Lalit Kar has been elevated as senior VP–workforce management, Reliance Retail. He has spent almost a decade at Reliance Retail; from 2005 to 2010 as vice president and head – HR, Reliance Digital Retail. After that Kar was SVP and head – HR, Reliance Digital, from 2019 onwards. At the time, that stint was Kar’s second one at Reliance Digital as he had moved to Mumbai International Airport as VP & head-HR for more than three and a half years after serving at Reliance Digital from 2010 to 2015.
Kar, who began his professional journey as a personnel officer with Orissa Industries, in 1989, was based out of Rourkela from 1989 to 1992. He then moved to National Dairy Development Board (Safal, Dhara, Mother Dairy), as plant HR head / regional HR manager for the southern region. In his 13-year long stint there, he was posted in multiple locations with different responsibilities, across Bangalore, Mumbai, Bhavnagar, Alwar and Anand. He was part of the exclusive management pool of NDDB, which involved postings in strategic roles in various organisations that NDDB used to fund and support.
In 2005, he joined Reliance Retail as GM/AVP and head – HR, Agri Business. Two years into this role, he was elevated to AVP and head – HR, Reliance Footprint / Reliance Fresh. His priorities in this role were culture building, talent acquisition and productivity improvement.
After spending over four successful years with Reliance Retail, Kar moved to Reliance Digital Retail as vice president and head – HR, based out of Mumbai. Five years later, he moved to Mumbai Internationa Airport as vice president and head – HR, in 2015. Less than four years later, he was back at Reliance Digital as head – HR (senior VP).
An alumnus of Utkal University — from where he did his masters in personnel management and industrial relations — Kar is known to be a very focused individual who always remains calm and composed. He has always been an inspiring leader and a knowledgeable professional. HRKatha wishes him all the best for his second stint at Reliance Retail.
