Author: Liji Narayan | HRKatha

Greaves Cotton, the Indian diversified engineering company, has appointed Vinay Pawar as its group chief technology officer (GCTO). He moves from Minda Instruments where he spent the last six odd years, with his most recent designation there being senior vice president and business head. An Engineering graduate who went on to obtain an MBA, Vinay Pawar spent the initial years of his professional journey as a senior engineer with ABB, from 1995 to 2000. He then moved to Rober Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, where he served as group manager, embedded and engineering software gasoline systems. This stint lasted over…

based researFamiliarity is a comfortable feeling. In 2026, most professionals have become comfortable with artificial intelligence. According to Simplilearn’s 2026 Professional Sentiment Survey, which draws on responses from professionals across geographies and industries, 85 per cent now use AI regularly at work, more than half daily. What once felt disruptive now feels routine. For many, AI no longer resembles a threat. It resembles a colleague. Two years ago, the question was whether workers would adopt AI at all. That question is settled. A more uncomfortable one has replaced it. Only 26 per cent feel prepared to use AI in ways…

Coinbase has announced that about 14 per cent of its staff will be laid off as part of a major restructuring. The decision comes at a time when the company is facing a slowdown in the crypto market and preparing for its first-quarter earnings report. About 7,800 employees will be affected, with the company promising severance pay, healthcare coverage, equity vesting, and additional support for visa holders. The layoffs are linked to two big shifts. First, Coinbase wants to reduce costs and streamline operations to remain resilient through volatile market cycles. Second, the company is embracing artificial intelligence as a…

What does ‘executive courage’ mean? Executive courage is the capacity to take difficult decisions in the face of risk, uncertainty, or opposition. It is not fearlessness. It is action despite risk. It involves confronting uncomfortable truths, challenging prevailing assumptions, and making choices that may be unpopular but necessary. For leaders, this often means speaking when silence would be safer, upholding standards when compromise is easier, and accepting accountability when outcomes are uncertain. In HR, it takes a more specific form. It means defending fairness when expediency is tempting, pushing back against harmful decisions, and prioritising long-term trust over short-term convenience.…

V-Marc India, the advanced electrical manufacturing company, has appointed Meena Sharma as corporate head of human resources and admin. Sharma brings over two decades of experience to the table, having begun her professional journey in 2000. She started off as an HR executive with Samtel Avionics, looking into talent acquisition, workforce planning, performance management and so on for over five years. She then moved to Uniparts India in July of 2007, as regional manager-HR and ER. As a strategic HR leader, she helped align human capital strategies with organisational goals, translating business vision into actionable HR plans for about six…

Estée Lauder has announced a major expansion of its restructuring plan, raising the number of planned job cuts to between 9,000 and 10,000 worldwide. This represents about 17.5 per cent of its 57,000 employees. The company had earlier estimated 5,800 to 7,000 cuts, but the new figure reflects deeper changes aimed at saving around $1.2 billion annually. Most of the additional reductions will come from department store positions, as the beauty giant shifts away from traditional retail channels. Instead, it is focusing on fast-growing digital platforms such as Ulta, Sephora, Amazon, and TikTok Shop. The restructuring comes as Estée Lauder…

Meta employees are facing a tense countdown. On May 20, the company is expected to issue layoff notices to about 7,800 workers, that is about 10 per cent of its global workforce of more than 77,000. That leaves just over two weeks for staff to wait and wonder if their jobs will survive. Internal messages have confirmed the cuts, sparking anxiety across teams. While Meta insists its overall business remains strong, leadership is pushing hard to control costs and redirect spending. Billions are being poured into artificial intelligence projects and infrastructure, reshaping priorities inside the company. For executives, the move…

The Government of Meghalaya has rolled out a major step to support private school and college employees. It has notified the Meghalaya Non-Government School and College Employees Centralised Provident Fund Scheme, 2026. This plan is designed to give long-term financial security to more than 30,000 teaching and non-teaching staff working in non-government educational institutions across the state. The scheme brings together many categories of employees under one provident fund and pension system. These include deficit and adhoc teachers, SSA and RMSA teachers, Hindi and Science grant teachers, pre-primary educators, and support staff. By creating a unified framework, the government hopes…

After over six successful years with EXL, Snigdha Joglekar has joined Ciklum India, a global digital solutions company for Fortune 500 and fast-growing organisations, as head of human resources. Interestingly, Joglekar holds a Diploma in Hotel Management and went on to complete an PGDM in Human Resources Management from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies. She served as a human resources consultant for Synygy India for over four years, from 2004 to 2008, before relocating from Pune to Hyderabad to take up the role of assistant manager-human resources at Inventurus Knowledge Solutions. Over two years later, she moved to CSG International…

