Amgen India has appointed Anjali Rao as executive director–human resources, bringing on board a seasoned HR leader with more than two decades of experience across global technology, healthcare and life sciences organisations. In her new role, Rao will lead the people agenda for Amgen India, focusing on talent strategy, leadership development, organisational effectiveness, workforce planning and culture transformation as the biotechnology company continues to strengthen its presence in India.
Prior to joining Amgen, Rao served as executive director – human resources, Lilly Bengaluru, Eli Lilly and Company. Before that, she was country head – people & organisation, India at Novartis, where she led the company’s HR strategy and people initiatives in the country.
A significant part of her career was spent at Intel Corporation, where she worked for more than 18 years across India and the US. During her tenure there, she held several senior leadership positions, including senior director- human resources, Networking and Edge Group, head of HR & senior director HR, Intel Technology India, director talent acquisition – South Asia, and director human resources.
At Intel, Rao led HR strategy for large engineering and technology organisations, talent acquisition, leadership development, organisational design, employee engagement and workforce-transformation initiatives. She also played a key role in shaping people strategies for a workforce of nearly 9,000 employees in India.
Earlier in her career, she worked with the Azim Premji Foundation, where she was involved in recruitment, talent development and HR programme design.
With more than 20 years of HR leadership experience, Rao has built expertise across talent management, leadership development, strategic workforce planning, organisational effectiveness, performance management, employee engagement and culture building. Her appointment comes as Amgen continues to expand its innovation and biotechnology capabilities in India.

