Tarun NP Varma, who was vice president – HR, global technology division, Shell, has now joined Tata Consumer Products (TCP) as global CHRO.
This alumnus of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, started his corporate journey with Nestle, as manager – corporate HR. Two years later, he moved to Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages as associate HR manager. Three years into this role, he was elevated to area human resources manager (sales & factory HR). He kept climbing up the ladder till he became associate vice president – HR (commercial, strategic HR projects).
The year 2012 saw him taking up the role of associate vice president – performance, rewards and recognition, Vodafone. By the time he moved on from the telecommunications provider in 2015, he was VP – performance, rewards and recognition.
It was in 2015 that he joined Shell as vice president – HR, Shell Group of Companies, India. By the time he completed seven years at the energy company, he was vice president- HR, global technology division. He had the opportunity to be part of a 3,000-strong workforce comprising members from 70 nationalities, working out of 90 locations. Varma calls his assignment at Shell “THE front row ticket to the future of energy systems”.
Having worked across 21 states of India, and across sectors such as manufacturing, FMCG, telecom and energy, Varma is known for his high levels of emotional quotient and intelligence quotient. His analytical capability combined with an astute business understanding allows him to operate with great ease at the strategic and operational realms, say his colleagues.
In his new role at TCP, Varma will be tasked with developing a competitive and compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP) for the Company. He will also help embed an integrated people agenda to accelerate delivery of TCP’s business strategy. Working out of Mumbai, Varma will report to Sunil D’Souza, MD & CEO, Tata Consumer Products.
D’Souza is confident that Varma’s “belief in the power of DE&I, building organisation capability and his experience in diverse HR roles across leading companies and sectors will help us further strengthen and accelerate our people agenda”.
Varma himself is looking forward to “helping build a strong and progressive people agenda to enable TCP’s transformation & growth ambition”.
