HR's 25 Most Wanted: Are you in the list?

25 young winners of People Matters' Are You In The List were awarded in a spectacular ceremony on Jan 24, 2013. Our cover story package brings you the details

The List you’ve waited for all year is finally here. The 25 young winners of People Matters’ Are You In The List were lauded at a spectacular Awards ceremony on January 24, 2013 in Gurgaon. Our cover story package this month brings you a cross-section of views from the HR community on the importance of creating a talent pipeline, and showcases each one of the 25 dynamic young leaders

It is a truth universally acknowledged that people are the true differentiators for any organisation. And if, in the words of NS Rajan, Partner & Global Leader (People & Organisation Practice), Ernst & Young, and a member of the Are You In The List Awards jury, “The HR function is the custodian of human capital” then a strong pool of HR leadership is indispensable for the business community as a whole.

It is to identify and encourage emerging leadership talent that People Matters took the initiative of launching Are You In The List. As the premier media platform for the HR community, we realised fairly early on that it is only when leadership potential is consciously nurtured within the HR community that HR itself can play a leadership role within organisations – both in terms of strategic interventions in driving the business agenda, as well as in reinventing the talent management strategy according to changing business needs and market realities.

Secondly, in our frequent interactions with industry leaders, we kept hearing about the need to create a talent pipeline in the context of succession planning in the HR function. Are You In The List is the first such initiative in the country aimed at achieving this purpose, and not surprisingly, it has been widely welcomed by the business community in general and HR leaders in particular.

As Rajan observes, “This award will encourage the young winners to contribute to their own organisation, and hence the profession at large. They will inspire teams within their own enterprise as well as other prospective champions in our midst.” Agreeing with Rajan, Dr. Aquil Busrai, CEO of Aquil Busrai Consulting, believes that while imperatives like capital and technology have more or less evened out for all players, managing human capital is the sole differentiating factor for success of an organisation. “Identifying quality HR leaders early in their career will provide a tremendous competitive edge to the organisation,” he avers.

So what are the qualities on which the 25 winners scored over the 1,200-odd others who had competed for the Awards? After much discussion, business acumen, strategic acumen, managing ambiguity, driving execution, innovation, and courage & risk-taking ability were identified as the six critical competencies for the HR leader of tomorrow.

Business acumen had a staunch champion in SY Siddiqui, Chief Operating Officer, Admin. (HR, Finance, IT, Company Law & Legal) at Maruti Suzuki India Limited. Says Siddiqui, “The success and effectiveness of HR strategies, policies and processes depends on the impact they have on business. It is thus extremely important for any HR professional to understand the business that he or she is in. Without such an understanding, a professional will have a limited appreciation of how her role contributes to the larger business goals of the organisation.” Manish Choudhary, MD, Pitney Bowes India, says that what we need from HR leaders for today and tomorrow is very different from what worked yesterday. “Companies across industries are increasingly on the lookout for a young HR talent pool that can push strategies and make a significant contribution towards expense reduction, revenue generation, talent management and risk mitigation.”

Commenting on the ability to grapple with ambiguity, another quality identified as a key parameter, Richard Wellins, Senior Vice President, Development Dimensions India (DDI), points out that managing ambiguity is really about receptivity to change. “Look at what is happening to organisations in a high growth economy: new strategies, new technologies, the need to serve both local and global markets, more competition. We can’t even imagine the speed of change over the next five years, and that is why this competency is critical.”

This volatility of the business environment is what makes the ability to innovate so important. Explains Dr Busrai, “Innovation happens when the mind is charged and the mind is charged when there is full engagement. HR therefore needs to fully engage with business and bring in innovative people solutions for business challenges. This is the single most significant contribution that HR can make to business.”

Jury member P Dwarakanath, Director, Group Human Capital, Max India, stresses the ability to drive execution. “The best plan and strategy is rendered useless if it cannot be implemented. This is why the ability to drive execution is paramount for everyone, from the CEO downwards. Only when you have the ability to drive execution of strategic plans do you enhance the value of the organisation.”

