HRKatha Rising Star Leadership Awards: How India’s next generation of HR leaders is rewriting the playbook

In a sunlit ballroom at Delhi’s Aerocity on 31st October 2025, something unusual happened in Indian corporate circles: young HR leaders were celebrated not for their potential, but for their performance.

The inaugural HRKatha Rising Star Leadership Awards drew 129 entries from across India’s corporate landscape over a two-month nomination period. After rigorous evaluation, 59 had been shortlisted. By evening’s end, a select few stood on stage clutching trophies that represented something more valuable than crystal and metal—validation from the very establishment they’re quietly disrupting.

The ruthless meritocracy

The jury’s composition reflected the breadth of India’s corporate landscape. Led by Sandip Ghose (MD & CEO, Birla Corps) as Jury Chair, with Ramesh Mitragotri (Group Executive President – Human Resource, Aditya Birla Group) as Jury Co-Chair, the panel included: Ashwini Prashara (CHRO, Hydrocarbons, Reliance Industries), Rajorshi Ganguli (President & Group Head-HR, Alkem Laboratories), Ayush Gupta (Director-HR, GAIL), Praveen Purohit (CHRO, Vedanta Aluminium), Subir Verma (ED & CHRO, Power Business, RP Sanjiv Goenka Group), S Parthasarathy (iMeT, EVP, L&T Technology Services), Rupesh Tripathi (Head-People and Culture, KPMG), Saba Adil (CHRO, Edelweiss), and Pooja Manocha (CHRO, Bata India).

Over two weeks, this distinguished panel evaluated cases with surgical precision. The margins proved razor-thin—often separated by a mere 0.2 to 0.5 points. At times, the difference between finalist and winner was negligible in numerical terms.

“As a jury, we weren’t just looking for good HR practices — we were looking for creativity that redefines value creation. It wasn’t about who had the most polished process or the biggest scale, but about who dared to think differently, who connected people and performance in a way that drove measurable business impact. What stood out for us were those entries that showed HR not as a support function, but as a co-creator of strategy, innovation, and growth.”

Sandip Ghose, MD & CEO, Birla Corps

Ghose articulated the jury’s philosophy: “As a jury, we weren’t just looking for good HR practices — we were looking for creativity that redefines value creation. It wasn’t about who had the most polished process or the biggest scale, but about who dared to think differently, who connected people and performance in a way that drove measurable business impact. What stood out for us were those entries that showed HR not as a support function, but as a co-creator of strategy, innovation, and growth.”

Praveen Purohit expanded on the evaluation criteria: “While evaluating the case studies, what truly impressed us were the initiatives that went beyond policies and processes to create real business value. We looked for stories where HR wasn’t working in isolation but driving innovation hand-in-hand with business leaders. The best entries demonstrated how people practices can fuel performance, build agility, and create an ecosystem where both talent and organisation grow together.”

“While evaluating the case studies, what truly impressed us were the initiatives that went beyond policies and processes to create real business value. We looked for stories where HR wasn’t working in isolation but driving innovation hand-in-hand with business leaders. The best entries demonstrated how people practices can fuel performance, build agility, and create an ecosystem where both talent and organisation grow together.”

Praveen Purohit, CHRO, Vedanta Aluminium

Rupesh Tripathi captured the jury’s sentiment: “I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entries and case studies. Some very good work. Thank you for providing these young professionals a platform to showcase their work.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading the entries and case studies. Some very good work. Thank you for providing these young professionals a platform to showcase their work.”

Rupesh Tripathi, Head-People And Culture, KPMG

Rajorshi Ganguli acknowledged the quality of work: “The experience was good. The work done by different applicants were good. It’s good to know so many innovative work being done by different people in different organisations and especially the hard work behind it.”

“The experience was good. The work done by different applicants were good. It’s good to know so many innovative work being done by different people in different organisations and especially the hard work behind it.”

