We are on the verge of completing this year and all set to enter the next year. The year 2019 witnessed some significant HR movements in this domain, and industry leaders from top to mid-level shifted their companies, some got elevated, and few of them got kicked up. In this piece, we highlight some of the significant movements which took place in the year 2019. 

Jayant Kumar- Jayant Kumar- Tata Power Ltd’s Chief Human Resources Officer Jayant Kumar stepped down, citing personal reasons. Kumar is a senior industry veteran with more than twenty-five years. He joined Adani Group as Joint President, Human Resource. He has worked in companies such as Marico and Reliance. 

Kabir Julka- American Express India announced the appointment of Kabir Julka as the Chief Human Resources Officer, India. In this role, Kabir took responsibility for the development and delivery of a business-focused HR strategy that attracts, develops, motivates, and retains American Express' employees.

Padmaja Alaganandan - PwC India announced the appointment of Padmaja Alaganandan as the firm’s new Chief People Officer. Padmaja took over from Jagjit Singh who is moving on after a successful stint. Padmaja has been associated with PwC for over eight years and has worn multiple hats during the stint. Prior to her current appointment, Padmaja was the Technology sector lead for PwC’s Advisory Line of Service. 

Manu Wadhwa - Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) appointed Manu Wadhwa as Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) for the network. In her last assignment, Manu was associated with Coca-Cola, as the Head of Human Resources - India and South West Asia. 

Dr. Raju Mistry - Cipla appointed Dr. Raju Mistry as President and Global Chief People Officer (GCPO). In her role at Cipla, Raju oversees Human Resources, and Administration and Facilities Management. Prior to joining Cipla, Raju was Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd. She has previously worked with Tata Sons, Colgate Palmolive, Siemens, and Mastech Corporation, Canada. 

Gurucharan Singh Gandhi - Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail has named Gurucharan Singh Gandhi as the new HR Head for Lifestyle Brands. Prior to this, Gurucharan was heading Learning and Development for the Aditya Birla Capital group for about three years. Before that, he held the position of Vice President-Learning and Development for Birla Sun Life insurance.

Sanjay Sinha - Sanjay Sinha appointed as the new Chief Human Resources Officer of Fortis Healthcare Ltd. Based in Gurgaon. With an experience of more than 29 years, Sinha has served in leadership roles in sectors covering Telecom, IT, Services, and infrastructure. Apart from a generalist HR role, he also specializes in Learning & Development, Organizational Development and change management.

Suchitra Rajendra- Suchitra joined PepsiCo in 2006 as Org Capability, BU HR and Employee Communications and in 2009 was appointed as Director Talent sustainability, PepsiCo India. In less than 4 years, she was promoted to the position of Sr. Director Human Resources, PepsiCo APAC

Chetna Gogia- Insurance website and comparison portal Policybazaar.com has appointed Chetna Gogia as its new Head of HR. Chetna oversees the company’s human resources while helping business leaders with strategic people planning. Puneet Khurana, who was earlier leading HR for Policybazaar.com, moves within the group venture, Paisabazaar.com, to head the same function.

Anuranjita Kumar- MD & Head of HR – International Hubs, at The Royal Bank Of Scotland has quit from her position at the UK bank. Her exit comes almost two years after she joined the bank in September 2017 after a 22-year stint at Citi.

At RBS, she led a variety of initiatives, especially in the D&I space including a medical cover for LGBT couples and forming an industry cohort for improved growth prospects for women in the technology space through the ‘Women In Tech Forum’ amongst others.

Smriti Singh- After working with Flipkart for one year, the Chief Human Resource Officer, Smriti Singh, has stepped down from her role. The senior HR leader was managing people, talent, rewards, and learning and development in the company. She joined the e-retailer in December last year when the post was vacant for nearly eighteen months.

Rohit Thakur- Rohit Thakur, who recently moved out of his role as Head of Human Resources at Accenture India has joined Paytm as its new CHRO. Rohit transitioned out of Accenture India earlier this month and has moved into his new role at the fin-tech player. As the Group CHRO, Rohit will spearhead all the HR aspects as Paytm pursues its growth and expansion agenda.