Leadership

Are You In The List 2017 Winner: Pooja Shetty

Pooja Shetty from Aditya Birla Finance Ltd believes that HR as a function needs to move away from being Reactive to being Proactive.

Pooja Shetty | Senior Chief Manager | Aditya Birla Finance Ltd.

I started my journey with Aditya Birla Capital in 2010 as part of the Talent Management and OD profile in the CPO’s Office, this unit leads TM initiatives for all the business units of the group & for our superlative efforts our 2 member talent management team was runner up in the Best Talent Practices of Aditya Birla Group – Planet Awards in 2012. In late 2013 through the process of internal career mobility I moved in as a Zonal HR Manager in Aditya Birla Sun life Asset Management Company – a leading player in the Mutual Funds industry handling end to end HR interventions for the North & East Zone, the Offshore Investment business and the Real Estate Investment Advisory business. In addition to the above role I lead Diversity and Engagement initiatives In late 2016 I moved into Aditya Birla Finance Ltd – Wealth Management business as a National Business Partner. My key role includes transitioning & setting up this newly acquired business.

Prior to my stint in Aditya Birla Group I have worked for close to 2 years with Fullerton India Credit Company Ltd as a Talent & OD professional. I have graduated in Business Management and completed my Post Graduation in HR from SIES College of Management Studies.

What differentiates me from others

It would be unfair for me to comment on the other finalists since all would have significant strengths having come through such a rigorous process. “ANY ROLE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT” - I have been one of the youngest members in the roles that I have handled both in terms of experience and age & in such a situation it is easy to slip into the all familiar dilemma of the significance of one’s role and the impact that it can create. It is just as easy to decide that both those facts can be a fair reason to simply follow instructions and execute. It took commitment, passion and initiative to create an impactful change in the business. My ability to reason & influence while making effective decisions coupled with innovative approaches to deal with a problem differentiates my achievements.

What is my Biggest Talent Priority

Career Pathing: In a dynamic and fast-moving service lead industry, we keep reiterating, there is never a dull day. A demographic profile that is young, ambitious and aspirational keeps us on our toes. Through numerous surveys conducted in the recent years, the one common theme which has had the lowest score for talent has been lack of career paths/planning and succession planning.

This is an initiative which needs concentrated efforts through vertical and lateral moves right from candidate infancy till the employee is firmly entrenched in the organization.

The one thing I will:

Change in HR: I strongly believe in the philosophy “that whatever can be measured can be improved” and hence would like to enhance focus on the ability to link HR Initiatives and processes to results and productivity. As a function, we need to move away from being Reactive to being Proactive.

Retain in HR: I believe as representative of HR as a function our attempt has been to be empathetic, responsive and open to learning and experimentation. This journey has been one of balance, a balance between what an employee wants and what the organization seeks to achieve and I would surely like to retain this aspect in HR

This is how I will disrupt HR:

Featuring Talent as a core differentiator in the Balance Sheet of an organisation is a disruption that I would surely look forward to see in times to come and this does not seem like a farfetched idea :- The boundaries between all functions are now blurring with Customer being the core focus of strategies. Promoting Cross Functional Projects to promote business understanding & increasing strategic competence will be core for the success of any organisation

As the power of technology increases I see most transactional tasks getting outsourced & I see the rise of HR Specialists.

HR will increasingly utilize analytics and data to augment its value to the firm.

Here are the other winners: