Our Panelists

PARTNER, PEOPLE CONSULTING | EY

Abhishek Sen

Abhishek Sen is a seasoned HR and business leader with over 21 years of executive leadership experience in human resource management, business operations, and management consulting. Currently a Partner at EY in People Consulting, he serves as the National Leader for Total Rewards and Wellness, HR Technology & Transformation, and Learning Services. Abhishek holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata, is a qualified ICAI professional, and is an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur in HR. His expertise spans business and people strategy alignment, technology-led people transformation, and human capital management, with a strong focus on total rewards, digital HR, executive compensation, and leadership development.

HEAD OF HR e.l.f. BEAUTY

Devendra Singh Jhala

Devendra Singh is an engineering graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, bringing over 12 years of comprehensive experience in the HR domain. His core expertise lies in building HR functions from the ground up and scaling them to meet organizational needs effectively. Over the years, I have successfully implemented strategic HR initiatives, streamlined processes, and fostered positive workplace cultures to drive employee engagement and organizational growth. Currently, He serves as the Head of HR for India at e.l.f. Beauty India, where I lead the HR function, driving talent acquisition, performance management, learning and development, and employee relations. His role involves aligning HR strategies with business goals, ensuring compliance, and creating a high-performing, people-centric organization. I am passionate about leveraging innovative HR practices to unlock the potential of individuals and teams, contributing to both personal and organizational success.

TALENT AND CULTURE | CRED

Harish Rajagopalan

Harish Rajagopalan heads the talent and culture at CRED. Harish has over 19+ years of experience in building and driving organizational transformation and people excellence. Prior to his role at CRED, Harish was with Amazon India, where he was the HR leader for technology, consumer engagement, and machine learning teams. He has also been associated with the Aditya Birla Group, where he did roles across Human Resources, Strategy, and Retail Operations. Harish is a gold medallist and rank holder in Human Resources from XLRI Jamshedpur, with a distinction in graduation in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering Guindy, Chennai. Designation and org: we don't have titles at CRED. You can just refer as Talent and Culture, CRED

HEAD-PERFORMANCE & PMO | MYNTRA

Monalisha

Monalisha, Associate Director HR at Myntra is an accomplished HR leader known for her expertise in strategic HR leadership. With a proven track record of driving organizational success through innovative HR practices like Organization design, Talent Management HR ,Business partnership, Merger & Acquisitions and Diversity & Inclusion - Monalisha brings a wealth of experience to our discussion today. Before Myntra, she has worked across HR partnering, HR COE and HR consulting roles across organizations like Flipkart, Dr Reddy's, Cipla and Mercer. Acknowledged for her excellence, she has been recognized as the "People Matters-Are you in the list Winner 2020" and has participated notably in the HUL Premier League Tree - 30 Emerging Leaders

MANAGER, INDIA RECRUITING, AIRBNB

Nikhita Jain

Nikhita is an NMIMS, Mumbai alumnus with 10+ years of experience in HR roles across FMCG and beverages, ITeS and product tech sectors. In her current role at Airbnb, she leads India recruiting for non-tech. She has strong functional expertise in HR business partnering, Sales HR, talent acquisition, Employee Wellness and Engagement, HR Analytics and Insights, and Program Management which made her successful in her roles across Airbnb, Pernod Ricard and Colgate.

HEAD HR CUREFIT HEALTHCARE PVT LTD

Shruti Walia

Shruti Walia is the Head of HR at Curefit Healthcare Pvt Ltd, where she has been instrumental in shaping a people-first culture. Her holistic approach to HR has fostered a culture where employees are encouraged to prioritize their health, leading to increased productivity, reduced burnout, and higher engagement levels. This focus on well-being has not only improved individual employee outcomes but also contributed to the overall success and resilience of the organizations she has worked with. Over her 17-years of experience, Shruti has held key roles in Talent Acquisition, People and Culture, and HR leadership. With experience at leading companies like Flipkart, Zivame and Convergys, Shruti has consistently driven impactful HR strategies that cultivate growth, innovation, and a positive work environment across organizations.