Tavishi Budhiraja has been elevated to the role of vice president-HR business partner, revenue functions & DEI at Sony Pictures Networks India. She has been with the entertainment company since October of 2010 when she joined as human resources business partner-ad sales. Over 11 and a half years into this role, she was elevated to AVP, HR business partner-ad sales, lead-diversity and inclusion. Now, over four years later, she has been promoted yet again. In this latest elevated position, Tavishi Budhiraja will lead HR strategy for the company’s revenue functions even while upholding the diversity, equity, and inclusion philosophy for…

Within a period of six months, Bharat Intelligence, a farmer-backed agritech company, has transformed informal agricultural labour into structured, predictable work across 10,000 acres of vineyard operations. At least 2,000 tribal agricultural workers have earned over Rs 500 in average net income for each day worked through its Phala platform in its first six months of operations. Co-owned by over 22,500 farmers, the platform provides farmers with reliable execution on time-sensitive crop operations while enabling rural workers to access planned work and stable, dignified incomes. Through Phala, the company has aggregated labour demand across Nashik’s grape belt, helping tribal workers…

The workplace is reaching a turning point. For years, organisations optimised for productivity, measuring output, tracking efficiency and pushing performance to its limits. That model is beginning to fracture. Post-pandemic burnout, evolving workforce expectations and mounting evidence that relentless productivity erodes long-term performance are forcing a recalibration. Somraj Roy, CHRO at KEC International, believes 2026 will mark a decisive shift. Not away from performance, but towards sustainable performance. “Sustainable performance will become a competitive differentiator,” he says. “The companies that thrive will prioritise energy, clarity and human-centric work design.” Several signals point to how this transition may unfold. Signal 1:…

FACE Prep, an Indian placement-focused skill-development company for job preparation, has elevated Arumugam Vadivelu to vice president-talent acquisition. He has been with the company since 2016, having joined as a manager-human resources. Just over two years into this role, he was promoted to manager (talent acquisition and management) a role that saw him relocate from Coimbatore to Bengaluru. In 2019, he was promoted to manager (HR operations and strategy). Another promotion came along in September of 2020, making him senior manager (HR operations and strategy). In November of 2021, he was appointed HR business partner. Now, over four and a…

Bernstein, the global equity research and brokerage firm, has elevated Prakriti R Singh to director, human resources. An Economics graduate from Ramjas College, Prakriti Singh went on to complete an MBA in Human Resources Management Services from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies. She spent the initial decade of her career with Morgan Stanley. She started off as an intern in 2014 and went on to become vice president human resources business partner. After over a decade with Morgan Stanley, working out of Mumbai, Singh moved to Bernstein as vice president-human resources, in June of 2024. Less than two years into…

A former JPMorgan Chase employee, identified as Chirayu?Rana, has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against senior executive Lorna?Hajdini, drawing attention to a case the bank has already dismissed as unsubstantiated. Rana, now working at Bregal?Sagemount, alleges that Hajdini subjected him to coercion and abuse while they worked together on the leveraged finance team. However, JPMorgan?Chase’s internal investigation, led by human resources and legal teams, reportedly found no proof to support the claims. The Bank stated that several employees cooperated during the review, but the complainant did not provide key information. Hajdini has denied all allegations, saying she never engaged in…

That one bold and clear decision Geetha Thiagarajan grew up in a business family where banking was the natural path. She began her career at Deutsche Bank as a chartered accountant intern, with the intention of moving into accounting. Then came a moment of clarity. Faced with the final-year CA textbook on direct and indirect taxes, she made an honest, albeit bold decision, to step away and pursue an MBA in HR instead. That single decision changed the trajectory of her career. Having entered HR almost organically, Thiagarajan began by setting up shared services at Deutsche Bank, learning the mechanics…

The numbers tell a story that India’s HR community has been slow to fully absorb. While the country’s white-collar hiring index slipped 5 per cent in March, moving from 404 in February to 385, the more consequential figure sits elsewhere entirely. India’s white-collar gig workforce crossed 8.23 million jobs in FY26, up 21 per cent from 6.8 million the year before, and is on a trajectory to breach 10.2 million by FY27. The permanent hiring index wobbled. The gig market barely noticed. This decoupling is the real story. The numbers that matter For years, India’s flexible workforce was understood as a…

