Article: Insights from Dr. Prasanth Nair on Navigating Change and Embracing Technology at Crompton

Leadership

Insights from Dr. Prasanth Nair on Navigating Change and Embracing Technology at Crompton

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Prasanth Nair, CHRO at Crompton, shares his approach to transforming HR by balancing organisational goals with employee needs, driving digital HR initiatives, and fostering a culture of innovation.
Insights from Dr. Prasanth Nair on Navigating Change and Embracing Technology at Crompton

In the dynamic realm of human resources, HR leaders are the linchpins that balance organisational goals with employee aspirations, drive technological integration, and cultivate a culture of growth and innovation. At Crompton, Dr. Prasanth Nair, CHRO is at the forefront of this transformation. Renowned for his expertise in leadership development, digital HR transformation, and strategic talent management, Dr. Nair has been instrumental in reimagining how Crompton approaches talent, leadership, and organisational culture. 

With a strong emphasis on employee wellbeing, future-ready workforce planning, and embedding technology into HR processes, he is pioneering a new era in HR at Crompton. In this exclusive interview, Dr. Nair shares his invaluable insights on navigating change, harnessing AI in HR, enhancing employee experience, and preparing for the future of work. Here are some key excerpts from the conversation.

Transformation often comes with resistance. How do you, as a leader, build buy-in for change at all levels of the organisation? Can you share an example where you turned resistance into a catalyst for innovation?

Resistance is a natural part of change—it signifies that people are acknowledging its presence. As a leader, my focus is on aligning the purpose of change with the organisation’s larger goals. When employees understand why change is necessary and how it benefits the bigger picture, they are more likely to embrace it. To facilitate this, we appoint ‘ambassadors of change,’ key individuals who lead by example and communicate the benefits of transformation within their teams. These ambassadors help bridge the gap, ensuring that both organisational and individual benefits are clearly understood. For example, during our acquisition, employees were naturally concerned about the uncertainty and potential impact on their roles. But, we ensured that our organisation moved forward cohesively by proactively addressing their concerns through open and transparent communication, especially in a situation where business and strategic needs dictated the company’s direction. Ultimately resistance, when approached with empathy, transparency, and a clear purpose, can spark innovation and transformation. I often say: T+C >> R+F+U+C—Trust + Communication is greater than Resistance + Fear + Uncertainty + Change.

In your experience, what are the biggest blindspots for organisations when aligning talent strategies with business priorities? How do you ensure HR plays a proactive, not reactive, role in shaping the business agenda?

Balancing short-term needs with long-term objectives is a major blind spot for organisations. Meeting immediate business demands is no doubt essential, but failing to plan for future talent needs can create long-term challenges. Another key blind spot is unconscious bias—whether in hiring or performance assessments—limiting diversity and stifling innovation. Immediate managers also play a critical role, as their biases and blind spots influence team dynamics. The HR department must recognise these challenges and support the managers in addressing them. Organisations must ensure getting employees involved at the design stage and not at the execution phase. Early HR involvement allows talent strategies to be embedded within business objectives rather than being an afterthought. For this to happen, HR needs to build credibility by understanding the nuances of business, the capability of the organisation, and the ability to connect the dots at various interfaces in the organisational process.

Can you share a defining leadership moment from your journey that transformed how you approach people strategy and organisational culture? What lessons would you share with emerging leaders? 

One of the most defining leadership moments in my journey was during my tenure at Thomas Cook, where we navigated high diversity across geographies, with multiple acquisitions and parent company changes, all with unpredictable business dynamics. Despite these challenges, we remained focused on ensuring long-term economic value creation while strengthening employee capabilities and infrastructure for the next level of growth. The key lesson I learned from this experience was the ability to unlearn and relearn. Leading through uncertainty requires building a highly capable team that can adapt, stay resilient, and drive transformation. Equally important is the ability to influence stakeholders across levels and geographies. For emerging leaders, my advice is simple—build trust, embrace change, invest in capability-building, and develop strong influencing skills.

As a thought leader in integrating technology into HR, what emerging technologies do you believe will have the greatest impact on human capital management in the next five years?

The biggest transformation in human capital management will come from AI and user experience. AI will enable us to predict outcomes with greater objectivity than ever before. It will also play a crucial role in making work life more meaningful by enhancing personalisation and efficiency. More importantly, AI will help redesign organisations to be more individual-focused, ensuring that every employee can fully utilise their potential. As we move forward, the integration of these technologies will not just improve processes but also create workplaces that are more dynamic, responsive, and aligned with individual growth.

Employee expectations have shifted dramatically in the past few years. How does Crompton balance the need for employee wellbeing, flexibility, and growth with organisational performance metrics?

At Crompton, we believe caring is more than a policy—it’s a way of working. We want to create a workplace where employees thrive and feel valued every single day. We firmly believe that when our employees are happy and well taken care of, they, in turn, take care of our customers and end consumers. In our purpose statement, the key words are “Enriching lives,” which is a guide for us to continuously and constantly add value to all stakeholders. We have a holistic approach that recognises that employee wellbeing, flexibility, growth and organisation performance go together to build safety, trust, empathy, and performance.

  • Holistic Health Safety & Wellbeing: We have 1.5x lodging & boarding eligibility for female employees’ for better safety and comfort during outstation travel, and our advisories encourage employees to avoid late-night travel. We also have annual medical health check for all employees. In addition, we cover employee’s parents in our core Mediclaim policy, ensuring holistic family wellbeing. Beyond physical health, we have invested in mental wellbeing, partnering with Silver Oaks for 24x7 counselling services. 
  • Performance with Purpose: While targets and business goals are essential, we encourage employees to prioritise efficiency over long hours, empowering them to find the best way to deliver results.
  • Flexibility & Work Autonomy: We trust our employees and do not believe in a culture of micromanagement. There is no rigid punch-in/punch-out system—employees are evaluated on outcomes and impact, not just hours clocked in.
  • Continuous Learning & Growth: Career advancement is not just a promise but a structured journey at Crompton, with mentorship, learning programs, and cross-functional exposure ensuring employees evolve with the organisation. We take pride in our meritocratic culture, where performance and potential pave the way for success. A testament to this is our current Group Sales & Services Head and our PL Head for Fans & Pumps, both of whom started as GETs at Crompton and grew through the ranks.

With the rapid pace of automation and AI integration, how do you see workforce roles evolving? What is Crompton doing to prepare employees for jobs of the future while retaining a sense of purpose and belonging?

With AI reshaping industries, we see a fundamental shift across work, workplace, and workforce dynamics. The non-value-adding aspects of jobs will be taken over by AI, allowing employees to focus on human-value-added activities. At Crompton, we are preparing for this transformation by enhancing digital capabilities, providing employees with a broader, cross-functional perspective to connect with the bigger picture, and re-evaluating role design beyond just AI adoption. As a consumer-driven organisation, this evolution also creates opportunities for employees to be closer to consumers, strengthening their sense of purpose and impact.

How has the role of the CHRO evolved in today’s business landscape? What advice would you give to CHROs looking to lead not just HR but organisational growth and transformation?

The role of the CHRO has evolved significantly, extending beyond traditional HR functions to driving business growth. Today, it is important for CHROs to understand the business, create a culture that aligns with strategic objectives and continuously work on enhance adaptability to the changing business environment. Building high credibility within the organization is key as it ensures that HR is seen as a strategic partner. CHRO is perhaps the greatest value creator in the organisation. My advice to CHROs is to unlearn and relearn in this dynamic landscape, focus on building a high-capability team, and develop strong influencing skills to align stakeholders and drive transformation.

Dr. Prasanth Nair will be at the People Matters TechHR Pulse Mumbai 2025, where industry leaders, HR innovators, and business strategists will come together to explore the future of work and HR transformation. This is a unique chance to hear from him and other visionaries who are shaping the future of HR and business. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to gain the knowledge, strategies, and inspiration needed to elevate your HR practices to the next level.

Register now to secure your spot at TechHR Pulse Mumbai 2025 and download the brochure for detailed information on the conference, sessions, and speaker lineup. Join us and take your HR strategy to new heights!

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Topics: Leadership, HR Technology, Leadership Development, #TechHRPulseMumbai

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