Blog: Talking Matters: Radio program with BP Biddappa

C-Suite

Talking Matters: Radio program with BP Biddappa

BP Biddappa, ED at Unilever believes that HR should always think about how to take the organisation forward
Talking Matters: Radio program with BP Biddappa

Mr. BP Biddappa, Executive Director HR, Hindustan Unilever Ltd. and Vice President HR, South Asia HR, Unilever joined us for the second season of Talking Matters, People Matters’ monthly radio show. The show was hosted by Ester Martinez, Editor-in-Chief, People Matters. Mr. Biddappa has held global positions at Unilever in a variety of different roles.

Mr. Biddappa attributes early experiences of education and opportunities to his success. Integrity, honesty and work ethics pushed him forward to where he currently is, he said. Being a strong upholder of professionalism and work-life balance, he believes in giving space. Being accountable for one’s own decisions and taking responsibility for one’s life choices is an important ingredient of success, he shared.

For HR, he says it is highly important to think how it can take the organisation forward.  To be able to foresee the future direction of company it is crucial to understand its goals and plan how it can be achieved. However, even as a successful leader it’s a challenge for him to articulate the future of the organisation and its business proposition in the next four to five years. The ability to do this, however, will make it possible to secure the future of the organisation. So far, the role of HR has been mostly of a support function, but now it is time for HR to take up the role of a futuristic partner with business leaders.

There has been a lot of debate around the role and HR in today’s time, of its importance in the success of a business and where the future of the function lies. On this, Mr. Biddappa emphasizes on the importance of having a shared a dream and a vision, only then will any kind of professional or personal relationship work out. For HR to achieve that it is important to be able to look at the organisation the same way as how an individual/employee is looked at. Alignment of HR goal with the goal of a business, ability to contour the future of the organisation and strategy to build a strong organisation are three of the most important factors that will drive future of the HR function. He further argues that HR will be expected to analyse along with the C-Suite where the company should invest and in what areas can money be put into based on where the future of the company lies.

Mr. Biddappa ended by saying that he believes that inspiration is everywhere; it can be sitting next to you anytime. He says that he does not believe in do-overs. Even having made a lot many mistakes in life, he has always taken responsibility for them, learnt from them and moved forward.

Key Learning:

· To be successful, taking responsibility for one’s own decisions is important.

· Upholding professionalism and ethics will take you to great places, professionally and personally

· Being able to foresee and prepare for the future will help in personal as well as organisational success.

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Topics: C-Suite, Leadership, #TalkingMatters

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