India and New Zealand have signed a major Free Trade Agreement (FTA), marking India’s first women-led negotiation deal. The agreement, concluded in just nine months, is expected to come into force later this year after ratification by New Zealand’s Parliament. It was signed in New Delhi by India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and New Zealand’s Trade Minister Todd McClay, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Luxon. The FTA grants full duty-free access for Indian exports to New Zealand, opening new opportunities for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), farmers, professionals, and youth.…

What does “Looking around the corner” mean? “Looking around the corner” describes the ability to anticipate what is coming next, even when it is not yet visible. At its core, it is about spotting signals, recognising patterns, and preparing for developments before they fully emerge. It is not about predicting the future with certainty, but about being alert to shifts and possibilities that others overlook. In HR, this translates into preparing for workforce changes, technological disruption, and evolving employee expectations before they become urgent problems. It is the difference between readiness and reaction.  Where did the idea come from? The…

Axis Bank is preparing to reduced its workforce by more than 3,100 employees in FY26 as technology-driven productivity gains begin to show results. The bank’s headcount fell from 1.04 lakh to 1.01 lakh, marking a broad-based reduction across functions rather than targeting any single department. The layoffs are directly linked to Axis Bank’s sustained investment in technology over the past few years. By consistently allocating nearly 10 per cent of operating expenses to digital initiatives, the Bank has automated processes and streamlined operations. These changes have improved efficiency, reducing the need for certain roles while still allowing the Bank to…

Skye Air has promoted Vinay Kumar to chief people officer. Kumar has been with the hyperlocal delivery platform since 2024, serving as head of people till recently. An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Vinay Kumar spent over two initial years of his career at Shoppers Stop as HR and admin executive, from 2009 to 2011. He then served IBM as senior executive-talent management and HR operations for over two and a half years before joining McCormick & Company as assistant manager-human resources in 2013. Biotique appointed him assistant manager-human resources and admin in February of 2015. Over a year later, he…

The Bombay High Court has ruled that the Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) cannot deny higher pension to workers simply because their employers failed to submit certain documents. This decision, delivered on 18 April, 2026, is a major relief for employees who contributed to their provident fund based on actual wages rather than the statutory ceiling of Rs 15,000. The case involved six employees, one of whom, Kallakuri, retired in 2017 after a 35 year career. Despite fulfilling all conditions and contributing on higher wages, their pension claims were rejected by EPFO because employers did not provide forms such as…

Microsoft is introducing its first voluntary buyout programme in the US, marking a new approach to workforce management. The plan, announced in a company memo, allows eligible employees to retire with financial support rather than face layoffs. About 7 per cent of Microsoft’s US workforce could qualify. The programme is open to staff at the senior director level and below whose age and years of service add up to 70 or more. Details will be shared with employees and managers on 7 May. Those on sales incentive plans are excluded. The initiative is designed to give long-serving employees the option…

Paras Kaushik, who is chief human resources officer for the HT Media Group and also leads IT for the Group, will now see his role being expanded. He will shoulder the responsibility for the VCCircle and the Events (IP) business across the Hindustan Times and Mint mastheads. Kaushik joined HT Media Group almost six years ago, as CHRO, moving from Motherson where he was heading group human resources. Armed with a PGDM in Human Resources, Paras Kaushik joined Aditya Birla Group as a management trainee in 2002. Ten months into this role, he was promoted to manager-L&D, Hindalco. Less than…

Moving beyond administrative support Maria Rajesh’s career has been shaped by a sustained curiosity about people and organisational dynamics. Early on, she found herself drawn to understanding how individuals, teams, and leaders come together to create meaningful impact. That curiosity gradually evolved into a deeper conviction: HR delivers its greatest value not as an administrative function, but as a strategic partner in shaping organisations through people. Over the years, working across industries, she has seen how leadership, talent practices, and culture are not merely people priorities, but business imperatives. When designed thoughtfully, they unlock innovation, strengthen resilience, and enable the…

After a long and successful tenure at Axis Bank, Abhishek Patel has joined Rapyder Cloud Solutions as chief human resources officer (CHRO). Patel’s professional journey began in 1997 when he served as an executive at ITC Hotels for over three years. He then moved to GE Money as branch manager for two years before joining HDFC Bank in a similar capacity in 2004. Patel was back at GE Money for a second stint as senior manager from 2006 to 2010. Mahindra Satyam BPO appointed him senior programme manager in 2010. Three years into this role, he switched to TMI Group…