Rajorshi Ganguli, President & Group Head-HR, Alkem Laboratories

The winners

Beyond recognition

The event’s intimate format—deliberately boutique rather than expansive—enabled depth impossible in larger ceremonies. Panel discussions explored ideas thoroughly rather than rushing through talking points. Winners engaged in substantive conversations with jury members about implementation challenges and measurable outcomes.

“The quality of speakers was outstanding, and the discussions were truly in-depth and to the point. You rarely come across such closed-door events with this level of meaningful exchange — and that’s exactly what HRKatha has built. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it and look forward to seeing more such events in the future.”

P. Dwarakanath, Ex Chairman, GSK

Lionel Paul David, CHRO, Watertec, reflected on the significance: “I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the event and am truly grateful to HRKatha for this recognition. It’s encouraging to see platforms like these celebrating meaningful HR innovations and the people behind them.”

“The content was really insightful and full of learning. I also loved the idea of keeping it a boutique, small event focused on meaningful content rather than size.”

Jaya Suri, CHRO, Kimbal

Sumit Rastogi, Deputy General Manager at HyFun Foods, found particular value in the intellectual exchange: “I truly enjoyed the panel discussions — they were so thought-provoking and insightful. I’m deeply grateful for the recognition and the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful celebration. The entire setup was beautiful, and the evening couldn’t have been better to honour young HR talent alongside their mentors and guides.”

Jaya Suri, CHRO at Kimbal, who spoke at the event, praised the approach: “The content was really insightful and full of learning. I also loved the idea of keeping it a boutique, small event focused on meaningful content rather than size.”

Dwarakanath noted the quality of exchange: “The quality of speakers was outstanding, and the discussions were truly in-depth and to the point. You rarely come across such closed-door events with this level of meaningful exchange — and that’s exactly what HRKatha has built. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of it and look forward to seeing more such events in the future.”

“Everything about the event was wonderful — from the discussions to the overall energy. It would be exciting to see it grow even bigger next time. It truly has the potential to become one of the most anticipated events of the year.”

Jaikrishna B,  President Group HR,  Amara Raja Group

Jaikrishna B, President Group HR at Amara Raja Group, who served as both speaker and awards presenter, captured the event’s potential: “Everything about the event was wonderful — from the discussions to the overall energy. It would be exciting to see it grow even bigger next time. It truly has the potential to become one of the most anticipated events of the year.”

The quiet revolution

What emerged from that October afternoon wasn’t merely an awards ceremony but evidence of a generational shift in how corporate India approaches human capital. The rising stars honoured weren’t following established playbooks—they were writing new ones.

“I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the event and am truly grateful to HRKatha for this recognition. It’s encouraging to see platforms like these celebrating meaningful HR innovations and the people behind them.”

Lionel Paul David, CHRO, Watertec

Their approaches varied: some leveraged technology to democratise development, others redesigned performance systems to reward collaboration, still others built talent ecosystems that blurred traditional boundaries. What united them was willingness to challenge convention when business needs demanded it.

The jury’s rigorous evaluation—where fractions of points separated contenders—underscored that excellence in modern HR leadership isn’t about perfecting established practices but reimagining what’s possible when people strategy becomes business strategy.

“I truly enjoyed the panel discussions — they were so thought-provoking and insightful. I’m deeply grateful for the recognition and the opportunity to be part of such a wonderful celebration. The entire setup was beautiful, and the evening couldn’t have been better to honour young HR talent alongside their mentors and guides.”

Sumit Rastogi, Deputy General Manager At HyFun Foods

The inaugural HRKatha Rising Star Leadership Awards didn’t just recognise emerging talent—it validated that the future of HR leadership in India is already here, challenging convention and redefining what it means to build organisations where both people and performance thrive.

The HRKatha Leadership Summit and Rising Star Awards ceremony took place on October 31, 2025, at Holiday Inn Aerocity, New Delhi. Nominations were open for two months, with jury evaluation conducted over two weeks by an eleven-member panel. Around 20 CHROs and CEOs participated in discussions on leadership transformation, with support from Thomas Assessments (Presenting Partner) and Ripplehire (Associate Partner).