Sonata Software has appointed Balaji Kumar as its new chief human resources officer (CHRO), marking his return to the organisation. The move underscores Sonata’s continued focus on strengthening its human- capital strategy amid evolving shifts in the technology talent landscape.
The company said in a LinkedIn post, it is “very excited to welcome” Balaji back, noting that his prior stint at Sonata Software will serve as a strategic advantage as the organisation looks to deepen its people practices and leadership capabilities.
Balaji most recently served as CHRO, Paytm, where he led the HR function for close to a year. Prior to that, he spent over three years as CHRO at Sonata Software from 2022 and 2025, managing a global HR remit across ANZ, APAC, the UK, Europe and the Americas.
With over two decades of leadership experience, Balaji has held several senior HR roles across large, complex organisations. At Larsen & Toubro, he played multiple leadership roles, including CHRO for the Industrial Products Division and later global CHRO for L&T Infotech (LTI), where he oversaw the people function for a workforce of approximately 60,000 employees worldwide. His mandate included leadership development, employee engagement, HR excellence and large-scale organisational transformation.
Earlier in his career, he worked with leading organisations such as Hindustan Unilever, Coca-Cola, Citibank, Microsoft and Cholamandalam DBS, where he built deep expertise across employee relations, talent management, learning and development, and organisational development.
Interestingly, Balaji began his professional journey in the legal field, practising as an attorney across lower courts, High Courts and the Supreme Court of India, before transitioning into human resources leadership.
He holds a Master’s degree in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a Master of Law (LLM) from Osmania University.
Known for his strategic HR leadership and global perspective, Balaji brings strong capabilities in leadership development, employee engagement, industrial relations and organisational transformation. His reappointment is expected to play a key role in shaping Sonata Software’s people strategy and talent agenda as the company navigates the next phase of growth.
