Kaustubh Sonalkar joins Welspun Group as group director – HR

Kaustubh Sonalkar, who was president – HR, Essar Group and CEO –  Essar Foundation, has joined the Welspun Group as the group director – HR, general affairs, CSR and corporate communications.

Sonalkar started his career with the Essar Group in 2002 and after a decade, he moved to the Future Group and subsequently to PwC, working in India and the UK. He returned to the Essar Group in 2018 as the president- HR, Essar Group and the CEO, Essar Foundation.

A business leader with an artist’s mind, Sonalkar, a disruptive thought designer, believes in the philosophy of ‘going beyond and above’. An out-of-the-box thinker, he has been a culture reformer batting for India, both literally and figuratively. He has also composed music for Bollywood, judged the Miss India contest and authored a bestseller.

Having worked with marginalised women and transgenders, and having integrated them into the mainstream society — in his own offices to be precise — he has a long history of promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace culture

Sonalkar’s versatility from being a state-level cricketer and a musician to having worked with the United Nations, makes him a well-rounded leader.

At Welspun Group, he will use his diverse skills to support the Company’s values and oversee the human resources.

Headquartered in Mumbai, the Welspun Group is a $ 2.7 billion enterprise, and one of India’s fastest-growing global conglomerates with businesses in line pipes, home textiles, infrastructure, warehousing, oil and gas, steel, advanced textiles and flooring solutions. The Group has a strong foothold in over 50 countries with 26,000 employees and over 100,000 shareholders. The Company has its manufacturing facilities in India as well as the US and Saudi Arabia.