WELCOME to the PeopleFirst HR Awards 2026

We understand that it is important to have a platform that recognizes the immensely talented pool of HR professionals who enable organizational success. The HR Excellence Awards sponsored by PeopleFirst is one such platform that recognizes HR talent and effort, worldwide.

We welcome you to the PeopleFirst HR Excellence Awards 2026, a seminal event for the best talent in HR. This event marks the celebration of the finest initiatives in HR by organizations, attracting the most talented HR individuals, teams and companies across geography.

The event is an opportunity for HR leaders and their teams to showcase their cutting-edge work and be recognized for their contributions. These achievements in the domain of HR, evaluated by an eminent panel of jurists, make the entire process stringent, yet objective and fair.

At the same time, the HR Excellence Awards function also serves as a powerful platform for people to gain deep insights into the latest developments in HR and what the future heralds for organizations that desire to raise their game. A bevy of thought leaders will share their insights that will be invaluable not just for HR practitioners and consultants but anyone within the upper echelons of the corporate world.

Added to that is the opportunity to connect with industry leaders, HR Gurus and eminent achievers, all at one place, marking this as the definitive HR event this year.

Talgro automates the Talent Development & Management practices in organisations using technology to bring learning to people’s work desk. Talgro integrates Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Live Analytics to provide deeper engagement for employees within organizations by internalizing and sustaining learning over a period of time. Learning can be planned, scheduled, administered, monitored, measured and reported to maximize gains from learning investments. For information write to subu@tnmt.co.in for further details.

Head HR in Power, Telecom, Retail, Manufacturing, IT and Service Industry.

Strategy and Execution in all area of Human Resource and Industrial Relation. Strategy HR, Manpower Planning, Recruitment, Induction, Policies / Processes/ Systems designing & implementation, Compensation & Benefits, Performance Management, Retention, Employee Engagements, ESOPs, Capability Building & Leadership Development, Employee Relations, Change Management, Organization Restructuring, M&A HR integration, Statutory Compliance and Administration.

Decision making ability, Conflict management laced with sensitivity and maturity, hands-on and Good at multi tasking, Good relationship management skills.

Dr. Indu Shahani is the President & Chair of ISDI - School of Design & Innovation, ISDI | WPP School of Communication and ISME - School of Management & Entrepreneurship; and is the Founding Dean of ISME.

She has been acknowledged worldwide as a visionary thought leader for her significant contribution to education and value-based leadership. She has over four decades of teaching experience at the college and university level.

She was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai in 2008 and the one year term was extended to an additional term in 2009. She was also the first Indian to be appointed Vice-Chair on the Board of the Governors of the International Baccalaureate and has over a decade of experience with the IB worldwide 2001 - 2010.

She has been nominated on leading boards of large national and global companies that has provided an impetus for ‘academia - industry collaborations’ the subject of her PhD from University of Mumbai. She was awarded the Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Westminster in London on November 16, 2009. As a tribute to her, the University had instituted the Sheriff of Mumbai’s Scholarships for Women from Mumbai to study a Master’s programme in the years 2009 and 2010 in London.

She is a Visiting Faculty Member at the UC Berkeley, NYU Stern, USA and she is a Lead Speaker at various conferences in India and abroad. She has also developed many linkages for student and faculty exchanges with leading universities in USA, UK, Europe, South Africa, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

She has received many awards, prominent among them are ‘Women of the Decade Achievers Award’ by ASSOCHAM; ‘Citizen of Mumbai Award’ by Rotary Club of Bombay and ‘Excellence in Education Award’ by the FICCI FLO.

Work Experience: More than 25 years of experience in Organization Development, Human Capital Management, Learning & Development and HR Operation; facilitated several workshops in area of leadership, managerial effectiveness and softskills.

• Indian Register of Shipping (current responsibility – since 2012) – Vice President and Head – HRD; Nature of Business- International Classification Society
• EvaHR Solutions, Mumbai; Founder and CEO of the company. An integrated HR firm which delivers end to end HR services mainly to shipping, logistics and other growing sectors of economy.
• Transworld Group of Companies, Mumbai, – General Manager & Head- Corporate HRD; Transworld Group of Companies is a leading Indian Multinational in the logistic and shipping industry having business interests in international freight forwarding, third party logistics, ship owning; shipping agencies and other allied shipping activities.
• Datamatics Ltd., Corporate HR– Software major
• Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad ( IIM –A) ;Worked as Academic Associate at Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad in the area of Personnel & Industrial Relation
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai -Research Scholar at TISS, in the area of HR & Quality management.

An Alumni of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management, professional with over 22 years of experience in Financial Services Industry more so in Human Resources.

Presently working with Emkay Global Financial Services limited as the Group HR Head.

Worked with SBICap Securities as Head HR.

Worked with TATA Capital Group as Business Head HR TATA Securities Limited prior to that as Asst Vice-President – HR for Corporate Finance Division

Had a decent stint with ICICI Bank, Mumbai as Manager – II HRMG (Human Resources Management Group) Generalist role. Moved across the verticals catering to the HR requirements. Contributed significantly in Recruitment, Training and Employee Engagement activities.

Profile Synopsis

• Over 22 plus years of experience in the financial service industry; more so in HR.
• Re-positioned HR Department as “Business-Partner” for the line and as a “Development Team” for the employees of the Company
• Built from scratch strong teams in multiple Organizations
• Handled Leadership Responsibilities; been part of Senior Executive Teams to drive and deliver key enterprise strategies and initiatives
• Strong Capabilities of HR Strategies across Annual Operating Plans, Exceptional Employee Engagement models, Balance Scorecard applications
• Designed & Deployment of Talent Management Program
• Implementation of the transparent Online Performance Measurement Systems.
• Part of the TBEM & PCMM implementation teams at TATAs
• Part of the 1st TATA Group HR leadership program
• Stood first to the University in the first PGDBM from Gulbarga University
• Creativity & Innovation

Dr. D. Prasanth Nair is Co-founder of Asynithis (Indus Partners) a firm focusing on leadership and digital transformation for organizations. He is a Co-founder of a Healthcare company, Director of Devotional Technology startup (Devaayanam) and advisory board member in ZingHR.

Dr. D. Prasanth Nair holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and doctorate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA).

Dr. Nair has worked in companies like GEC Alsthom and Indian diversified group -RPG Group. He headed the Human Resources function for Asia and Africa for Thomas Cook. He was a member of Thomas Cook Global HR Directors Forum. He also headed Global HR for Indian based Pharmaceutical MNC, Cipla.

Dr. Nair has been active in various industry forums besides being a speaker at various international conferences. He is considered a thought leader in application of technology in organization transformation. He has been recognized for his contribution to management through various awards. Dr Nair has been able to blend modern technology and ancient wisdom bringing the best in science and spirituality to the area of management. He is interested in Cricket, Music and loves travelling.

Dr Chithra. is a Human resource professional with 14 years of experience inLearning and Development. Currently, she is working in GlaxoSmithKline consumer Healthcare Ltd as Advisor- COE, TL&OD. Prior to joining GSK, she had been working with Tata consultancy services as Lead-business skills and Indian Institute for Human settlements as Public policy and capacity building specialist.

As a researcher in ‘Skill development in Higher education in India’, she did a comparative study of engineering employability skills frameworks of G7 countries and developed a unique engineering skill framework for Indian engineering graduates. She has emphasized the need for developing higher order thinking skills of graduates to adapt to the technological changes in the world during disruption and automation. She is the first Indian scholar to receive the most prestigious International Federation of Training and Development Organisations (IFTDO) award in “Research Excellence” in Training and developmentat world EXPO 2014. She has been awarded as the ‘Aspiring manger’ award from Trivandrum Management Association in 2015, ranked among the Top 50 talented L&D Leaders in South India by Asia Pacific HRM Congress in September 2017, Ranked among the Top 100 Training and Development leaders by World HRD Congress in 2018 and 2019.

In 2018, she had recognized as the ‘Most innovative training leaders in Asia’ by Asia Pacific HRM Congress and Times Ascent for bringing ‘lean principles in training’ and developing an organisation wide skill capability matrix development to measure multi-layer learning impact assessments for winning organisations.

She has completed PhD in International Business from Pondicherry University and Postgraduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) from Asian School of Business. She is still eager to learn new things and believes inthe principle of continuous learning.

Group Director - Human Resources, India, at Emerson Automation Solutions

Aniruddha is the Group Director – Human Resources at Emerson Automation Solutions within India and has Strategic and Governing oversight to the Human Resources for the groupof legal entities comprising of various business units,manufacturing sites and global engineering centers within India.

Aniruddha is the member of the country management, thought leader and an integral part of think tank for the country management as well as Asia pacific HR core team.

His role is to create a strategic direction and organization goals for the country, develop and nurture future leaders for the group, develop Human Resources leadership within country, be a coach to business leaders and HR leaders for the respective business and to create competitive strategy in harmony with Emerson’s strategic direction.

Key highlights:

• 26+ Years of Hands-on HR leadership with Multinational as well Indian Organizations
• Lead numerous Expansions, Mergers and Acquisitions, Integrations and Consolidations
• Lead and managed Business Transformations as well Cultural Transformations
• Leadership in Organization Planning and Design -Redesign and Developing Leaders
• Successfully manageddownturns and repositioned organization for growth
• Substantial work in Implementing Total Quality Management, Lean, Six Sigma and 5S

Besides keen interests in developing leaders, mentoring and coaching, he also has interests in writing management articles, case studies, designing org. development interventions and interacting with student community

Aniruddha has a strong bias toward promoting diversity at work place and engaging new generation leaders.

He has been speaking on various forums, conferences and HR meetings. His special affection is towards on campus programs and interacting with students in order to improve their orientation towards real corporate world and shaping up their perspective.

Dr. Badari Narayana has over two decades of experience in the talent function. He heads Organization Development and Corporate talent function at Deloitte. His areas of expertise include organizational design, transformation, mergers. He is deeply passionate about coaching and has led interventions for the C-Suite in South East Asia in Phillipines, Singapore, Malaysia. During his formative years worked in a leadership capacity in in companies such as WNS Global Services, ABC Consultants and one of India’s first online IT Market place , ITNation.com He is a doctorate in Human Resources.

Rajesh Iyengar heads a Strategic business Consulting organization with project operations in India, Middle East, Europe and USA, focused on helping Organizations and Institutions improve performance through strategic planning and restructuring; market intelligence and business audit; and revenue generation (marketing plan, branding solutions, business implementation).

He has successfully rendered Strategic corporate projects for over 600 private companies as well as government institutions, both within India as well as overseas, and is supported by, for international assignments, 65 top-of-the-line Consultants with a wide bandwidth of experience and expertise.

Rajesh interacts with Trade Counselors of different countries on knowledge sharing, market research and customized industrial/product studies, helping the overseas investors and companies in researching, collating, screening and customizing information in a business case format.

He is also a keenly indulgent and avid Head Hunter, with a small team of 18 Senior Consultants dispersed across India, UAE and UK, specialising in manufacturing, pharma, aerospace & defence, freight/logistics, food processing, chemicals and mining sectors.

As a part of his social responsibilities, Rajesh has been involved in:

• Researching, study and analysis of various modes and solutions to eradicate the problems pertaining to the landfills in India.
• Interaction with State Pollution Boards and Scientists on issues pertaining to air, water and land pollution.
• Creating and structuring decontamination process of shore waters for Indian Navy.
• Conceptualizing and structuring desalination, de-contamination and waterways development in Chennai.
• Assisting Government tourism departments in bringing in business, getting sponsorship and effecting strategic international tie-ups.
• Effecting corporate investment in Village infrastructure through partnership and participation programs.
• Coaches 200+ MBA students.

Global Head- Talent Transformation and L & D, Wipro Digital Operations

Surya Prakash Mohapatra , currently the Global Head- Talent Transformation at Wipro BPS has over 20 + years of experience in various leadership roles in several leading IT and ITES organizations. Prior to Wipro, he worked in Hewlett Packard, Microland, FirstRing, Computer Garage and a few other organizations. Surya has extensive experience in setting up and running learning and development functions for organizations in India and international locations.

Surya set up the global training function for Wipro BPO which spanned across 10 locations in Brazil, Mexico, Romania, Poland, China and India. He has led leadership development, capability building and talent management efforts in various organizations. He was instrumental in setting up the Management Academy and Domain Gurukul in Wipro BPO. Surya brings with him a vast experience in setting up Knowledge Centers of Excellence in various domains, defining and implementing training models for Rural BPO, Tier-III BPO etc.

In his previous role at HP, he was engaged in evolving strategies for career development, talent management and knowledge management for the organization in India. In the past, he played a key role in setting up the training function in HP GBS. He was one of the key contributors to HP’s Charisma Program as the global lead for the training tower. Some of the best-in-class initiatives led by him, has received industry recognition as well.

Surya speaks regularly in various national and international forums on topics related to HR, Learning and Development, Corporate Culture and Spirituality. His articles have been published in various journals and magazines. He is in the editorial board for the L&D Community’s quarterly e-magazine EKAKSHAARA.

Chief People , Operations & Customer Services Officer, Aviva Life Insurance India Ltd, India

In his current role at Aviva, Amit leads the People Function , Business Operations and Customer Service divisions along with Administration. He plays a key role in furthering the strategic business goals of the organization by ‘partnering’ for success and has the responsibility for driving Customer focus, Service Mindset and People Agenda in accordance with company strategy. His mantra is building a dynamic, vibrant and agile culture with focus on Innovation and Simplicity, key ingredients to propel the organization to be customer and future ready.

Amit has over 19 years of work experience and prior to joining Aviva, has worked in HR leadership roles at Bank of America, Royal bank of Scotland, American Express and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. He has undertaken regional assignments in Malaysia & Sri Lanka during his career.

Amit graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering degree and is a Management Graduate in Human Resource from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune.  He is also an Alumnus of School of Industrial and Labour relations, Cornell University and Said Business School – Oxford University and a Certified Coach from ICF.

Amit has been recognised both within and outside Aviva for his contributions. Some key awards are Aviva People Living legend award 2017 , CHRO of the year 2017 at Culture & diversity Summit, ‘Top 40 HR Leaders’ 2014 in the country by Asia Pacific HR Congress. He has Authored several articles on Key HR trends and practices in leading national dailies like Economic Times, Times of India, Financial Express and has been a speaker at various forums Like National HRD events, CII forum, and Management Institutes amongst others.

Senior Consultant - HR (Strategy and Change Management)

Dr. Tanaya Mishra is currently a Senior Consultant, Human Resources specializing in the areas of Strategy and Change Management. Prior to this she worked as Managing Director HR, APAC with Accenture. She has the unique and diverse experience of having worked across industries ranging from Manufacturing, Retail, Insurance, IT/ITES.

She has been the Head of HR for ACC Ltd. Shoppers Stop, SBI Life and was the Sr. Vice President – Group HR for JSW. She is a PHD in Manpower Planning and has a post graduate degree in Human Resources with a degree in Law. She has many articles and publications to her credit. She has held several honorary positions, Member and Facilitator with APERG, has served as board member of NHRD Network, CII, subject matter expert with SHRM, executive council member EFI.

She was selected to be part of the prestigious CSC Commonwealth Leaders and invited to Oxford and Buckingham Palace. She has won many accolades and awards the recent ones being the Women Super Achiever award 2016 and the Most Influential HR Leaders in 2017 and rated as India’s top HR professionals. The Pride of Maharashtra award was conferred on her in 2018. She has recently invited to be an Executive Council Member of the world’s most powerful network of women across the globe. People Matters in their current edition identified her as one of 40 most aspirational HR Leaders of Asia.

Chief - Talent Management, Pidilite Industries Limited

Mohita is a versatile HR professional with 18 years of rich and varied experience in financial services, manufacturing and FMCG .Her career span includes strategic roles in Performance Management, Learning and Development, Employee Engagement, Leadership Development and Talent Management. Mohita is also certified in Emotional Intelligence, Instructional Design, Neuro Linguistic Programming and as an OD practitioner. She was instrumental in driving internal coaching certification for Leaders in CEAT and thus building a Coaching culture within the organization. Her purpose is to assist people to explore and enhance their potential. She is passionate about authentic conversations and has built frameworks to ensure conversations are woven into people processes.

At Pidilite, Mohita leads the Talent Management agenda and is driving objective of building home grown leaders. She is an adventurer and loves to learn from new and challenging experiences. She is passionate about meditation, travelling and adventure sports. She calls herself a “Learner for Life”.

Global CHRO, Tata Global Beverages

Amit Chincholikar is Global Chief Human Resources Officer for Tata Global Beverages Ltd. He looks after the Human Resources and Business Excellence functions in his current role. TGB is the group’s consumer facing company focusing on branded natural beverages — tea, coffee and water. With a long history and experience in the beverages market, and a heritage of innovation and development, the Company has a strong portfolio of brands, including Tata Tea, Tetley, Jemča, Vitax, Eight O’Clock Coffee, Himalayan, Grand Coffee and Joekels. TGB also has joint ventures with Starbucks and Pepsi in India. In addition to Human Resources, Amit also oversees Business Excellence and Corporate Communications for the Company.

Prior to this role, Amit was Senior Vice President, Group Human Resources, Tata Sons Ltd. In that role, Amit looked after multiple areas including Performance, Rewards and Benefits,Employer Branding, Diversity & Inclusion and Mobility. He also looked after Young talent leadership programs such as TAS, HR Governance and Employee Engagement at Group Human Resources.

Amit has worked across the world in a variety of HR Roles and projects. He has lived in Singapore, United Sates of America and India. In his previous assignments, Amit has worked with Companies such as the Aditya Birla Group and Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Amit has a Bachelors Degree in Statistics and Operations Research from University of Mumbai and has completed his MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune.

Vice President Human Resources, Reliance Jio

Harjeet is an international speaker, writer, poet and a HR Leader. He is an alumnus of IIT Roorkee and INSEAD. He is currently working with Reliance Jio.

He is a SAP HCM consultant, Six Sigma Greet Belt, White Belt in Executive Coaching and Assessor for Predictive Index.

He has been conferred with HR Leadership Award, Pride of Nation Award, HR personality of the year and Global Learning Award. Harjeet has been a LinkedIn Power Profile, Chicken Soup Writer, TEDx speaker and Co-chair of Nasscom Diversity Committee.

Chief People Officer, India, People Combine (Acquired by-Nord Anglia Education)

Rajeev is the Chief People Officer at People Combine –Nord Anglia Education. He has over 22 years of rich experience across multiple sectors like Manufacturing, Retail, IT & Education. He is a University Rank Holder both in Engineering andhis MBA. He has cross functional experience in areas like Manufacturing, Product Development, Performance Management & OD, Marketing, Strategic Planning, Business HR, Corporate HR & Leadership Roles. His rich career starts with Mahindra & Mahindra (Farm Equipment Sector), Raymond Ltd, HCL Infosystems Ltd & current organization of People Combine – Nord Anglia Education. He hasspear headed his current organization in their Great Place to Work Journey and been ranked 17 th Best Large Workforce Companies across ASIA- 2019. The Great Place to Work journey started as Rank 90 in year 2015 & reached to Rank 21 is 2018. He has also secured Top 10 Rank for two consecutive years as Best Companies for Working Women by Avtar & Working Mother Media.

