Hero MotoCorp has appointed Nikhil Diwan as head – human resource, bringing into the two-wheeler major an HR leader whose career has been built largely across industrial businesses.
Over 23 years, Diwan has worked across steel, cement, chemicals, petrochemicals, metals and mining. Plants, mines and manufacturing operations have been a recurring feature of his assignments, as have industrial relations, employee welfare, statutory compliance and workforce management.
He joins Hero MotoCorp after nearly seven years with Aarti Industries, where he steadily moved through the HR leadership ranks. Diwan joined the speciality chemicals company in 2019 as GM & zonal HR head, with responsibility for HR, industrial relations, administration and security. He subsequently became AVP & vertical HR head before moving up to vice president & vertical HR head in 2024.
His farewell from Aarti also offers a glimpse into the operating environment behind those designations. Reflecting on his tenure, Diwan acknowledged the manufacturing, operations, projects and expansion teams he had worked with, alongside the HR, administration and security functions. He described the seven years as a period of “learning, transformation, relationships and growth”.
Before Aarti Industries, Diwan spent close to eight years with Vedanta Resources, where his responsibilities were closely tied to large mining operations.
He joined Vedanta in 2012 as unit HR head at the Rajpura Dariba Complex, handling HR and industrial relations at the site. In 2015, he became location HR head and EXCO member at the complex. Three years later, he moved to the Zawar Group of Mines as location HR head and EXCO member.
The progression is notable because Diwan’s responsibilities expanded within operating locations rather than taking him away from them. By the time he left Vedanta in 2019, site HR, industrial relations and leadership within large industrial operations had become a substantial part of his experience.
His earlier career followed a similar path. Before Vedanta, Diwan was senior manager – personnel & administration with Lafarge India in Jamshedpur. Prior to that, he worked with Reliance Industries as manager – human resource development, handling employee engagement, performance management, industrial relations, statutory compliance and SAP HR.
He had earlier spent more than four years with ACC as officer – HR & employee welfare. Diwan began his HR career in 2003 with Beekay Engineering and Casting as assistant officer – HR.
The companies and sectors have changed, but the operating context has remained remarkably consistent. From engineering and cement to mining, metals and chemicals, Diwan has spent much of his career in businesses where HR sits close to manufacturing operations, large workforces and industrial relations.
His move to Hero MotoCorp now takes that experience into automobiles.
Hero MotoCorp is one of the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturers, with a business spanning motorcycles, scooters and electric mobility through VIDA. Diwan joins the company with more than two decades of experience shaped predominantly within industrial and manufacturing environments.
