Arvind, an Indian retail and apparel company, has roped in Sunitha Lal to play chief human resources officer (CHRO), effective immediately. With over 25 years of experience in building purpose-driven workplaces, Lal will spearhead the company’s efforts to strengthen talent development, enhance employee engagement, and drive organisational effectiveness.
In her new role, Lal will work closely with business leaders across Arvind to embed employee experience into the core of the company’s people practices. Her appointment marks a strategic move by Arvind to reinforce its culture of innovation and agility while preparing the organization for its next phase of growth.
Prior to joining Arvind, Lal served as CHRO at Ather Energy for over eight years, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s culture, developing leadership capabilities, and driving organisational transformation.
Her career also spans leadership roles at Matrimony.com, Mphasis, TalentPro India, Polaris Software, J&B Systems, and AIG Systems, giving her a diverse background across the IT, manufacturing, and insurance sectors.
An alumnus of Madurai Kamaraj University, Lal took over as the chief human resources officer at Matrimony.com, in 2012. There, she was involved in organisation-wide decision making to shape business agenda on performance and growth. Lal played a key role in identifying, developing and implementing organisation effectiveness and change-management initiatives.
In 2009, as the SVP & global head of talent management, and business HR head at Mphasis, she improved upon the functional effectiveness and efficiency for HR business partner practices. She focused on aligning design and delivery of talent- management programmes and practices, to drive business goals.
In 2007, Lal was appointed vice president and HR head at AIG Systems Solutions, which is an offshore development centre for AIG. There, she focused on organisation development and succession-planning initiatives.
Her appointment signals Arvind’s continued focus on nurturing a people-first culture, aligning HR strategy with business transformation, and strengthening its position as a leading player in India’s apparel and retail sector.