Rajeev has been recognized as Most Talented HR & Most Influential HR Leader in and has also won several accolades in his rich & vast career experience. He has handled large teams @10000 plus employees. He has successfully led large transformation projects across various Organizations in the past 22 years. Rajeev is also having a unique combination of Being a great HR leader but also is an expert in Management Training. He is certified trainer in 7 Habits & Situational Leadership, Behavioural Event Interview. Rajeev has extensively worked on Deming Prize & Japan Quality Medal Processes & played a key role in the organization which bagged both the awards. He is a Coach & Mentor too and has enabled many budding professionals to realize their true potential. Rajeev is also an avid HR-IT person and has brought innovative HR systems like Moving away from Bell Curve etc.

Rajeev has published several articles in various channels & is very passionate about Spoorthi- An Social Cause Initiative. Spoorthi means Connect- Serve- Learn wherein he drives all his employees to connect with underprivileged children, teach them to be self-reliant & in that process Learn to be more Human in nature. A profound initiative which clocked over 22000 hours in last year. He also has visited many Institutes & addressed students on important aspects like Self Potential Discovery & Making best for oneself in their career. He is also a member of IQAC- Inter Quality Assurance cell for one of the leading schools in Hyderabad.

Director and CHRO, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.

Sudhir brings with him over 25 years of experience in the HR & Technical field. He has worked with different IT and Non-Banking Financial Services firms in this period.

Mr. Sudhir Dhar has a Post Graduate Certification in HR from XLRI-Jamshedpur along with a BE in Electronics & Telecommunication and a BE in Industrial Engineering.

He is also a recognized Master Trainer in numerous areas like Situational Leadership – SL II, Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability, Performance coaching using GROWS Model.

He was among the finalists for the ‘Conscious Business Leadership Awards’ by LinkedIn in the Asia Pacific region and is a key influencer in the HR-field. He was among the top 5 CHROs in the country for the CHRO of the year award-2016 by Business Weekly. He has numerous accolades and awards to his name throughout his illustrious career and is renowned across the industry for his work in disruptive innovation thinking in the HR domain.

Besides this Mr. Dhar has also served the nation having been a part of the Indian Defence.

Media presence: He is a voracious reader and extremely passionate about writing; He has written numerous articles for blogs and is a regular on platforms like the Economic Times, People Matters, Business Weekly, TOI etc. He also takes interest in writing white papers and conducting research work in HR and behavioral psychology. He has close to 15 thousand followers on LinkedIn and garners a wide viewer base for his opinions.

Besides continuously honing his already immaculate HR skills, Mr. Sudhir shares his immense experience with young minds by delivering lectures in various B-schools as a guest lecturer.

Executive Vice President & Group HR Head, Punj Lloyd Limited

Joyeeta has been heading the HR function for Punj Lloyd Group and she joined from OLX Group where she was the HR Head for South Asia. She has been a senior Human Resources leader with 25 years work experience with diverse Industry segments.

She has earlier held several senior leadership roles in companies like Ranbaxy, Sun Pharma, Jubilant Life Sciences, Nortel Networks etc . She is an alumni of SIBM Pune.

Joyeeta has helped shape high-performing cultures at major growth companies , managing diverse cultural transformation as a part of the people agenda , strengths in creating robust people practices around Talent management, Career journeys, Rewards & Learning.

Joyeeta is a member of CII Northern Region HR & IR Leadership team.

Head - Talent Development, Global Delivery Services, EY-India, China, Poland, Manila and Argentina

Anuradha Varma has a proven record for providing innovative Learning and Leadership solutions for leading ITES companies. She has led strategic capability building responsibilities, setting up learning infrastructure, creating effective performance management approach, Hi-pot talent development, leadership development and HRBP capability.

Anuradha has been associated with SocieteGenerale, Thomson Reuters, Dell and ICICI One in her career.

Anuradha Varma has been recognized for several achievements including the award for “Excellence in Training”, and “Best Leadership Development Program Award” by HRD. She is also leading the Learning councils for Asia.

Chief Human Resources Officer, L&T Financial Services

Sudeep Banerjee is the Chief Human Resources Officer at L&T Financial Services (LTFS). He is responsible for driving the overall culture of the organization through turnkey strategic projects and operational HR solutions along with acquiring and managing the right people for the right businesses. As the leader of human capital management of the Company, Sudeep also oversees various areas of HR transformation, employee development & leadership developmentprogrammes, succession planning, employee recognition & engagement, change management, performance managementas well as employee grievance redressal system.

Sudeep has over two decades of diverse sector experience and has worked extensively on organization change management, talent acquisition, talent management, M&A and learning and development. Prior to joining LTFS in Oct 2017, Sudeep was with DHFL Pramerica Life Insurance for over four and half years. He has also been associated with Bharti Airtel, PepsiCo, TCS and Aventis Pharma in the past.He strongly believes in ‘measures that matter’ and takes a keen interest in facilitating diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the use of data analytics in HR. A management graduate from the University of Calcutta, Sudeep enjoys reading, travel & wildlife.

Professor & Director, SIBM Pune & Dean - Faculty of Manangement at Symbiosis International

Ramakrishnan Raman earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from University of Madras, India. He continued with graduatestudies to earn his M.B.A (Systems and Marketing) from the same University. Later he obtained a P.G.D.S.M. and M.Phil in Management from Pondicherry University andAlagappa University respectively and then completed his doctoral degree in management discipline from Pune University. He is also a Six Sigma Green Belt and Six Sigma Black Belt Certified. He completed his Green IT Consultant certification at Foundation Level by ISEB and BCS.His passion for adding value made him take up certifications from Universities Abroad.

Raman has more than Fifteen years of total work experience, which is a blend of corporate, academic and research experience.His professional career indealer chain management started with a large organization, Godrej and Boyce Manufacturing Co Ltd, in Chennai, India. He then moved into consulting domain by joining the Leading Edge consulting services. He returned to an academic lifeto satisfyhis passion for teaching by joining Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) as a lecturerin Department of Management Studies. After spending a couple of years with VIT, Prof. Raman joined Kohinoor Group in their Business School named Kohinoor Business School(KBS), located at Khandala. KBSwas offering the business management program of Carleton University Sprott School of Business Ottawa Canada. During his long stint with Kohinoor Group he had strategized and headed ERP implementation for the group’s education division named Joshi’s Kohinoor Technical Institute (JKTI).After he spent eight years with the Kohinoor Group he joined SP Jain Institute of Management (SPJIMR), Mumbai campus.After a short stint at SJIMR he joined Symbiosis International University (SIU). He severed as Director – SCIT (A constituent of SIU under faculty of Computer Studies) for three and half years and then in July 2014 took charge as Director – SIBM (A constituent of SIU under faculty of Management). He is also the Dean – Faculty of Management at Symbiosis International University.

Raman has travelled across the globe and has been instrumental in initiating academic collaborations with universities in Japan, Canada, UAE and the United States. He has also presented several papers in international conferences across theglobe and also has published papers in refereed Scopus listed journals.His main research interest is at the interface of Information Systems, Information Security, IT Strategy and Marketing.

Sr. Vice President & Head HR, Prism Johnson Limited (Formerly Prism Cement Limited) H & R Johnson (India) Division

Mr. Sandeep Banerjee holds more than 24 years of rich experience intovarious HRprocessesGlobally, such as Strategic HRM, Performance Management, Talent Management, HR Discipline, Employee Relations & IR. He has a unique blend of experience of working in the Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical,Hospitality andin leading Conglomerates,in Senior HR Leadership Roles.

Currently he heads the HR function at H & R Johnson (India). In his earlier assignments he has worked with renowned organisations such as Reliance Industries Limited, TAJ Group Of Hotels, ORGANON (India)& ESAB India.

Achievements:

At Prism Johnson Limited – H & R Johnson (India) Division, he has optimized the HR Operating Process & has been instrumental in building a robust PMS Process. Digitization of HR Processes has been initiated & implemented under his guidance. He has focused on capability building & on productivity linked sales processes, by aligning HR to the Business Goals.

At Reliance Industries Limited, he integrated all Corporate Functions under one umbrella & successfully implemented the HR Transformation across all the functions.

His tenure at The TAJ Group of Hotels was no less than a commendable achievement of restoring themorale of more than 1500 employees,who were victims of the dastardly attack on 26/11at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai. He was also a core team member in planning, designing and implementing the “Year of Associate” engagement program for the Taj group in 2009, for which company was recognised as‘Great Places to Work’ worldwide, five times in a row from 2009 to 2013, by Gallup.

Qualifications:

Mr. Sandeep Banerjee is a Post Graduate in Personnel Management & has also completed an Advance Program in Strategic Human Resources from IIM Ahmedabad.

Chief People Officer, BARC India

Manashi Kumar is the Chief People Officer at Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. She joined BARC India in 2016 and has sincebeen involved in creating the roadmap on talentstrategy in thefield of learning & development, talent acquisition and management,employee engagement, organization design, workforce diversity and succession planning. Manashi has been at the forefront in introducing numerous L&D programs that focusses on employee performance and knowledge in the company. One of her programs addresses the training needs of employees in different stages of the performance spectrum and creates opportunities for them to either aim higher orbridge the gap between expectations and performance.

Manashi has also been leading projects in micro learning and cross functional knowledge sharing, thus creating a culture of excellence inBARC India. Her passion for employee development has been the catalyst in building a culture of curiosity and ongoing learning in the organization.

With an experience of over 15 years, Manashi has worked with organisation heads of media & entertainment, broadcast, consulting and retail organizations to develop and implement HR strategies for business growth. An exposure to working with multiple organizations with different work cultures have made her appreciate the importance of effective coaching for better employee engagement and productivity.

Manashi is a member of IMA as well as global and local HRD networks. She holds a post graduate degree in human resource development from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies as well as a Masters in Sociology from the renowned Delhi School of Economics. She is an avid reader and enjoys travelling.

Managing Director & Head HR, India, Deutsche Bank

Madhavi Lall has been heading HR at Deutsche Bank India since May 2015 and joined from Accenture where she was Managing Director - HR. She has earlier held several senior leadership positions in Standard Chartered Bank where her last role was Global Head – Employee Relations. Prior to this, she was the Regional Head of HR India & South Asia and a Director on the Board of Standard Charted Finance Limited since Jan 2007. Madhavi has also worked with other companies like ABN Amro bank, Colgate Palmolive and HCL Hewlett- Packard.

