Former Barclays HR chief Arun Krishnamurthy joins NIIF as CHRO

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has appointed Arun Krishnamurthy as its Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), bringing on board a seasoned HR leader with more than two decades of experience across financial services, telecom and FMCG.

At NIIF, Arun will lead the organisation's people strategy, with responsibility for talent management, leadership development, organisational capability and culture as the sovereign-backed investment platform continues to expand its investment portfolio.

Leadership experience spans banking, telecom and consumer goods

Before joining NIIF, Arun served as Managing Director and Head of HR, India at Barclays, where he led the people agenda for one of the bank's largest and most complex operations in the country.

His career also includes senior global HR leadership roles across Barclays, Vodafone and Unilever, where he worked across business transformation, leadership capability, talent development and organisational design.

His cross-sector experience covers financial services, telecommunications and consumer goods, giving him exposure to large-scale workforce transformation and leadership development programmes.

Strengthening the people agenda

In his new role, Arun will oversee key aspects of NIIF's human resources strategy, including:

• Talent acquisition and development
• Leadership capability building
• Organisational effectiveness
• Culture and employee engagement
• People strategy aligned with long-term business growth

His appointment comes as NIIF continues to strengthen its institutional capabilities while managing investments across multiple sectors of India's infrastructure and growth economy.

About NIIF

National Investment and Infrastructure Fund is India's sovereign-anchored investment platform, with the Government of India holding a 49% stake.

According to NIIF, the organisation:

• Manages capital commitments of approximately ₹40,000 crore across its funds and investment strategies.
• Has returned around ₹12,000 crore to investors through significant portfolio exits.
• Has built a track record in capital deployment and investment realisations across infrastructure and related sectors.

NIIF invests across multiple asset classes through various funds and platforms, partnering with domestic and international institutional investors.

Strong academic and professional credentials

Alongside his corporate leadership experience, Arun brings a strong academic background.

His qualifications include:

• Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), UK
• PGDM from Symbiosis, Pune
• Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Madras
• Financial Times Non-Executive Director Diploma, UK

The combination of HR leadership experience across multinational organisations and expertise in organisational transformation positions Arun to lead NIIF's people agenda as the institution continues to grow its investment platform and organisational capabilities.