From tax professional to CHRO
Arti Dua did not set out to build a career in HR. But when the opportunity arrived, it felt less like a shift and more like a natural continuation of her journey.
Her career began as an article intern 25 years ago, with most of her professional life rooted in client-facing tax roles. For over two decades, she solved complex tax challenges, led high-performing teams, and built capability within the practice. Alongside this, she remained deeply invested in the people side of the business – shaping ways of working, enabling teams, and nurturing trusted relationships.
When the opportunity to lead the talent agenda emerged, it came as a surprise. Yet, it aligned instinctively with what she had already been doing.
Taking on the CHRO role became a full-circle moment – from shaping her own teams to shaping an ecosystem where over 48,000 colleagues can contribute, grow, and thrive.
Today, as national talent leader at EY India, Dua leads with a philosophy shaped by lived experience: creating conditions where people do not have to wait to feel “ready” before stepping forward.
Recognising self-doubt
The most defining barrier in Dua’s journey was not external.
Like many women in leadership, she acknowledges the presence of real challenges – proving credibility repeatedly, balancing caregiving responsibilities, and navigating limited sponsorship at critical moments. Yet, her most significant realisation was internal.
When her children were young, at a time when flexibility was not the norm, she found herself questioning her own choices more than anyone else did.
What changed that experience was the trust her leaders placed in her. They enabled her to work in ways that aligned with her life stage, without questioning her commitment or capability.
That trust reshaped her understanding of leadership.
It reinforced that trust is not passive. It must be honoured, reciprocated, and sustained through performance. When someone places confidence in you, it creates a responsibility to rise to it.
That experience left a lasting imprint. Today, she actively works to create similar conditions – where trust, flexibility, and belief are embedded into the system.
“Embedding trust, flexibility and belief into the system isn’t just supportive; it’s strategic.”
Directing versus enabling
Dua’s leadership has evolved from direction to enablement.
With experience, her approach has become increasingly people-centric, anchored in the belief that strong outcomes are built on strong teams, and strong teams emerge from enabling environments.
Her leadership today rests on three core principles.
The first is empathy with accountability – ensuring people feel seen, heard, and supported, whilst remaining firmly aligned to outcomes.
The second is deep listening, which goes beyond simply hearing to actively seeking diverse perspectives that broaden understanding.
The third is authenticity, reflected in consistent values, alignment between intent and action, and the ability to build long-term relationships grounded in trust.
Over time, she has also reframed the role of leadership itself.
Leaders, she believes, do not need to have all the answers.
“Our role is to create an environment where others can find their own, where they feel they belong, and where they have the courage and space to thrive,” she says. “Ultimately, leadership for me is about lifting others as you grow.”
“Leaders don’t need to have all the answers. Leadership is about lifting others as you grow.”
EI amid AI
For Dua, the most urgent shift in HR thinking lies in how organisations approach transformation.
With technology advancing rapidly, change can no longer happen in stages. It must be continuous, integrated, and systemic.
This requires HR to move beyond fragmented interventions and adopt end-to-end digital ecosystems.
At the same time, as artificial intelligence reshapes work, emotional intelligence becomes even more critical. The future will not be defined by technology alone, but by how effectively organisations combine human judgement with digital capability.
What must retire, she believes, is the one-size-fits-all approach to HR.
The future lies in personalised journeys—systems that recognise diverse aspirations, life stages, and individual contexts. Standardised models are no longer sufficient.
Adaptation is no longer optional. It is fundamental.
Quick fire round
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Never measure success through short-term outcomes. Every honest effort compounds—even if it is not immediately visible.
One thing you wish people understood about being a woman in HR leadership?
Women in leadership don’t need to fit in. Real impact comes from leading authentically.
If not HR, what career path would you have pursued?
Media – storytelling and shaping narratives fascinate me.
What energises you most about your work?
The ability to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
Best investment you’ve made in yourself?
My fitness journey – it keeps me grounded and agile.
Preparing for the future
The future of work is being shaped by AI, digital acceleration, and evolving expectations around flexibility and continuous learning.
At EY India, this preparation is being driven through AI Varsity – an ecosystem designed to enable workforce transformation. It integrates real use cases, guided learning pathways, and applied exercises, allowing professionals to embed AI into both client work and internal operations.
The focus is on practical capability, not theoretical understanding.
Alongside this, there is a strong emphasis on leadership development. In a multi-generational workforce, leaders must be agile, empathetic, and digitally fluent—capable of navigating complexity whilst maintaining trust.
The objective is clear: to build leaders who can leverage technology without losing the human touch.
Helping women grow
Support for women at EY India is built around a simple principle: careers evolve across life stages, and organisations must evolve with them.
The focus spans three critical phases – building early confidence, enabling flexibility during caregiving years, and ensuring sponsorship at senior levels.
Programmes such as ‘Break and Beyond’ (maternity coaching), ‘Back in Game’ (return-to-work support), and ‘Career Watch’ (structured sponsorship) aim to sustain momentum.
But beyond programmes, the emphasis remains on leadership behaviour – advocacy, equitable opportunity, and cultural reinforcement.
The goal is not just participation, but progression.