But how are intangibles like courage and risk-taking ability germane to the role of an HR professional? Rajan offers a persuasive answer, “The HR function needs to play a pivotal role, be it in implementing a better HR service delivery model, revamping HR technology to reduce cycle time on HR, harmonising HR systems and policies across business units and subsidiaries, or reducing HR’s cost of delivery. HR professionals are boldly stepping out of their comfort zones and taking risks to help their organisations move to the next level. This makes courage and risk-taking ability paramount to their role.”
Wellins connects courage and risk-taking ability to innovation. “I know of very few innovations that did not involve some degree of risk-taking. Unfortunately, the role of HR has generally been one of avoiding risk. This must change.” Sharing his own expectations from the next generation of HR professionals, he sums up, “Talent Management systems have evolved very slowly over time. We need young HR professionals to lead revolutions, not evolutions.”

THE TOOLKIT

To select the list of winners in a scientific and transparent way People Matters partnered with Development Dimensions International (DDI), a leading global talent management consulting firm. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at how we did it

Profiling the HR Leader of Tomorrow

The four quadrants of the Success profile were initially created using DDI’s exhaustive research base of over 5,000 leaders at this level, in similar roles. This formed the first hypothesis of the Success Profile.

The hypothesis was then refined through a series of three focus group discussions, one each in Gurgaon, Mumbai and Bangalore. The participants of these discussions included eminent HR and business leaders. The competencies identified in the course of the discussions were then shortlisted through a survey circulated among the discussion participants, the jury and the advisory panel. The final Success Profile that emerged through this process formed the basis of the selection process thereafter with different competencies being tested at different stages. The questions at the application stage based on the Success Profile,were framed using Targeted Selection methodology, and sought specific behavioral examples of these competencies from the candidates.

In all, over 1,000 applications from participants across India were received and screened. The applications were evaluated on the basis of the significance of the examples shared by the candidates, the specific behaviors displayed in these examples and the candidate’s specific role in the situations given as examples, which is what the Targeted Selection methodology focuses on, the premise being that past behavior predicts future behavior.

Identifying future Leadership Potential

Often used in conjunction with interviews, simulations, and performance data, the Leadership Insight Inventory is a critical indicator of leadership talent and uncovers areas related to personal orientation to leadership, making decisions, leading individuals and teams, and working effectively with others. Candidates completed the inventory online and their responses were scored and pitted against each other and against an established cut-off criteria.

Getting beneath the Hood

Manager Ready is a breakthrough leadership assessment that delivers the same quality of diagnosis as a full-blown assessment. Unlike multiple choice tests where participants choose what they would do or say, Manager Ready participants engage in situations where they interact with team members, take action, solve problems and complete a series of managerial tasks - just as they would in an assessment center. These real-world situations provide a highly accurate measurement of a participant’s Leadership Readiness. Manager Ready measured the nine competencies most critical for success; 1) Managing relationships, 2) Guiding interactions, 3) Coaching for success, 4) Coaching for improvement, 5) Influencing, 6) Delegation & empowerment, 7) Problem/Opportunity analysis, 8) Judgment, 9) Planning & organising. The final output gave a detailed description of performance on each competency.

The rigor and scientific nature of the entire process gave everyone involved the confidence that the final 25 “In the List” are truly world-class HR leaders of the future. We wish them the very best.

