,…