Change of guard at Tata Power’s HR

Jayant Kumar, CHRO, Tata Power, is on his way out. He has put in his papers and is currently serving his notice period till January 31, after which Himal Tewari will take on the role.

Tewari, who is currently VP-HR at Tata Sons, joined Tata Power six years back as chief-business HR. He was responsible for end-to-end HR deployment at Tata Power & Group Companies. Within the same organisation, he was elevated to CHRO position about two and a half years back.

With 24 years of working experience in HR, Kumar, who is based out of Mumbai, believes in a collaborative and developmental leadership style. He started his career with NTPC, where he worked for 11 years. After this, he did two short stints at North Delhi Power and Reliance Communications.

“I have not declared my next move because I am yet to decide. People are making speculations regarding that. This is a well thought decision, I have multiple opportunities”

Tata Teleservices prospered under his leadership when he was VP-HR for five years. Being a PhD holder in talent management and a post graduate in personnel management, and with a dynamic HR career spanning over two decades, he is much sought after by multinational as well as domestic companies.

In an exclusive chat with HRKatha, he says, “I have not declared my next move because I am yet to decide. People are making speculations regarding that.”

“This is a well thought decision, I have multiple opportunities. In my entire career so far, I have moved out of my comfort zone looking for new learning and experiences. This has helped me grow professionally and keep my agility factor intact,” adds Kumar.

In all likelihood, Kumar will move to an HR role in a different industry. He may move out of the country too. Irrespective of where he will be, he will continue to influence people with his leadership.

Tewari who will replace Kumar, has been with Tata Sons for five years in an HR role. Before that, he had not played an exclusive HR role, although he has been a business director/ partner in the past. He is an executive master of change (consulting & coaching) from INSEAD. This move, though within the same group, will be significant for his career.