THE LIST

From a black belt in Six Sigma to a hockey player, from a blogger to a professor, the Are You in the List Class of 2012 is a bag of surprises. In the pages to come, they offer a glimpse into their motivations, proffer advice to those beginning a career in HR and question their CEOs

	Aishwarya Datta 28, Lucknow Manager, Human Resources, ICICI Lombard GIC Ltd Role Model: Chanda Kochchar, MD and CEO, ICICI  Reason: She is one of the most powerful businesswomen we have today. I like the way she has grown from a management trainee to become the MD of the same organisation. Word of advice for a student of HR More and more youngsters choose their stream because of peer pressure or market scenario, and not on the basis of their talent or what they like. I feel that to build a career you need only two things: passion and interest. Everything else will be taken care of. From the very beginning, figure out what your talent is, work towards it, and aspire big.
	Anita Bhatia 30, Gurgaon Service Delivery Leader, HR, American Express India Role Model: Manu Narang, Director Human Resources, American Express India Reason: She has an amazing strategic vision, and strong business and financial acumen. A leader who leads from the front, she has been instrumental in enabling tremendous learning for me in my career as an HR professional. Word of advice for a student of HR Always remember to keep learning and evolving your skills. Have a ‘growth mindset’ at all phases of your career.
	Avinash Kohli 32, New Delhi HR Manager, GE India Role Model: Senior leaders Reason: I look up to many senior leaders with whom I have worked. If I have to name a few, it’ll be Pankaj Bansal (PeopleStrong) for his genuineness, Janice Semper (GE) for her ability to bring her best to work every day, Rohit Hasteer (MakeMyTrip) for his attention to detail, Rohit Thakur (Microsoft) for his humility, and Susan Peters (GE) for her people management and execution skills. Word of advice for a student of HR Try out the difficult roles first (like IR, HR Ops, C&B) to build overall HR expertise. Accept any work that comes your way, dig in your heels during difficult situations.
	Avirup Mukherjee 28, Gurgaon Student-HR, School Of Inspired Leadership (SOIL) Role Model: Anil Sachdev, Founder and CEO, SOIL. Reason: I admire the ease with which he is able to create an amazing mix of business excellence and self-awareness. I think this is important because in today’s times, it is essential that all businesses focus not only on the bottom line but also ensure that they are giving back to society. Word of advice for a student of HR I would want today’s HR students to understand the business perspective and utilise their uniqueness in contributing towards achieving business objectives. The former simply means asking 3 simple questions: What are we trying to achieve? What impact will the action have on the business results? How will we know that the impact will be a positive and sustainable one?
	Dhruv Desai 33, Mumbai Sr. Vice President & Head HR, Angel Broking Pvt Ltd Role model: Every one of my managers Reason: Every manager I’ve worked under has given me exposure to a new competency. Sheldon D’ Souza, a mentor and manager earlier in my career, showed me that managing is not only about people but also having a grip on the subject matter. I learned a lot from my mentor Amardeep Mallik, who, through his knowledge about Six Sigma and Lean, helped me bring in a new level of sophistication in my HR role. Word of advice for a student of HR Get cross-functional exposure if you intend to be a successful HR professional. Work and spend some time in Marketing and Finance, or maybe get a Marketing MBA, and then move into HR. It sounds radical but it’s the difference between chalk and cheese. The quality and efficiency difference between HR managers who have had cross-functional exposure and who don’t is immense. Get this exposure at an early stage of your career.
	Diana Mirza 30, Bengaluru HR Business Partner – ESIIC at Hindustan Unilever Limited Role Model: Nobody specific Reason: I believe there is something to be learnt from the variety of people one encounters. For example, I am inspired by the attendant in a coffee shop who exemplifies ‘service with a smile’ or the colleague in a meeting who demonstrates real time influencing skills or the business leader I read about, whose innovative ideas change my outlook. Anyone who makes me realise that there’s something else that I can do to be a better leader and a better human being becomes a role model for me. Word of advice for a student of HR A role is not merely a role, it is what you make of it. Do not let yourself be constrained by self-limiting barriers, especially at the beginning of your career when you may feel your role is small or comparatively insignificant. Always strive to think strategically, look at the bigger picture and make the maximum impact.