She completed her MBA in HR and systems from XLRI Jamshedpur in 1991 and has pursued a Master’s degree in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College. She has also completed a Leadership management course from the University of Oxford.

Madhavi was conferred the “Women Leadership Award” by the jury and Council of Board Members of the Institute of Public Enterprises-BFSI in 2010. She was awarded the ‘GNOSIS Excellence Award’ in 2016 by the Finance Association at XLRI for recognition of her contribution to the BFSI sector and the XLRI brand over the years. She is also a founding member of the HR Committee for FICCI. Most recently she was conferred the Distinguished Alumnus Award by XLRI.

Director HR, Cognizant

HR Practitioner & Illusionist with over 20 years of experience across IT, Hospitality, Media & Entertainment industries.

He heads the HR function for one of the largest Industry practice within Cognizant and has proven abilities in creating high performing culture, organization change management, HR design & structure, client consulting & engagement, performance management, leadership and talent management & development.

As an entertainer, he enjoys creating illusions, mindreading, performing magic, conceptualizing & anchoring events. He has over 1200 performances to his credit and has worked with various corporate houses, international workgroups, hotels & retail chains and media.

Groups and associations:

• HR Strategy & Business Impact - SHRM
• Certified People CMM © Assessment Team Member
• Certified ISO 9001:2000Auditor from Ernst & Young
• Completed ICF credential – ACC course
• Certification in Psychometric Assessments
• Six Hats Certification – Edward Debono
• Certified Practitioner for NFNLP
• Human Labs – ISABs India
• Six Sigma Black Belt Candidate Certification – BMG University
• Member of International Brotherhood of Magicians
• Diploma in Ventriloquism
• Certificate in Art Therapy
• Certificate in Reiki

Chief Strategy Officer, Fractal Analytics

Sameer Dhanrajani is a distinguished and widely recognized analytics and AI thought leader and visionary known for his deep knowledge, innovation & topical approaches in the analytics and AI space. Sameer is Chief Strategy Officer at Fractal Analytics. He is responsible for driving strategic investments , inorganic growth, lead high-priority growth initiatives and help Fractal clients on AI-led transformation of their businesses . In his previous assignment , Sameer was Global Business Leader for Cognizant analytics and data sciences unit at Cognizant Technology Solutions. He pioneered the Customer, Risk & Operations Analytics framework (CRO) at cognizant analytics to help clients realize transformative value from data detonation encircling enterprises and enable accelerated businesse impact through accentuated customer experience, robust risk management strategies and optimized business operations. Under his leadership, Cognizant Analytics became a leading market player in the analytics market space with an exemplary broad-based structure and an exhaustive repertoire of services framework, consulting methodologies, solutions and platforms spanning the advanced analytics & data science spectrum serving multiple clients across industries. As an accomplished professional, Sameer provided the pivotal strategic direction and execution led insights to galvanize Cognizant Analytics run better & run different. A fast tracker & a well-rounded professional with 20 years of industry experience, Sameer has donned various leadership roles to help deliver innovative analytics solutions to clients for faster, better decision making. Prior to Cognizant, Sameer was the Country Head for Fidelity National Financial and pioneered India's first captive to be based on non-linear growth model with platform-based value propositions and developed Fidelity India into a hub of customer delight, delivery innovation, and operational dexterity. Before Fidelity, he worked as Vice President – Analytics for Genpact.

Sameer is a distinguished member of the NASSCOM Analytics Special Interest Group, CII knowledge roundtable, ASSOCHAM digital council and has been instrumental in leading the effort for positioning India as the next best destination of choice for AI & Analytics. He has been recipient of “Outstanding Leadership Award” at India Human Capital Summit and “Exemplary Leader Award” during the Asia Pacific HRM Congress. He has been highlighted four times consecutively – 2014-17 in “Top 10 influential analytics leaders in India” published by Analytics India magazine. Sameer is also advisor to Telangana and AP government council for setting up data analytics park and policy in Hyderabad & Vizag and is a steering committee member for drafting AI policy in India. Sameer is also a well-renowned speaker and has been a key note speaker & moderator on various business, leadership and topical analytics themes at leading conferences. He has been quoted regularly across multiple business media and news publications. Sameer is a prolific blogger and his blog post “Demystifying digital, data analytics and decision science” is a trendsetter; he is a well-known contributor in the academia space. He has delivered numerous industry guest lectures and mentored several fresh & experienced graduates on making a successful career in Analytics. He is a trusted industry advisor and council member to leading Business & Technology Schools-ISB, Manipal education, Upgrad, Shiv Nadar, Jigsaw academy. He is the first analytics professional leader in India to deliver TED talk. His recent book “ AI and Analytics : Accelerating Business Decisions “ published by Wiley is a best seller and have been featured amongst top books in AI and Analytics space.

Head - Business HR, L&T Financial Services

Chief People Officer & Head Administration, IDBI FEDERAL Life Insurance

Dr. Ajay Oberoi is the Chief People Officer and Head – L&D, Admin at IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co. He has over37 years of experience across BFSI, ITeS, Education, Automobile, and Construction Equipment Industries. He has held strategic and leadership roles in HR, Sales, Products, Marketing & Manufacturing in companies like Godrej & Boyce, Tata Motors, and Aptech. His expertise includes OD, Grade & Compensation Architecture, PMS, M&A, setting up business unit and projects.

As a practicing researcher, he has developed the “6 C” model for strategic HRM, the “OASIS” model for Performance management & development, the "3*3" Job-Environment- Return expectation matrix for strategic talent retention, and the "16*7/2" Potential & Trait Measurement Tool.

Ajay is winner of the “Outstanding Research Paper Award” at the International conference on management strategies – 2009, organized by Mumbai University. He presented papers on:

• Redefining role of HR
• Strategic Talent Retention

He is a recipient of “50 Most Talented Global HR Leaders in Asia” citation by CHRO Asia; and the Lokmat HR Leadership Award.

Dr. Ajay is a PhD in HR- Performance Management from BITS Pilani, and Mechanical Engineer from VJTI Mumbai. He also has a Financial Management Diploma from the Mumbai University.

Chief People Officer, Atria Convergence Technologies

Shefali Mohapatra, Group HR Head is responsible for leading the entire HR function at ACT - Organizational Development, Compensation Management, Performance Management, Talent Engagement, Manpower Planning & Resourcing and general HR operations. In her 5 years of association with ACT she has contributed to business process improvements and has established an effective and sustainable Human Resource & Recruitment process within the organization.

Shefali started her career with Agro Tech Foods as a management trainee. She also worked with Arvind Brands where initially she led the manpower planning & resourcing division and eventually headed the entire HR for the retail business of Arvind brands. At Arvind Brands she realized her penchant for working in start-up ventures with a desire to create. Hence, post Arvind brands she joined the start-up venture of Reliance Retail with Reliance Trends where she headed the talent engagement team.

Shefali completed her Economics Honors from Jesus &Mary College, Delhi University, following which she obtained her MBA degree from MDI Gurgaon.

Chief Learning Officer, YES Bank

Binoj Vasu has over 24 years of experience across Learning & Development, Talent Management and Business Development domains He is currently the Senior President & Chief Learning Officer at YES BANK, in charge of strategising and executing the the Bank's Learning & Development initiatives. He was earlier the CLO of DICE (Design| Innovation| Creativity| Entrepreneurship), a Knowledge, Innovation & Education Ecosystem that focuses on future-critical domains like Design Thinking, Innovation, FinTech, Digital Technologies and Entrepreneurship.

He has earlier been the Founder CEO of Kuotient, a ‘Career Mentoring’ Organisation that helps students and young professionals acquire new age career skills, by getting mentoring and guidance from senior Industry Leaders through Digital and Offline methodologies.

Prior to this, Binoj was the Chief Learning Officer of YES BANK. As part of the leadership team of the Bank from its early stages, he set up and scaled the Learning & Development, Talent Management, R&R, Employer Branding & Campus Talent Acquisition functions of the Bank. Prior to this, he was the Head of Training for TATA AIG.

During his career, Binoj has successfully set up & managed Learning & Development and Talent functions across organisations. He is a Certified Coach for Leadership & Transition Management. Binoj has been instrumental in setting up Centers of Excellence for Learning & Development for multiple Organisations. During the first decade of his career, Binoj was a Business Development Specialist having held Business leadership roles across organisations like Xerox, Exxon Mobil & Exide.

Binoj has been a core committee member of the 'CII National Knowledge Council'. He is a specialist in the 'Corporate & Campus Talent Connect' domain & has worked extensively with Educational Institutions & Corporates to facilitate Knowledge initiatives that benefit the Talent Ecosystem. He is also a visiting speaker/ faculty across B-Schools/ Knowledge Forums.

Ajay Pandey is the Head - Business Human Resources at L&T Financial Services.

He has over 30 years of experience which includes 21+ years in the banking, BPO, life sciences industries and 9 years in the Indian Air Force. He has a track record of positioning HR as a valuable strategic business partner vital to achieving any organization’s business growth objectives.

He did master degrees in Human Resource Management/ Personnel Administration from Somaiya institute of Management Studies & Research.

His Expertise is in planning & budgeting, recruitment/talent acquisition, Performance management, Talent management, Compensation, T&D, employee engagement, IR, compliances & CSR. Analytical, problem solving and leadership qualities imbibed by constantly delivering solutions in conjunction with business requirements.

Head Service Delivery SME, HR Global Operations, Ericsson

Abbas Jalis Rizvi is Head Operations Excellence, HR Global Operations at Ericsson since July 2016. Before this he was Region Service Delivery Head (Region North America and Latin America) at HR Global Shared Services, with Ericsson from May 2013 till April June 2016. Prior to this he also has worked as Talent Acquisition and HR Business Partner in Ericsson as well as in his previous stints.

