Angel One’s Group CHRO on how to shape a future-ready, inclusive workforce
A clear focus on the core — the customer — helps Angel One define the capabilities and talent required to stay ahead. It's about hiring for potential, upskilling for relevance, and ensuring teams are as adaptable as the market itself.
Subhash Menon, Group CHRO at Angel One, explains, “We’ve always stayed ahead of the curve, with a proven track record of successful and constant transformation.” Long before it became an industry trend, AngelOne started hiring top talent from technology, product, data science, and non-finance domains like e-commerce, bringing in diverse thinking to stay future-ready.
Business-Driven, Purpose-First Hiring
In a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) environment, Angel One's approach balances business continuity with innovation and resilience. "We reverse-engineer roles starting with business needs like hyper-personalised customer experiences or secure innovation, then map required skills like AI, Cybersecurity, and Data,” shares Subhash. “From there, we create flexible role templates that can adapt as priorities shift.”
These templates are used to assess both internal and external talent, with internal mobility and stretch assignments prioritised before external hiring. "It's a purpose-first, role-agnostic model that keeps us nimble in a fast-changing industry.”
Internal Mobility and Dynamic Workforce Architecture
Internal mobility lies at the heart of Angel One’s talent strategy. Their platform enables employees to explore both horizontal and vertical growth, supported by pod-based teams and intrapreneurial opportunities.
The company has also decoupled roles from rigid titles and now views work through skill clusters. With AI, data, and cybersecurity evolving rapidly, the workforce architecture has been reimagined to be fluid, not fixed. Initiatives like the Learning Wallet empower employees to invest in curated, reimbursable learning pathways aligned to emerging roles.
Inclusive Skilling and Returnship Programs
Angel One’s focus on inclusion is evident in programs like "Unpause," designed to support women returning from career breaks. These initiatives are integrated with career planning to ensure smooth reintegration and continued development. Their Learning Wallet offers employees curated, reimbursable learning pathways tailored to emerging roles and future skills.
“For us, upskilling isn’t optional. It’s embedded into career planning, ensuring our workforce evolves with the business,” says Subhash.
Bias-Aware AI Adoption in Hiring
Angel One applies AI in hiring with a commitment to fairness. All AI tools are regularly audited for bias and transparency. Vendors must disclose algorithmic logic, and every AI-assisted hiring decision undergoes human validation.
Subhash explains, “We've built strong governance frameworks. Every hiring decision, whether AI-assisted or not, undergoes human validation to ensure it aligns with our values and culture. DEI champions review recruitment outcomes to catch unintended disparities, and human judgment is central in final decisions.”
As part of their broader AI adoption strategy, they also encourage employees to adopt AI thoughtfully — with the management team offering guidance on responsible tools to explore. “Even in areas like performance management, while AI can support tasks like writing reviews or gathering feedback, the decisions that shape careers — promotions, interventions, coaching — always rest with human judgment.”
Empathetic and Tech-Enabled Candidate Experience
Candidate experience is treated as a core brand value. The company actively maps the candidate journey to remove friction, ensuring their EVP #BoldMovesAhead, is brought to life from the first touchpoint—every candidate is treated with respect, transparency, and responsiveness.
Empathy and feedback loops are built into every step. "Our hybrid model is tech-enabled but human-led," says Subhash. Scheduling and screening are automated, but personal connections and responsiveness are prioritised throughout. “Candidate sentiment is tracked using CSAT surveys, and insights are used to continuously refine the hiring process.”
From flexible skill-based roles to inclusive hiring practices and tech-enabled candidate journeys, Angel One is redefining what modern HR leadership looks like. Subhash Menon’s forward-looking strategy places purpose, empathy, and agility at the center of workforce transformation—a model worth watching as the future of work takes shape.