Ankita Gauba | DGM - Human Resources | Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited

From the city of Nawabs to Mumbai, it has been quite a journey for Ankita. She has lived in many cities and has worked in diverse sectors and such variety of experience has shaped her both as a person and as a professional.

Ankita describes herself as an eternal optimist.

“I am usually trying to see the good in people, situations and outcomes. This has helped me immensely in my personal and professional life, and kept me on the “Happy Side” of the spectrum,” shares Ankita Gauba, DGM - Human Resources, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited. 

In the HR domain itself, Ankita’s experience spans a dynamic mix of generalist and specialist profiles of Talent Acquisition, Talent Management and Business Partnering. In her business partnering roles she has worked with a workforce of about 1,000 direct and indirect employees and handled teams.

Learning the depths of HR to create value 

While studying Development Communication & Extension and working with people during her honours course in graduation, human behaviours and emotions began to intrigue Ankita. Back then she wasn’t very sure about working in the HR domain but she wanted to work with people and had a desire to make an impact in their lives.

It was while browsing through the TISS website to find out more about their flagship MSW course, that Ankita learned about the HRM&LR course and decided to take the plunge. Her sustained interest in creating value led her to the world of HR. 

Making a difference with a potpourri of academic knowledge & acquired skill sets

“The zeal to create enriching employee experiences by capturing intangible nuances is something that differentiates me from others,” says Ankita. 

She leverages her strength of thinking outside the box by lending novel ideas in an ever changing dynamic environment, while continuing to orient HR processes and practices to business priorities. 

To the field of HR, she brings a potpourri of academic knowledge and acquired skill sets from different experiences and she believes it is this entire package that gives her the edge. Further, the innate ability to use digital / technological tools to make the right talent calls is another quality she thinks she brings in the team and the entire community of HR professionals. 

Investing in the development of the old and the loyals

“While much has been written, said and done for high potentials across organizations, we somehow miss the contribution of lifers and loyalists that don’t switch jobs as frequently,” says Ankita. She feels it is imperative to contribute to their development and growth. It is important to acknowledge their years of hard work and the contributions they have made to the business so far. Considering that they are the ones who stand like pillars as an organization goes through the highs and the lows, it is called for that companies invest in their development and make them ready for newer roles. 

Ankita thinks, “In the age of millennials that are restless and hungry for more and will switch jobs easily, we need to invest and build programs and processes to cater to the larger set of employees as well.”

Let’s read how Ankita plans to take her passion to create value forward and what vision does she have for the HR’s growth in the future.

The one thing I will change in HR

Unconscious Bias which has been plaguing organizations for a long time must change. It is imperative if we would like to see organizations becoming more diverse and inclusive in their culture.  t is not enough to just talk about diversity and inclusion because it sounds “Cool” it is because it is the right thing to do. I see HR playing a critical role in changing this by educating managers, bringing policies and focusing on culture building interventions to create organizations which are diverse and where every employee feels equally welcome and valued. 

The one thing I will retain in HR

HR is evolving with every passing year and has earned a seat at the table by being a trusted business partner that caters to the most important asset class of the organization, i.e people. I believe the business partnership mind-set which has got HR a seat at the table still has a lot of scope to further transform the workplace. This transformation will be brought about by creating the right blend of policies and culture that will boost discretionary effort and impact larger vision and purpose of the organisation

Vision for HR's future growth

The future of workplace will be dynamic, unconventional and driven by diverse demographic groups working to find solutions that will delight customers every single day, and this will mirror the future of HR, which I reckon has never looked more exciting.

The vision for HR’s future growth will largely depend on HR fraternity’s ability to run alongside the business, keeping employees and customers at the centre of everything we plan and do. We will need to re-imagine skills of the future and factor in digital disruptions that are impacting the landscape of the business. The HR function will have to demonstrate a compelling proposition to the larger vision and purpose of the organisation to attract and retain future talent. 

Further, if we as a function have to ace our efforts to drive business priorities we need to learn to create employee experiences that will be focussed around technology and artificial intelligence that will appeal to the millennial workforce which is estimated to contribute to about 75 percent of the total workforce by 2025.