Lars Medicare Group has appointed Utpal Anand as group head and chief human resources officer (CHRO), effective August 2026. He will lead the group’s human resources function, focusing on strengthening HR capabilities, talent management and aligning people strategy with business objectives.
Anand brings over 26 years of experience in human resources, spanning strategic HR operations, talent acquisition, performance management, employee engagement, stakeholder management and organisational development.
Before joining Lars Medicare, Anand served as business head – HR (North) at Utkarsh Small Finance Bank from August 2021 to August 2026. During his five-year tenure, he also held responsibility for HR operations, overseeing people practices and employee experience.
Prior to this, he was head of employee experience – HR at Muthoot Pappachan Group from February 2020 to June 2021, where he managed talent acquisition, corporate HR, performance management, employee engagement and HR operations across India.
Earlier, Anand worked as a human resources consultant at ProntoeHR Services and as chief people officer at SaaSFocus, a Cognizant wing, where he managed HR operations across India, Australia, the US and New Zealand.
He also spent nearly 11 years at Reliance Nippon Life Insurance as national human resources manager, from September 2006 to June 2017. His responsibilities included corporate HR, talent acquisition, employee engagement, HR operations and stakeholder management across India and the UAE.
Anand’s earlier career includes HR leadership roles at Times Network, BAX Global and DTDC Express, where he handled corporate HR, talent acquisition, employee relations and regional HR operations.
He holds an MBA in Human Resources from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, and a degree in Geology from Hans Raj College, Delhi University.
His appointment brings extensive experience across financial services, logistics, media and other sectors to Lars Medicare Group’s people leadership function.