	Girish Kohli 30, Noida Consultant-HR, Mercer Consulting Role model: Arvind, Head Janitor, ‘Comics’ Reason: Arvind is a character from a story that I wrote on my personal blog, who decides to start ‘Comics’, a theme bar based on superheroes and lets his partner take on the role of CEO, and himself assumes the title of ‘Head Janitor’. In Arvind’s words “A customer’s experience in a pub is made by two people: the barman and the janitor. I found a guy who juggles five bottles in the air and makes a drink. I made him the head barman and preferred to be the Head Janitor, because I can mop well. In my organisation, nobody looks down on the job of a janitor. If the top people of the organisation can be found washing the dishes on a busy day and nobody finds anything odd about it – that’s how organisations are built.” Word of advice for a student of HR  Exercise and be active because the corporate world demands a lot of stamina. In the first few years of your career, blind yourself to how much money you are making, and focus on learning. Seek opportunities and people from whom you can learn.
	Hema Rengaswamy 34, Chennai Senior HR Relationship Manager, Standard Chartered Scope International Role Model: Hema Ravichandar, Board Member, Marico Ltd Reason: I was privileged to work as part of her HR team in Infosys Technologies, where I observed enormous respect for her -- from both the HR and business quarters, and this had a lot to do with her expertise in keeping business strategy at the centre of HR strategy. Word of advice for a student of HR Firstly, as an HR professional, you will enjoy proximity to business leaders. However, it is important to be an employee champion as well. Second, it is vital to build credibility as an HR professional. To earn credibility, you need to understand the language of business. Third, it is important to build a good network –among your contemporaries and seniors in the HR field, business leaders, and professionals.
	Indu Kapoor 32, Bengaluru Sr AVP HR, EXL Service Pvt Ltd Role Model: Nelson Mandela Reason: I really admire Mandela’s leadership style, and found his eight leadership best practices very relevant for us in HR. He believes in leading from the back and letting others believe they are in front. Word of advice for a student of HR As a HR professional you possibly won’t know everything about your business. So spend time to understand the intricacies of your business. Most importantly, believe in yourself, speak your mind, and question the status quo, if required. If your intention is right, and your actions are aimed at the larger good of the organisation, don’t be afraid to take a stand.
	Nidhi Sharma 34, Gurgaon Associate Director-HR, Ernst & Young Role Model: Chanda Kochhar, MD and CEO, ICICI Bank Reason: Her strategic disposition and business acumen balanced with a strong hold on managing execution speak immensely of her qualities as a leader. Word of advice for a student of HR It is rightly said that the only thing constant in this world is ‘change’. With business paradigms becoming obsolete by the hour, one piece of advice that I would like to share with others is that it is imperative to be a ‘lifelong learner’. I define this as being open to new ideas and experiences, internalizing these to learn, and at the same time being ready to unlearn with equal rigour.
	Parjit Singh Bhatia 29, New Delhi Senior Manager-HR, Max Healthcare Role Model: P. Dwarakanath, Director, Group Human Capital, Max India Reason: He is a leader who has the ability for ‘tough-love’ – he can take some tough decisions, but at the same time also remain soft and empathetic towards people. Word of advice for a student of HR Always be mindful of the need to keep yourself abreast of the latest trends, methodologies, concerns and their solutions. Professional networking provides a perfect platform for not only showcasing your own strengths but also gives an opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences. Also remember that personal branding has now become one of the basic needs of a successful professional.
	Prachee Sonchal 30, Mumbai HR Development Manager, TATA Services Ltd Role Model: Ratan Tata Reason: During the development of the Nano, the development team followed his statement, “A promise is a promise”, like an anthem every working day. I strongly wish someday to command such respect in the organisation that I will lead in future. Word of advice for a student of HR HR students think they don’t need to understand business issues as they feel HR is a support function. It is not so. One can contribute effectively and efficiently only when one understands the customers and the business of the company one is working for. It’s the only golden advice for a student of HR today.