In his current role,he is involved in process evolution and business excellence for 600 odd member global team (spread over 20+ countries & 6 major service centers) catering to HR delivery in Ericsson globally. In his previous role, he was pivotal in the establishment of the Shared Services in India from its establishment. He has an extensive experience in Telecommunications with his last role being in Videocon Telecommunications.

He has a management degree in from NIT, Allahabad and loves studying history and changing demographics of Human Resources in India. And have been the guest of speaker in many of the top colleges of India and HR industry platform like HRAI & Indian Conventions etc.

Executive Coach and Bestsellipng author

Jagmohan is the Co-Founder & CEO of TRUEtest – a division of The Next Milestone Technologies Pvt Ltd. TRUEtest is India’s first technology platform that enables corporates to access, identify and hire talent from colleges. Jagmohan is also the Chief Mentor & CEO of PeopleFirst (India) Ltd, leaders in Executive coaching & OD interventions. PeopleFirst in India operates 4 key verticals - Executive coaching, OD, Business Consulting and Learning.

Between 2008 & 2013, he held additional responsibility as Dean for IIFM, and Executive Director for Ideacount Education, one of the top ranked educational services companies in India. Ideacount Education owns national brands such as Frameboxx Animation, IIFM (Indian Institute of Finance & Management), Pastel IP, Networxx and others, and is present across close to 45 cities across India. Earlier, he has worked for banks like Standard Chartered, HDFC & HSBC, leading national & international roles. The Worldwide Speaker's Bureau lists him among the Top 25 Leadership & Behavioural change speakers globally, and consequently most of his speaking centers around Leadership concepts and application. He has been awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award & the Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award for outstanding individual achievement & distinguished services to the nation.

Director - Human Capital, Arcesium India Pvt Ltd

Sriram is currently the Director & Head Human Capital at Arcesium India Pvt Ltd. He handles the entire gamut of Human Capital activities. Arcesium India is a spin off from the D.E.Shaw group. Arcesium provides technology and services solutions for the middle- and back-office needs of asset managers.

He has over 21 years of work experience. Before moving to Arcesium he was with DE Shaw for 7 years and prior to that with Infosys for 9 years. His main responsibilities include influencing firm strategy and people focus, improving and enhancing people processes, improving communication effectiveness, delivering on staffing needs and enhancing the employee experience at the firm.

He has been a HR practitioner in both a large scale Indian IT as well as MNC environments. He has a set of diverse experiences with stints in Corporate, Business Unit HR, Development center HR etc. He has had exposure to key HR functions including Change Management, New Business Set Up, HR Consulting, HR Strategy implementation apart from the traditional domains which include Recruitment, Employee Relations, Training, Business Partner HR (BP-HR), HR Outsourcing etc.

Currently he is a member of the NASSCOM Regional Council, he Chairs the NASSCOM HR Council in Hyderabad, is a part of the AMCHAM HR Committee, etc. He has completed his Coaching Skills and NLP Certification. He is an internationally certified Train the Trainer. He is passionate about speaking, teaching and making a difference and runs a personal development club call LEAP.

Senior Advisor - Education, Yash Raj Films

Parigi has over 40 years of experience spanning across several sectors including infrastructure,Telecommunications, Media & Entertainment & Private equity . He has been on Boards of several Times of India Group companies including Times Innovative Media Limited (out-of-home), Times Internet Limited; Global Broadcasting (TIMES NOW); World Wide Media (a joint venture with the BBC); Bennett,Coleman & Co ltd (2007-2015). Currently Parigi is a Member of the Board of Directors of Bennett Institute of Higher Education, Bennett University & Times Infotainment Media Ltd.

He is credited with Times of India Group’s foray into FM Radio/Out of Home Media /Event Management/Movies;He served as the Managing Director of Entertainment Network (India) Ltd until September 30, 2009 and its Chief Executive Officer until August 2, 2007.He served on the Board of ENIL till Jan 2015.

Vice President Global Learning and Development at Suzlon Energy Ltd

Strategic Leadership, Training Operations & Leadership Development professional with 30+ years of experience in effectively devising & validating training strategies and spearheading leadership development. He is an expert in putting in place talent development initiatives in line with the organization’s future needs overcoming complex business challenges and delivering on high-impact decisions. Current assignment is as Vice President, Global Learning and Development at Suzlon Energy Ltd.

Major career highlights include establishing management development initiatives for Reliance Communications, creating a leadership competency framework & setting up OD function at Reliance BPO. Established the mid-management & leadership development initiatives across business verticals at IBM-Daksh. At Suzlon has established Leadership development linked to succession planning and is setting up training academy under the skill India initiatives.

Senior Vice President and Head HR at H & R Johnson (India)

Sandeep has more than 23 years of professional experience in end to end HR domain. His Experience in HR/IR spreads across diverse sectors viz Light Engineering, Heavy Industry (Steel Pipes), Pharmaceutical (Bulk Drug and Formulations) Services & Hospitality (Hotels), Aviation , Fashion, Sports, & Convention Centre and diverse Corporate Functions. He has had the exposure to Lead the HR function Globally in multi-cultural environment in MNC's and Large Indian Enterprises. Having the unique distinction of leading HR in Manufacturing and also in Services sector, he has the ability to bring the best of both worlds and ensure implementation of Best Practices. Hiring the Right Talent, Nurturing the Talent in required skills, Appreciating and Recognising Efforts, Aligning HR to the Business Goals and Leading from the Front has been synonymous with his leadership style.

Chief People Officer, nuFuture Digital India Limited, Future group

Kailash began her career working with NGOs and research organizations for social and community action research on education, women welfare and teaching from which she moved on to the manufacturing sector (primarily in the era of Industrial relations and Union management in 1991). During that time, her stints in various industries include: automobile, artificial leather, machineries, air cooling, refrigeration and lighting. She has over 13 years of experience in retail, FMCG, e-commerce, realty, BPO, KPO, ITES. Her roles have transitioned from industrial relations to productively engaging people, people processes, customer service, project management, capability development, total rewards, OD, landscaping employee value proposition and branding.

Her vast experience in human resources also account for employee process designing, mapping and maturity, employee wellbeing, experience designing, competency modeling, assessment centres, HIPO talent management and putting them into fast track, learning initiatives through various platforms, e-leaning, micro learning , storytelling, talent acquisition , CSR , Six Sigma, designing on boarding process and experience mapping, acquisition and mergers, values and culture, employee happiness, and many more. Her stints also include taking up standalone projects and consulting assignments with companies like Hay and Gallops.

Head HR, DHFL General Insurance

Seema has over 22 years of Business and HR experience across Industries with experience in strategizing and leading a variety of Global Projects. She began her career with Standard Chartered Bank. After which she ventured into building her own company -Avenue Makers- a talent search company which then moved to Executive hiring in its later years. The skills she honed during this time were talent acquisition, assessments, research, and industry patterns in the talent landscape. Her stints in the human resources world include working with companies like Lionbridge Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, Fullerton India Credit Company, John Deere India Pvt Ltd, and eventually The Corporate Chamber where she held various leadership roles pertaining to organization development, talent management, research, parity studies, performance evaluation, career progression, retention risk analysis, engagement, identification of talent, leadership development, succession planning, process design, policies, talent broking, academy management, global university relations, strategic communication, technology redesign, green field projects, development centers and global projects. Eventually she secured the position of a HR Manager in Lionbridge Technologies. After which she led leadership Roles in JPMorgan Chase. She is currently the Head HR at DHFL General Insurance.

CHRO, Valuepoint Group

Ramesh is a Global Transformational HR Business Leader for start-ups and SMEs. Ramesh is currently the CHRO of Valuepoint Group a leading IT Infrastrructure Services company in South Asia. Valuepoint is a global IT systems integrator serving 15,000 large enterprises and SMEs including over 500 Fortune clients for over 25 years. Ramesh has spearheaded several start-ups, M&As, turnarounds and country-wide ERP change management projects.

CEO, India QX

Sumit is the Group CEO of QX, where he sets company goals and aligns them across QX. In his role, he is also responsible for managing the company, developing and executing long‐term business strategies, and interacting with clients, employees and other stakeholders. He is QX’s primary decision maker, setting the tone for the company’s policies, values, ethics and culture.

Sumit joins QX following 22 years of overall experience and 8 years in leadership roles at TCI, KeyPoint Technologies and Adaptive Mobile. Most recently, Sumit headed TCI (portfolio company of a private equity and venture capital firm Eli Global), where he was responsible for its global operations and M&A and investment strategy.

Prior to that he was the group CEO and Co‐Founder of UK based, AI and NLP provider Key Point Technologies, where he led teams across geographies, managed operations in various economies and delivered year‐over‐year growth by focusing on innovation and penetration in key global markets like US, China, South Korea and Japan.

In his free time, he loves to enjoy long drives and movies with his wife and two daughters. Golf and off roading are some his interests outside work.

Associate Director, Human Resources, KPMG

A certified MBTI and NLP Practitioner, Sahil Nayar is currently an Associate Director, Human Resources at KPMG in India. A double MBA in Human Resource Management and Marketing, a double graduate in Management and Law, Sahil is extremely passionate about creating possibilities by working his way through relationships and human psychology.

A Social Media Evangelist, Employer Branding, Culture and Capability building are his forte. At the core of his efforts is an intent to ride the “Future of Work” wave and foster a culture of engagement, agility and innovation.

An avid reader, teaching is his passion. On weekends you would either find him at a B-School sharing his perspectives with budding talent, unwinding over some contemporary thought leadership or finding humans within human beings. At leisure, he explores and traverses treacherous roads over various genres of music.

He truly believes, “You really get what you got when others get what you got.”