CHRO | MAHINDRA FIRST CHOICE WHEELS

Shivin Tikoo

Shivin Tikoo is an accomplished HR leader with extensive expertise in driving organizational development and strategic HR initiatives. He currently serves as the CHRO for Mahindra First Choice Wheels, where he leads the HR strategy and fosters alignment between human resources and business objectives. With over a decade of experience at Mahindra & Mahindra's Automotive and Farm Equipment Business, Shivin has played key roles, including Head of Organization Effectiveness and HR Lead for International Operations. A doctoral scholar at XLRI Jamshedpur, specializing in Organizational Behavior, Shivin has a deep understanding of organizational change and legitimacy. His professional accomplishments include spearheading efforts that earned Mahindra the prestigious Rank 2 in the GPTW India Study and initiating impactful change management projects. Shivin's innovative approach to HR practices and his focus on seamless employee experiences make him a distinguished leader in the field.

MD-HR, MEISA REGION | FEDEX

Sumit Neogi

Sumit Neogi is CHRO & Managing Director HR, MEISA Region for FedEx Corporation. He is HR Leader with 22+ years of work experience in HR Business Partnership, HR Consulting, and Retail Sales & Marketing. He has completed PG Diploma in PMIR from XLRI Jamshedpur, PG Diploma in Counselling from TISS & BE in Mechanical Engineering from MANIT Bhopal. He also holds Diploma in transactional analysis and certifications in SPHR, GPHR, SAP- HCM & SHRM-SCP. He is a TEDx Speaker and is the winner of People Matters DDI Are you in the List Awards in 2012 and Jombay 40 Under Forty in 2018. These awards recognize potential future HR Leaders. He is passionate about sharing his learnings and coaching / mentoring young professionals. He has been a visiting faculty & guest lecturer to top B Schools. Sumit is regularly invited as keynote speaker / panel speaker in HR / Leadership conferences. He has worked with Lubrizol Corporation as their HR Director for IMEA region, with Reliance Industries Limited as Vice President. He has worked with Cipla, Hewitt Associates and Bharat Petroleum in the past. He is a certified HOGAN & MBTI Specialist and masters the art of Transaction Analysis in professional Environment.

VP - HR | BENNETT, COLEMAN & CO. LTD

Tirthankar Raychaudhury

Tirthankar is a seasoned HR leader with over 20 years of experience in spearheading strategic HR initiatives across diverse industries like FMCG, Consumer Durable, Pharma and Media in Indian and Multinational companies. Currently as, Vice President - Human Resource at Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (The Times of India Group). A XISS, Ranchi alumnus, Tirthankar has extensive experience spanning across HR Business Partnering, Change Management, Performance management, Succession Planning & Plant HR and has worked with renowned Corporates namely Dabur, Nestle and Kohler India. In his last assignment, Tirthankar was Head – HR of Raymond Consumer care.

GLOBAL HR HEAD HONEYWELL TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

Shubhra Bhandari

Shubhra Bhandari is a seasoned HR leader with two decades of experience across leading technology and consumer organizations, including Asian Paints, Wipro Technologies, and Texas Instruments. She has held multiple HR leadership roles, most notably serving as Country HR Director at Texas Instruments. Passionate about aligning people strategies with business success, Shubhra focuses on building strong talent and leadership pipelines while fostering an inclusive workplace culture. In her current role at Honeywell, she leads HR strategy and execution for Honeywell Technology Solutions across India, Czech Republic, Mexico, and Poland. Shubhra holds a Master’s in Human Resources from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a Bachelor's in Business from Indore University.

CHRO HINDALCO INDUSTRIES LIMITED

Samik Basu

Samik Basu is the Chief Human Resources Officer of Hindalco Industries Limited, the Aditya Birla Group. He joined the Group in October 2015. During the last eight plus years, he has focused on building a talent pipeline, enhancing capability and evolving the culture to be more open, inclusive, collaborative, agile and meritocratic in line with the evolving business plans and priorities. Over the last couple of years he has also been overseeing HR at Essel Mining. Samik is a Post Graduate in Human Resources from XLRI Jamshedpur. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School having completed its Advanced Management Program (AMP). Samik was honoured with the Aditya Birla Group Chairman’s Outstanding Leader Award in 2022. Prior to joining Hindalco, Samik was Vice President and Chief Human Resource Officer for PepsiCo India Region.