Vodafone Idea appoints Sugata Roy as Vice President, Circle HR Head

Vodafone Idea has appointed Sugata Roy as Vice President – Circle HR Head, tasking him with leading the human resources agenda at the circle level, the company said.

Based in Bengaluru, Roy will be responsible for driving people strategy, workforce effectiveness and business continuity across one of India’s largest telecom circles, at a time when the sector continues to face pricing pressure, regulatory scrutiny and rapid technological change.

Roy brings over a decade of HR leadership experience spanning telecom, automotive, logistics, retail and FMCG. His appointment comes as Vodafone Idea works to strengthen organisational resilience and stabilise operations in a highly competitive market dominated by a small number of large players.

Before joining Vodafone Idea, Roy spent several years at Hero MotoCorp, most recently as Lead HR Business Partner – Commercial Business and HR Digital Transformation, where he supported HR strategy for India and global operations, including the Harley-Davidson portfolio. In that role, he was involved in driving HR digital transformation alongside business partnering for commercial functions.

Earlier, Roy worked at VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (VECV), where he served as Lead HRBP and Centre of Excellence – Talent Management, and previously as Regional HRBP – East. His responsibilities included HR business partnering for large sales and marketing teams, talent management and succession planning, and HR operations across multiple regions.

He began his career in corporate HR roles at TM International Logistics, a Tata Steel subsidiary, handling talent acquisition, policy implementation, compensation administration and HR metrics. His early experience also includes stints at Madura Fashion & Lifestyle and Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable, supporting regional HR operations and employee engagement.

Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between the Aditya Birla Group and the Vodafone Group, provides voice and data services across 2G, 3G and 4G networks and is listed on both the NSE and BSE. As the company navigates financial and operational challenges, leadership appointments in people functions are expected to play a critical role in sustaining workforce stability and execution capability.