Cofounder, Director – Products, Chief People Officer – The Next Milestone Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Subramanian (Subu) is Cofounder, Director and Chief People Officer at ‘The Next Milestone Technologies’, a technology-based talent company focused on making the youth of India employable.

Subu is a senior level professional with over 26 years track record of leading successful “Best-in-class” Human Resources, Learning & Development and Operation teams to triple digit growth in Fortune 100 companies in the Banking, Financial services & Insurance (BFSI), Outsourcing / Offshoring and Hospitality industries. He held leadership positions in GE Capital, Countrywide Financial Services International and MetLife Inc. He has hands on experience in planning and executing strategies for Leadership development, Capability build, Organizational design & development, Talent acquisition, management & development, Change management, Employee engagement, Diversity & Inclusion practices, Learning & training development and Domain knowledge capability.

Subu is an alumni from the Indian School of Business (ISB), with a stint at the Kellogg’s school of Management and the Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania.

Mind Map Trainer

Dharmendra Rai is Mumbai's First Mind Map Trainer . He has conducted over 300 Mind Map seminars - probably a world record - for Executives of Many Fortune 500 Companies , IIT, IIM, Harvard Business School , Wharton Business School , Johns Hopkins , Oxford , & London School of Economics ( LSE ) Alumni

Managing Partner and Country Head, In-Helm Leadership Solutions

Dr. D. Prasanth Nair, holds a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Calicut University and doctorate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. His doctorate thesis was on organizational and HR issues in Mergers and Acquisitions. Dr. Nair has worked in companies like GEC Alsthom, RPG Group and Wockhardt. He headed the Human Resources function and Insurance distribution business for Thomas Cook India, besides being member of Thomas Cook Group HR Directors Forum and Thomas Cook Group Sustainability Forum. He also headed Global HR for Cipla.

Currently, he is the Managing Partner and Country Head of Inhelm Leadership Solutions–a HR firm specializing in Executive search, Consulting and Training. He serves on Advisory board of ZingHR – a new age HR Technology company. He is a Co-founder of an ecommerce venture in the healthcare domain and also serves as mentor to many start-ups.

Dr. Nair has contributed papers and articles to various magazines and journals. Dr. Nair has been active in various industry forums like Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, BMA and NHRD, besides being guest faculty at premier management institutes. He has been recognized for his contribution to management through awards, the recent ones being ‘Achiever of Excellence Award (2012-13)’ by the Bombay Management Association and ‘HR Leadership Award’ by Asia Pacific HRM Congress Awards 2013 in Sept’2013

Associate Vice President, Infosys

Kumar has more than 20 years of experience in IT Services industry across application development, package implementation, independent QA and digital transformation initiatives. He has played various roles across Consulting, Client Relationship Management, Service Delivery, Pre-Sales and Innovation. His areas of specialization include Growing Practices/Delivery Units, Setting up Large TCoEs, Creating Strategy, Driving Strategic initiatives, Delivering Client Value, Building Global Teams and Achieving Operational Excellence. He is currently with Infosys as the Associate Vice President.

Founder, SUMS CorpSolutions

Umesh has over 21 years of experience in Strategic & Operational areas of Human Resource Management, Learning & Organisational Development in Management and Leadership roles across organisations like Reliance, Tata AIG, Bharti Airtel, Idea, Max Life, Eureka Forbes and Mobilink. He is proficient at Business / HR strategy partnering with Leadership teams, Leading Change Management initiatives, Competency based Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Driving Employee Engagement and Value based Performance Management Culture, Rewards, Compensation & Benefits, HR Planning, Governance & Controlling processes, Designing effective HR Policies and Systems. He holds his MBA from SIBM, Pune and is a certified Quality Auditor from KPMG, DISC from Thomas, Q12 from Gallup. He is on the Board of Director of GESIA and M1 Ordering Pvt Ltd. Umesh is a member of the Academic Board of Selection for Symbiosis Institute of Business Management.

Global Chief People Officer, Aegis

SM Gupta steers the Human Resource function handling the multi-cultural, multi-lingual and socio-economically diverse 41000+ strong workforce of Aegis. He brings with him over 29 years of HR experience across the IT, ITES, Telecom, Retail, Oil and FMCG sectors. In his previous roles, he was associated with organizations such as Tata, Reliance, Kansai Nerolac Paints, Cadila Pharmaceuticals and Essar Oil managing diverse and dynamic functions of People Management, Human Resource Re-engineering, Talent Development and Training.

He joined the Essar Group in 2005, and previously led the HR department for the Telecom and Oil business units of the group. In 2008, he took over the overarching HR function for Aegis. Through his strategic vision, astute decision making and unmatched execution, he has enabled and inspired innovative people strategies, policies and programs for Aegisites across 10 countries. Under his leadership, Aegis was successful in integrating more than 9 companies across 7 geographies, and today, he is building an institution by bringing over 41000 happy people together.

As a result of his indefatigable passion for excellence and spirit of achievement, Aegis has been conferred with 86 distinct HR awards from industry bodies such as Aon Hewitt, Great Place to Work, NASSCOM, CII, SHRM, People Matters, NCPEDP, Businessworld and BPeSA among others. A distinguished speaker and a thought leader at various forums and associations, he is committed to working towards creating a progressive workplace, and is a true believer in inclusion and diversity. He has served as a Director on Board of the Contact Center Company (CCC), the joint venture company of STC and Aegis in Saudi Arabia and is also a Governing Board member of the National Abilympic Association of India. He holds a Bachelor's of Science degree & Master in Business Administration from Kurukshetra University.

The Most Influential Global CHROs Award recognizes CHROs based anywhere in the world, irrespective of their industry or sector. Nominations will be reviewed for the impact they have had on their organization and on the industry or sector, among other things. It is recommended that submissions include supporting metrics and some evidence of the person’s ability to inspire, influence and create change.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of what has been achieved in the available context, the person’s reputation, credentials, experience, diversity in exposure, degree of influence and impact on relevant stakeholders among other factors
• Evidence of the impact the person has had on their organization, the industry, sector, community at large and other pertinent stakeholders
• Evidence of success with appropriate metrics, endorsements and any other relevant material

This award recognizes HR Leaders & Consultants based anywhere in the world, who are recognized as Thought leaders not just within their organization but across the HR community and Business world. It celebrates achievements of people that have made monumental contributions to both, the HR and business fraternity. This award is for people who have set challenging benchmarks for others in the HR fraternity to follow.

Nominations will be reviewed for the impact they have had on their organization and on the industry or sector, among other things. It is recommended that submissions include supporting metrics and some evidence of the person’s ability to inspire, influence and create change.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of what has been achieved in the available context, the person’s reputation, credentials, experience, diversity in exposure, degree of influence and impact on relevant stakeholders among other factors
• Evidence of the impact the person has had on their organization, the industry, sector, community at large and other pertinent stakeholders

Nominations will be reviewed for evidence of innovation & bottom line contribution through enhanced recruitment practices and improved retention. Entries could range from one-off projects in key areas to the implementation of new policies covering all resourcing activities. They should be presented in the form of a business case study supported by appropriate metrics.

Judges will look for

• Genuine innovation in recruitment practices and retention
• A clear narrative that demonstrates why the strategy was implemented and how it is having an impact on the organisation
• How the recruitment and retention strategy ties in with the organisation's employer brand
• Evidence of success: how it has strengthened the organisation - please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.

Nominations should give details of how their company defines and spots talent, where the responsibility for managing talent lies, how they deliver relevant development opportunities and how the implementation / outcomes are monitored and measured.

Judges will look for

• An innovative talent strategy that addresses an important business issue
• A clear narrative that demonstrates how the strategy is having an impact on the organisation
• Evidence of success: how it has strengthened the organisation with - please use metrics, customer feedback and case studies.
• ROI and the impact the strategy has made since implementation

Nominations will be reviewed for usage of technology to move HR forward, either by implementing HR software and analytical systems, online recruitment, e-Learning programs, Talent Management & Development, MDP or Leadership Development.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative that demonstrates why technology was implemented and how it is linked to broader business strategy
• Genuine innovation considering the organisation’s context
• Evidence of success: return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation – please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies

Nominations will provide evidence of a well-thought out strategy linking employee engagement to the heart of the business. This can include motivation programmes that have made a significant difference to an organisation's productivity and performance.

Judges will look for

• An innovative engagement strategy that addresses an important business issue
• A clear narrative that demonstrates how the strategy is having an impact on the organisation, including metrics on improvements to engagement and productivity levels, and other relevant measures
• Evidence of how the engagement strategy is linked to improved key business objectives and outcomes

Nominations will be reviewed for an innovative approach to HR Business Partner practices, taking into account challenges pertaining to alignment of HR strategies to the dynamic business environment. Evidences to indicate how the HR plans, actions and execution considers the business need, customer preferences, and new age employee expectations while optimizing productivity and cost benefits, will be considered.

Judges will look for

• An innovative HRBP strategy that addresses important business issues
• A narrative that illustrates how the strategy was implemented and the journey from implementation to success
• Evidence of genuine board-level commitment to the HR business partnership
• Evidence of success: Productivity, cost efficiencies, top & bottom line growth and how it has strengthened the organisation – please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.

Nominations will be reviewed for an innovative approach to Talent Development practices, taking into account challenges pertaining to diverse workforce that demands both standard and customized learning. Evidences to indicate effective investment in the development of people across an organisation; must include details of the business need, strategy aligned to the need and communication to the workforce.

Judges will look for

• An innovative L&D strategy that addresses an important business issue
• A narrative that illustrates how the strategy was implemented and the journey from implementation to success
• Evidence of genuine board-level commitment to Learning & Development
• Evidence of success: return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation – please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.
• Impact and how this is evaluated by a particular country / region, or sector within your region

Nominations will be reviewed for evidences where an organization has closely aligned its benefits strategy to the business objectives in order to incentivise and enhance productivity. Also, how the strategy had a direct impact on employee engagement and subsequently, the organisation's bottom line.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative that demonstrates why the benefits strategy was implemented and how it is linked to broader business strategy
• Explanation of why the strategy is innovative in its given context (e.g. an acknowledgment of external or internal challenge)
• How the strategy is a good fit for the workforce in the context of the organization’s wider strategy
• Evidence of success, including return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation - please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.
• How the strategy has benefited engagement, retention, productivity and other relevant measures

Nominations will provide evidence of communication strategy that can be part of an ongoing process or a one-off event or development in the organization. The communication strategy / initiative must be in place for at least 12-18 months to demonstrate its success.