	Rahul Kandhal 28, Gurgaon Regional HR Manager, North, Glaxo SmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH) Role model: People driven by a strong sense of purpose Reason: I see my professional role models in all those individuals who are driven by a strong sense of purpose with a focus on adding value to both the business and the community. And they also tend to be people who demonstrate consistency between their words and actions. Two such have made a huge impact on me: Manish Sehgal (Sr. Manager, Procurement – GSKCH), and Ritesh Pandey (GM, Sales, GSKCH). Word of advice for a student of HR Everything you do in a professional capacity adds (or subtracts) from your personal brand. All of it reflects your personal benchmarks, and adds up to define ‘You’. Don’t lose any opportunity to build that brand, for there is no better investment than in brand ‘You’.
	Rakhi Chauhan 28, Pune HR Business Partner, Mphasis, an HP Company Role Model: Sangeeta Rohera (Director, The Redwood Horizon) Reason: She was my previous manager and has been instrumental in grooming me in my foundation years in the corporate world. Despite the major ups and downs a consultancy goes through, she was always able to get the team motivated, and worked like a well-oiled machine without ever losing her patience or making anyone feel less important. She taught me that it is not the age that matters but your passion and determination to excel. I knew that if I reached out to her for a solution she would show me a way out. I admire her humility, thoughtfulness, and amazing work ethic. She helped me to believe in myself. Word of advice for a student of HR Both employees and employers have needs to be meet. Organisations would be successful only when HR initiatives are able to maintain an equilibrium between business and employee needs.
	Rashmi Sharma 30, Mumbai Consultant, Aon Hewitt Role Model: Kalpana Morparia, CEO, JP Morgan India Reason: The story of how she rose through the ranks to build ICICI Bank in her 33-year-long stint there, and her attitude towards her work, her organisation, and her life inspires me as a woman. Word of advice for a student of HR I wish someone had told when I was student that a business understanding is a must-have skill to succeed in HR, not a ‘good-to-have’ skill. A lot of students say that they want to do HR because they are ‘people persons’. That’s not enough or even the right reason. To do well in HR, you need to be passionate about business, understand how it works, and only then you can leverage human capital to make business succeed.
	Reju Mathew 27, Bengaluru Manager-Talent Management, ITC Infotech Role Model: My parents, Rahul Dravid, NR Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Reason: My parents for their work ethic and commitment to their work, Dravid for his sheer tenacity and will to succeed, and Narayana Murthy for having the courage to pursue his passion and build a world class organisation based on values. Word of advice for a student of HR Do not expect to transform the HR function overnight, or expect ‘strategic’ roles from day one. There will be a lot of transactions and maybe mundane work to be done as you start. Only slowly, with successful transactions, will you build credibility and move to bigger and better roles, where you will be in a position to influence business. The early credibility achieved, and the experience of performing those tasks will come in handy later on.
	Sanjana Vaidya 33, Pune Head, SSU HR, Zensar Technologies Role Model: Anyone with a ‘never give up’ attitude Reason: My professional role models have evolved as I matured in my career. But one characteristic that has been common to all of them is a ‘never give up’ attitude, which is very important for HR professionals to ensure the results they want. Word of advice for a student of HR I wish each HR student finds a mentor who guides her in the right direction early in her career. There is great merit in starting off in the delivery/operations function, and then moving into HR. But if your instincts have a people-orientation, HR is the way to go.
	Saurabh Kalra 31, New Delhi Head – Talent, MakeMyTrip India Pvt. Ltd. Role Model: Deep Kalra, CEO Makemytrip Reason: His humility, wisdom, foresight, and ability to build a family-like company make him an admirable leader, mentor and businessman. Word of advice for a student of HR Think big, learn how a business makes money, and take risks. Don’t succumb to the high of momentary achievements; look for newer challenges. Rest equals Rust.
