Microsoft India has recently appointed Arun Kakatkar as its human resources leader, marking a significant addition to the company’s leadership team. Kakatkar, formerly the president and chief of strategy and organisation at Kalyani Group, succeeds Ira Gupta in this pivotal role. Gupta was CHRO for Microsoft India and South Asia.
At Kalyani Group, Kakatkar led major changes, from revamping corporate strategy to restructuring the organisation. He built a culture focused on growth, good governance, and following the rules, while also strengthening the company’s leadership team.
At Microsoft India, Kakatkar isn’t just aligning people and strategy with business goals; he’s building high-performing leadership teams with a shared vision. His core mission is crafting people-centered strategies that drive success. He prioritises an inclusive, high-performing culture, empowering his team to excel. This includes seamlessly integrating people initiatives with strategic planning to boost efficiency and long-term growth.
Kakatkar brings a wealth of experience to his latest endeavour, having forged a distinguished career path across prominent corporations including Black & Decker, Foseco, Ingersoll Rand, Flextronics, and TE Connectivity.
Kakatkar’s distinguished career trajectory also includes a previous tenure with Microsoft APAC, where he served as director of people & organisation capability for four years.
He holds degrees in production engineering and an MBA in operations management and HR from Savitribai Phule Pune University.
In assuming his new role at Microsoft India, Kakatkar brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of leadership excellence, poised to make enduring contributions to the company’s continued success.