Judges will look for

• An innovative communications strategy that addresses an important business issue
• Different communication channels used and their relevance
• A clear narrative that demonstrates the strategy's scale and it's impact
• Entries with measurable (rather than purely anecdotal) evidence that the communication process has proved effective in the medium to long term
• Evidence of success: return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation - please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.

Nominations will be reviewed for compelling evidence that their strategy for health and well-being in the workplace is not only effective but also has created a clear and measurable ROI.

Judges will look for

• An innovative well-being strategy that addresses an important business issue
• A clear narrative that demonstrates why the strategy was implemented and how it is linked to broader business strategy
• Evidence of success: return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation - please use metrics, anecdotes, staff feedback and case studies.
• Entries that demonstrate how the strategy is linked to engagement and productivity levels

Nominations will be reviewed for an organization’s embedded corporate social responsibility across the firm, in particular through its people. Entries should demonstrate the role HR has played in the strategy and execution of CSR initiatives. Also how the CSR initiatives demonstrates a clear link between corporate strategy, community benefits and societal responsibility.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative that demonstrates why the strategy/initiative was implemented
• Evidence of success, including how it has benefited the community - please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies
• How the CSR initiative/strategy is linked to corporate strategy and benefits the business

Nominations will include organisations that have completed a successful people-focused business transformation programme. Areas that will be assessed include making the business case for change, its communication, implementation and measurement. Entries can include those where external interim resources have been brought in, to achieve a positive outcome and successful merger and acquisition programmes.

Judges will look for

• An innovative change/transformation programme that makes a clear business case for change
• How effectively the programme is communicated, implemented and measured, including how it has overcome any resistance
• The role that HR has played in the programme, such as when HR was brought into the process and its impact
• Evidence of success: how it has strengthened the organisation - please use metrics, anecdotes, customer feedback and case studies.
• Programs that have been in place for at least 9 months to demonstrate its success.

Nominations are invited from organisations that have Diversity & Inclusion at the heart of its business, providing outstanding support and opportunities to women, people from diverse backgrounds, differently abled people etc. Also evidence that the intent is not to have a D&I strategy because it is a nice thing to do but to recognise and embrace the benefits of a truly diverse workforce.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative that demonstrates why the D&I strategy was implemented and how it is linked to broader business strategy
• Evidence of the organisation's Diversity & Inclusion statistics and how these are evaluated
• A narrative on the strategy's implementation, communication and success - please use metrics, anecdotes, employee / customer feedback and case studies.
• Evidence that D&I strategy is part of the corporate ethos, not just with employment but also in how it serves customers

Nominations will be reviewed for an innovative approach to HR Risk Management practices, taking into account challenges pertaining to the evolving statutory compliances and regulations required to maintain a safe and healthy workplace. Evidences to indicate effective investment in technology, systems, procedures etc. to mitigate reputational risk of business, and effective communication to the workforce.

Judges will look for

• An innovative Risk Management strategy that addresses reputational risk of business
• A narrative that illustrates how the strategy was implemented and the journey from implementation to success
• Evidence of genuine board-level commitment to the strategy
• Evidence of success: return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation – please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.

Nominations will be reviewed for the innovative approach and efforts put in by an organization to form strong relations with its staff/workforce. This may range in scale from industrial relations across large sections of the workforce or in the management of disputes involving individuals or how they deliver relevant development opportunities and how the implementation / outcomes are monitored and measured.

Judges will look for

• Evidence that the initiatives and actions of the employer are creating positive relations in the workplace for both the organisation and its workforce.
• A clear narrative that demonstrates the strategy's scale and its impact
• Evidence of success: return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation - please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.

Nominations will be reviewed for outstanding responses to manage the impacts of the pandemic situation, inculcating the regulations required to maintain a safe and healthy workplace and ensuring to mitigate reputational risk of business, and effective communication to the workforce.

Judges will look for

• How well the situation was assessed followed by sound decision making, and ongoing communication with employees.
• A clear narrative that demonstrates why the strategy was implemented and how it is linked to broader business strategy.
• Evidence of a well-being strategy and how it has strengthened the organisation – please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies.

This award recognises the game-changing HR directors of the future. It is open to any HR practitioner below HR director level, the rising stars who have already made a big impact on their organisations. Entrants can enter themselves or be entered by their superiors.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of what has been achieved and in what context – how much experience does the candidate have? What sector do they work in? (This will help the judges compare entries)
• Evidence of the impact the candidate has had on the HR strategy of the organisation in which they work - please include metrics, anecdotes and case studies
• Testimonials from HR and other business leaders on how the candidate has added value to the organization

This award recognizes the CHRO who has made an impact on his / her organization, business, people along with the larger HR community, industry and community at large. Evidences to indicate the person’s ability to inspire, excite, create strong values and engage with their workforce will be considered.

This award felicitates the CEO (or otherwise defined as the organizational head), who has created a sustaining impact on the organization by enabling extraordinary people practices. The award recognizes those organizational leaders who have not only enabled growth, but done it so by energizing and engaging with teams to create “Leading practices” for others to emulate.

This is the only PeopleFirst HR Excellence award that is not based on nominations or Jury selection. The decision for this particular felicitation is based on carefully analysed and assessed contributions of people; contributions that go beyond their organization or business and have an impact on the industry or the nation at large. This award therefore recognizes individuals that have transcended traditional boundaries of ownership and leadership and displayed unstinting efforts towards creating sustainable change.

Since this award is not jury-based, the PeopleFirst Awards team will arrive at a decision based on polling, feedback from business leaders and deep study of individuals who meet the criteria outlined for this recognition.

The award recognizes women leaders who have established themselves as a role model, by empowering and mentoring their followers, being innovative & by encouraging and inspiring their subordinates to reach their fullest potential.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of what has been achieved in the available context, the person’s reputation, credentials, experience, diversity in exposure, degree of influence and impact on relevant stakeholders among other factors
• If the person has Inspired others to work collaboratively and creatively
• Demonstrated initiatives to promote a work environment that is respectful, collegial and supportive
• Evidence of the impact the person has had on their organization, the industry, sector, community at large and other pertinent stakeholders

The award recognizes leaders who have demonstrated determination, drive, innovation, impact, vision, commitment, and sustainability. Have fostered initiatives that promote a collegial environment. Evidence to indicate the person’s ability to inspire, excite, create strong values and engage with their workforce will be considered.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of what has been achieved in the available context, the person’s reputation, credentials, experience, diversity in exposure, degree of influence and impact on relevant stakeholders among other factors
• Evidence of the impact the person has had on their organization, the industry, sector, community at large and other pertinent stakeholders

This award recognizes the innovative approach to people practices demonstrating passion of the team to make it work and taking into account the environmental / organisational challenges. Evidence of the impact of the HR strategy on the business/organisation, including operational and financial measures

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative that demonstrates how the HR strategy is having an impact on the organisation, and a plan for how its ambitions are committed to longer-term strategy
• Evidence of success would be seen through the lens of return on investment and how it has strengthened the organisation. ROI must be backed up by metrics with a clear demonstration of related KPIs, anecdotes, staff feedback and case studies

This award recognizes HR teams for their work within the function and their business partnering with other functions. The nomination must focus on overall team efforts and demonstrate the function’s collaborative approach and ability to attract and develop excellent HR Team and the business impact and outcomes of the HR team specifically.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative that outlines at least two major HR initiatives or programs implemented and/or improved within the past 12-18 months that best demonstrate your team’s efficiency and spirit of innovation.
• An evidence that demonstrates how the team is having an impact on other functions and the wider business
• How has your team strengthened the organisation – please use metrics, anecdotes and case studies. Jury will consider feedback from internal customers and how this is sourced

This Award aims at promoting successful innovative practices being followed by organisations in order to make their workplace safer for women.

Judges will look for

• Evidence of practices which make your organisation harassment free workplace, a safe workplace devoid of any fear or hesitation, that welcomes anyone and everyone with open minds.
• Compliance to PoSH legal framework, best practices, and broader indices that reflect the culture of the organization
• The vision for the culture that percolates into the organisation for POSH consciousness, progressing towards building happier, productive, inclusive workforces (organisation's active interest in the cause of workplace safety)

The award recognizes HR leaders who have been able to positively influence stakeholders within and outside the organization to create value for the organization. Stakeholders could include employees, team members, channel partners, vendors, and strategic alliances. They do this through a right blend of impactful communication, crucial conversations, empathy, persuasiveness and a deep connect with stakeholders.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of what has been achieved and in what context
• The depth of experience the HR leader has and the sector they operate in; along with any challenges peculiar to that sector, and how the HR leader managed the same
• Evidence of the impact the HR Leader has had on organizational imperatives, employees, the HR fraternity, the community, and their industry. Metrics, anecdotes and case studies are recommended
• Testimonials from impacted stakeholders

The award recognizes Business leaders who have been able to inspire people within and outside their business or organization. They inspire deep loyalty and ownership among stakeholders and excel at leading change. They are able to scale the business and help the organization succeed even in time of crisis. They exemplify the stated values of the organization through their actions and behaviour.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of specific achievements and the context in which this has been done
• The depth of experience the leader has and the sector they operate in; along with any challenges peculiar to that sector, and how the leader managed the same
• Evidence of how extraordinary people practices have resulted in creating organizational success and shareholder value. Metrics, anecdotes and case studies are recommended
• Testimonials from impacted stakeholders

The award recognizes leaders who have demonstrated the ability to sense changes in their business environment and respond with agility and speed. They are able to build teams where people have a shared vision and purpose. They foster an enabling culture where collaboration, self-awareness and nurturing elements are given due importance. They help identify and develop change agents who work with them to lead the way through volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of specific achievements and the context in which this has been done
• The depth of experience the leader has and the sector they operate in; along with any challenges peculiar to that sector, and how the leader managed the same
• Evidence of how the leader navigated through a VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) situation or set of situations. Metrics, anecdotes and case studies are recommended
• Testimonials from relevant stakeholders

The Best ESG Strategy award honors organizations that have demonstrated outstanding leadership in integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into their core business strategy. This category recognizes those who have successfully aligned their operations, policies, and initiatives with sustainable and ethical practices, driving positive change in areas such as environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and corporate governance.

