Grab appoints Shantanu Bhattacharya as VP-HR

Grab, a last mile logistics startup, has hired Shantanu Bhattacharya as its VP-HR, to head the HR function for the Company. Bhattacharya exclusively shares with HRKatha that he will be responsible for talent acquisition and retention, employee engagement, legal compliance and vigilance, admin and payroll at Grab, which was officially acquired by Reliance Retail in 2019.

Bhattacharya further shares that as the head-HR, he will report to the board. “The Company is going through tremendous growth and I would be working upon formulating a talent strategy that would align with the growth plans of the Company,” reveals Bhattacharya. “A lot of structured systems need to be established in terms of the people strategy. Another focus will be to find and attract the right talent in the Company,” he adds.

Bhattacharya will manage a workforce of 6,000 GRAB staff as well as oversee the frontline rider fleet of the company which constitutes to about one lakh as gig workers.

“We welcome Shantanu to the GRAB team. We are rapidly scaling our business, expanding the platform and enhancing the consumer experience. Hiring the right talent and engaging them effectively will play an important role in our mission to empower employee growth and engagement. Shantanu’s diverse experience will help us scale our business agenda and construct a talent framework,” shares Nishant Vora, Co-founder and Director, Grab on Bhattacharaya’s appointment.

Prior to this appointment, Bhattacharya served as the CHRO at NISA Industrial Services, a company that provides security, surveillance and logistics services. At NISA, Bhattacharya lead the entire human capital function at the group level.

Bhattacharya carries close to 20 years of experience, working across sectors such as BFSI, media, telecoms and professional services.

This is the first time that Bhattacharya — who has worked for companies such as NOKIA, ABP Group, GE and Reliance Communication —has forayed into the retail sector.

“I believe the retail sector in India is one of the most exciting sectors to work for at this time, and I was looking to go into a different sector to learn new things,” says Bhattacharya.