	Saurabh Nigam 32, Chennai Vice President, HR, Beroe Inc. Role Model: Dr. Santrupt Misra, CEO, Carbon Black Business, and Director, Group Human Resources, Aditya Birla Group Reason: He is one of the few HR practitioners in the country who has broken the myth that HR folks cannot become business leaders. I had the honour and privilege of working on a small assignment under him during my tenure at Aditya Birla Group. His attention to detail, simple yet effective way of explaining things to you, deep insights on human psychology, and ability to connect with people makes him a perfect role model for any budding HR professional. Word of advice for a student of HR It is important to build your awareness about other functions which make up an organisation: sales, operations, marketing, finance. Also, stop seeing yourself as just a support function - only if you believe that you are a strategic business partner of the organisation will you be treated as one.
	Shikha Braria 32, New Delhi Service Delivery Leader - Human Resources, American Express India Role model: Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Reason: Her leadership philosophy is simple yet impactful: “Leading with head, heart and hands”. I also want to be my own role model -- to me this means doing things that I would admire someone else for doing. Word of advice for a student of HR Grow your thinking, your skills and your leadership like there is no tomorrow. Business and market realities across the world are changing all the time. Those who treat their careers, in any function, but especially in human resources, as a constant educational course will be the ones who see the changes well before they occur.
	Sujal Patwardhan 34, Mumbai Associate Vice President-HR, Ambit Holdings Pvt Ltd Role Model: Hema Ravichandar, Board Member, Marico Ltd Reason: She is a true leader, and has played a key role in building Brand Infosys. Having had an opportunity to be a part of her team, I always found her to be super-prepared, thinking ten steps ahead, and with an uncompromising rigour in maintaining HR practices that helped create a culture of meritocracy and innovation. Word of advice for a student of HR There is nothing ‘soft’ in HR. It’s as ‘hard’ as any other line of business. So focus on data, numbers, analytics and forecasts. Make an effort to get the ‘business requirements’ right. Know your people and conceptualise relevant practices and policies. Following competitors will never make you a ‘leader’ in HR practices, innovating will.
	Sumit Neogi 33, Mumbai Participant - Accelerated Leadership Program, Reliance Industries Limited Role Model: Jack Welch, former CEO of GE Reason: He believed that people are the most important asset of an organisation, and focussed on involving employees in change management. He was on the verge of quitting in his early years at GE but stayed back and created the GE of today. Word of advice for a student of HR Success should not make you arrogant; it should make you feel proud that yet another milestone in the professional journey has been achieved. Remain humble, focused, grounded, and yearn to achieve more.
	Suraksha Subramaniam 27, Bengaluru Asst. Manager HR, MphasiS Role Model: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon Ltd Reason: Initially, while pursuing my bio-tech engineering, I would follow Kiran’s activities, as she was a pioneer in getting India a place on the global bio-tech map. But over time, I began to admire her leadership style, which has made her one of India’s most successful CEOs, and an icon for business women. I find her journey truly inspiring. Word of advice for a student of HR Textbooks are a mere resource, but experience is the true teacher. So as you start your career, keep your eyes and ears open to soak in all you can through experience, and constantly up-skill yourself.
	Tahseen Wahdat 30, Mumbai Senior Manager - Learning and OD, Corporate Human Resources, Essar Group Role Model: Dr Adil Malia, Group President, HR, Essar Group Reason: He brings in a creative twist to everything that we do. He has taught me that learning doesn’t ever stop, no matter what level you may be in. Word of advice for a student of HR You can’t do everything at once. Make a list of things you’d love to work on and set a target for it.
	Vishal Gupta 29, Kolkata Assistant Professor – HRM, IIM Calcutta Role Model: My father Reason: He served in UP’s Pradeshik Cooperative Dairy Federation (PCDF) as a General Manager for about 23 years. He was able to rejuvenate a loss-making organisation by working hard, leading by example, managing professionally and ethically, and by being an upright officer. I learnt lessons in honesty, ethics and morality from him. Whenever I have to take a professional decision, I remember how my father would have acted in this situation and try to emulate him. Word of advice for a student of HR Be proud that you are a HR professional. One may think that all the glamour is in the other functions such as finance, marketing, and operations. But nothing in an organisation works without humans (employees). Be patient and build your HR skills. The world will take note of you.