The winning organization will have implemented a comprehensive ESG strategy that addresses critical global challenges, such as climate change, diversity and inclusion, human rights, and ethical business practices. The strategy will reflect measurable outcomes, long-term sustainability goals, and a commitment to creating value for both the organization and society.This award celebrates organizations that are setting a benchmark for responsible business practices and leading the way in creating a more sustainable and equitable future.

Judges will look for

• clear explanation of how ESG principles are embedded into the business and operations, with a focus on their long-term value to the organization.
• Evidence of measurable outcomes, including metrics on environmental sustainability, social impact, and governance improvements, supported by case studies or examples.
• The organization’s ability to implement pioneering ESG practices that exceed regulatory requirements and set new industry standards.
• A demonstrated commitment to engaging key stakeholders and maintaining transparency in reporting progress and challenges in the ESG journey.

The Green HR Leader of the Year Award honors a visionary individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in advancing Green HR practices within their organization. This award celebrates leaders who seamlessly integrate environmental stewardship into HR strategies, driving initiatives that promote sustainable, socially responsible, and economically impactful practices.

The recipient of this award will have championed Green HR initiatives that align with sustainability goals, such as reducing environmental footprints through HR policies, fostering inclusive and eco-conscious workplace practices, and encouraging responsible resource management. Their leadership will have inspired a cultural shift toward sustainability within their organization and set a benchmark for Green HR practices across the industry. This award celebrates not just a leader, but a catalyst for change who exemplifies innovative, future-focused HR leadership for a sustainable world.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of specific achievements and the context within which these have been implemented.
• Depth of experience in HR, along with sector-specific challenges the leader has overcome to promote Green HR practices
• Evidence of the leader’s impact through Green HR initiatives. Judges will value concrete examples, metrics, case studies, or anecdotes that highlight innovative solutions and their effectiveness in creating long-term environmental and social value.
• Testimonials from relevant stakeholders reflecting the leader's influence and the organizational impact of their Green HR practices.

The HR Rising Star of the Year award recognizes an outstanding HR professional, early in their career, who has shown exceptional promise and has made a significant impact within their organization. This award celebrates emerging HR talent—individuals who demonstrate innovation, leadership potential, and a proactive approach to solving HR challenges.

The recipient will be someone who has contributed meaningfully to initiatives such as talent development, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, or organizational transformation. Their ability to drive results, inspire teams, and embody the future of HR leadership sets them apart as a rising star.This award highlights the next generation of HR leaders who are shaping the future of the profession with their fresh perspectives, bold ideas, and dynamic contributions.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative of what has been achieved and in what context – how much experience does the candidate have? What sector do they work in? (This will help the judges compare entries)
• Evidence of the impact the candidate has had on the HR strategy of the organisation in which they work - please include metrics, anecdotes and case studies that showcase the impact of these initiatives on talent management, employee engagement, culture transformation, or any other key HR areas.
• Testimonials from Seniors and other business leaders on how the candidate has added value to the organization

The CXO Award for Chief Operating Officer (COO) recognizes operational leaders who drive efficiency, innovation, and business transformation. This award honors COOs who excel in optimizing processes, enhancing productivity, and ensuring seamless execution of business strategies.

Key focus areas include operational excellence, cross-functional collaboration, scalability, and performance optimization, ensuring sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

The CXO Award for Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) recognizes visionary leaders who drive brand growth, customer engagement, and strategic marketing excellence. This award honors CMOs who implement innovative marketing strategies, leverage digital transformation, and align brand positioning with business objectives.

Key focus areas include market expansion, data-driven decision-making, brand differentiation, and customer experience, ensuring sustained business success and competitive advantage.

The CXO Award for Chief Financial Officer (CFO) recognizes financial leaders who drive strategic growth, financial stability, and business sustainability. This award honors CFOs who excel in financial planning, risk management, cost optimization, and investment strategies.

Key focus areas include financial innovation, compliance, resource allocation, and profitability, ensuring long-term organizational success and shareholder value.

The CXO Award for Chief Learning Officer (CLO) recognizes leaders who drive a culture of continuous learning, talent development, and organizational growth. This award honors CLOs who implement innovative learning strategies, enhance workforce capabilities, and align development programs with business objectives.

Key focus areas include digital learning transformation, upskilling initiatives, leadership development, and employee engagement, ensuring a future-ready workforce and long-term business success.

The CXO Award for Chief Digital Officer (CDO) recognizes visionary leaders who drive digital transformation, innovation, and technology-driven business growth. This award honors CDOs who excel in leveraging emerging technologies, data analytics, and digital strategies to enhance customer experiences and operational efficiency.

Key focus areas include digital innovation, AI adoption, cybersecurity, and business model transformation, ensuring long-term competitiveness and digital excellence.

The CXO Award for Chief Risk Officer (CRO) honors executives who effectively manage and mitigate risks to protect and enhance their organization's value. This award recognizes CROs who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in identifying, assessing, and managing a wide range of risks, from financial and operational to strategic and reputational.

Key areas of focus include risk governance, resilience building, compliance, and fostering a risk-aware culture. The award celebrates CROs who balance risk with opportunity, guiding their organizations through an increasingly complex risk landscape to ensure long-term stability and growth.

The CXO Award for Chief Sales Officer (CSO) honors top sales leaders who drive revenue growth, market expansion, and customer acquisition strategies. This award recognizes CSOs for their ability to lead dynamic sales teams, optimize sales performance, and implement innovative strategies that align with overall business goals.

Key focus areas include sales leadership, strategic account management, performance metrics, market intelligence, and the creation of a high-performance sales culture. The CSO's role in building strong customer relationships, scaling sales operations, and contributing to sustainable business growth is central to this prestigious recognition.

The CXO Award for Head of Brand recognizes visionary leaders who shape and elevate the brand identity of their organization. This award celebrates individuals who excel in crafting compelling brand strategies that resonate with audiences, build loyalty, and differentiate their company in the marketplace.

Key areas of focus include brand development, storytelling, market positioning, consumer insights, and integrated marketing campaigns. The Head of Brand is instrumental in maintaining brand consistency across all touchpoints, fostering emotional connections with customers, and driving long-term brand equity. This award honors those who lead with creativity, innovation, and strategic vision to strengthen their brand's presence and impact.

The CXO Award for Head of Product recognizes leaders who are at the forefront of product innovation, strategy, and execution. This award honors individuals who drive the development and lifecycle of products that meet customer needs, solve market challenges, and deliver exceptional value.

Key focus areas include product vision, roadmap planning, cross-functional collaboration, customer-centric design, and market competitiveness. The Head of Product is responsible for aligning product strategy with business goals, leading product teams, and ensuring the successful launch and scalability of products. This award celebrates those who combine creativity, analytical thinking, and leadership to create impactful products that drive growth and customer satisfaction.

The CXO Award for Head of Compliance recognizes leaders who uphold the highest standards of corporate governance, regulatory adherence, and ethical business practices. This award honors individuals who proactively mitigate risks, ensure legal and regulatory compliance, and foster a culture of integrity within their organizations.

Key focus areas include regulatory strategy, risk management, corporate ethics, internal controls, and compliance frameworks. The Head of Compliance is responsible for interpreting and implementing complex regulations, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and driving compliance initiatives that safeguard the organization’s reputation and operational stability. This award celebrates those who demonstrate exceptional foresight, analytical expertise, and leadership in navigating evolving regulatory landscapes, ensuring sustainable and responsible business practices.

The AI Adoption award recognizes an organization that has effectively integrated Artificial Intelligence to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and employee or customer experience. This award honors forward-thinking teams that have embraced AI not just as a technology, but as a strategic enabler of transformation, demonstrating measurable impact on business processes, productivity, and innovation.

Judges will look for

• A clear narrative outlining at least one major AI initiative implemented or enhanced within the last 12–18 months, explaining the challenge, approach, and outcomes.
• Evidence of measurable business impact
• Responsible and ethical AI practices, including governance, transparency, data security, and thoughtful change management.
• Cross-functional collaboration, showing how AI enabled business, HR, IT, and other functions to work together more effectively.
• Scalability and sustainability, highlighting how the initiative is being embedded across the organization or expanded beyond pilots.
• Nominees are encouraged to include metrics, case studies, testimonials, dashboards, and before-and-after examples to support their submission.

This award celebrates outstanding global executive coaches who have empowered CEOs and senior leaders to drive sustainable organizational impact through extraordinary people practices.

It honors those who don’t just guide, but also inspire, energize, and elevate leadership to a level others aspire to follow.

Whether you’ve helped transform boardroom strategy, shaped purpose-led cultures, or enabled bold leadership journeys, this is your moment to shine.

The HR Visionary of the Decade award celebrates leaders who see beyond current trends and anticipate the future of work, shaping strategies that redefine how organizations attract, develop, and engage talent.

This recognition celebrates individuals whose ideas, thought leadership, and initiatives have influenced not only their organizations but also the broader HR community.

Nominees demonstrate exceptional foresight, innovation, and a relentless commitment to building people-centric, future-ready organizations.