People Matters

Employer branding isn’t built in campaigns, but in conversations, credibility, and lived experiences. At the People Matters × Naukri.com & AmbitionBox Roundtable: “𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱, 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲”, held at ITC Maratha, Mumbai: CHROs, Employer Branding heads, and business leaders came together to decode what it truly takes to build a standout employer brand in today’s market. Swati Vashistha, EVP & Head, Employer Branding, Info Edge (Naukri.com), outlined how employer branding has moved beyond visibility to measurable trust, full-funnel candidate experience, and business alignment. Mayur Mundada, Founder & Business Head, AmbitionBox by Naukri Talent Cloud, reinforced how reviews, real employee voices, and authentic storytelling are now central to candidate decision-making. Key takeaways: 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 = 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 It must deliver outcomes across attraction, hiring, retention, and advocacy. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: Candidates evaluate managers, growth, and culture, not just brand campaigns. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 Workplace ratings shape application intent as strongly as compensation. Thus, it's palpable that hiring is evolving from a transactional function to a real-time, insight-led talent intelligence engine. Thank you for joining us: Sameer Arora, Akhilesh Agiwal, Kalpak Huddar, Vijay Sethi, Dr. Ujjal Sengupta, Arlene Karanjia, Jasmine Bawa, Sonal Singh, Manasvi Nandu, Nami Luthra, Jayanti Shekar, Ankur Jain, Davis John ( DJ ) - I am because WE are, Kulbir Singh Gandhi, Veena DSilva, Himanshu Mishra, Ravi Hemnani #EmployerBranding #TalentStrategy #FutureOfWork #HRLeadership #PeopleMatters

Driving the Tech-First Revolution - Acko joins the People Matters GCC Talent Summit as our "Powered By" Partner! As GCCs grow from setup to scale, the conversation around employee benefits is also changing. It is no longer just about offering insurance as a policy decision. It is about creating a smarter, technology-led benefits infrastructure that improves employee experience, reduces HR ops friction, and supports scale with greater efficiency. That is where Acko brings a valuable perspective to the table. With a digital-first approach to insurance and employee benefits, ACKO is helping businesses rethink how health and protection can be delivered with more simplicity, speed, and control. For GCC leaders, this becomes especially relevant as teams scale, expectations rise, and HR operations become more complex. Why this partnership matters for GCCs: • Tech-led employee benefits: Enabling simpler, more seamless benefits experiences for employees • Reduced HR ops friction: Helping HR teams manage benefits with less manual effort and greater efficiency • Built for scale: Supporting growing organizations with infrastructure that keeps pace with workforce needs As GCCs continue to evolve, the strongest people strategies will be the ones backed by a stronger operating infrastructure. We’re excited to have ACKO powering the conversation in Hyderabad. Hyderabad | 12th March 2026 | 8:30 AM onwards Join us: https://lnkd.in/gBzfHR6X #GCCTalentSummit #GlobalCapabilityCentres #ACKO #ACKOForBusiness #EmployeeBenefits #HRTech #GCCIndia #FutureOfWork #Hyderabad

Sonam Arora has joined E2E Cloud as Head of People and Culture, bringing close to two decades of HR leadership experience across high-growth digital businesses. An alumna of XLRI Jamshedpur, Arora has previously led people strategy across high-growth tech and digital businesses. Known for treating HR “like a product”, her approach centres on building scalable, data-driven people systems aligned to rapid business growth. As E2E recalibrates hiring and operational efficiency, her mandate is expected to focus on strengthening organisational design, workforce planning, and leadership capability to support the company’s expansion ambitions. 🔗 Read More: https://lnkd.in/gcGsVm4T #HRLeadership #TalentStrategy #Leadership #Appointment #PeopleStrategy #PeopleMatters 

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited is set to appoint Pushp Kumar Nayar as Director Human Resources, marking a significant leadership development at the board level. With this elevation, as part of the board leadership, Nayar will anchor the organisation’s people agenda across talent strategy, workforce planning, and leadership development for one of India’s largest energy companies. His elevation reflects both institutional depth and sector experience at a time when energy businesses are navigating transition and operational scale, and as BPCL advances its business and transition roadmap. The move underscores BPCL’s continued focus on aligning workforce capability with long-term strategic priorities. 🔗 Read More: https://lnkd.in/g2UkvPtX #BharatPetroleum #HRLeadership #EnergyIndustry #LeadershipUpdate #PeopleMatters 

Join us at the AI & Automation Bootcamp for HR 2026—a practitioner-led experience where AI moves beyond pilots and automation delivers measurable HR transformation. This isn’t about understanding AI. It’s about applying it to redesign workflows, unlock productivity, and scale HR impact. 📌 Learn from the best: Module 1: Man–Machine Collaboration in HR by Manish Mohan Misra, Group Head – HR Transformation & Digital Analytics at Emirates National Oil Company. Module 2: AI-led HR Process Automation using RPA by Mukesh Jain, Chief People Analytics Officer & CTO at Capgemini. Module 3: HR Analytics in Action by Fermin Diez, Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore and NUS Business School. Module 4: Digital HR Environment with AI by Sriram Iyer, Professor at the National University of Singapore. If you’re ready to automate intelligently, integrate systems seamlessly, and lead HR’s digital evolution, we’d love to have you with us. 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱. Join us at the AI & Automation Bootcamp 2026: https://lnkd.in/ghbbik2q #HRLeadership #AIinHR #HRAutomation #PeopleAnalytics #FutureOfWork #AIBootcamp | Maharshi Rajguru (Max), Tushar Sharma, Aditya Chopra, Sweta Bhardwaj, Abida Khan, Mehak Jain

The GCC conversation has shifted. This is no longer about cost arbitrage. It is about capability.🪴 AI is quietly becoming the operating layer of modern GCCs, and it signals a deeper reset. Technical skills are no longer support functions. They are strategic levers. The real question is not whether AI matters. It is whether your talent strategy is keeping up. At the People Matters GCC TalentSummit 2026, we will unpack how leading GCCs are building AI-ready teams, redefining workforce architecture, and turning capability into competitive advantage. If you are shaping the next phase of GCC growth, this is where the blueprint gets discussed. 📍 Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre 📅 12th March 2026 🕘 9 AM onwards Join the room: https://lnkd.in/gKPmhdvg #PMGCCSummit #PeopleMatters #GCCIndia #TalentStrategy #FutureOfWork #WorkforcePlanning #LeadershipDevelopment #Conference

India’s hiring market doesn’t need more resumes. It needs sharper intelligence. This was the defining undercurrent at the People Matters × Naukri.com Roundtable “𝗔𝗜 𝘅 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗖𝗖 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀” that took place in Novotel, Hyderabad. CHROs, TA Heads, and Business Leaders debated what truly differentiates GCC and enterprise hiring today, focusing on improving the quality and speed of hiring to support growth and hiring surges. Dr. Jatin Thukral, Chief Product Officer and Chief AI Scientist, Info Edge, outlined Naukri’s Talent Language Model, built for India’s unique market realities, that maps millions of skills, normalises designation complexity, and leverages deep salary data to power predictive, context-aware hiring. The key themes from the discussion were: 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 – Global AI models miss India’s designation, salary, and cultural nuances. Precision requires localisation. 𝗔𝗜 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 – From AI-led screening to intelligent recommendations, speed and relevance now go hand in hand. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 – Especially in higher salary brackets, making benchmarking and discovery a strategic GCC priority. 𝗕𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹𝘀 – Continuous retraining and behavioural signals are essential to keep AI fair and accurate. The takeaway was that -  Recruitment is evolving with the advent of new AI model innovations continuously improving efficiency of entire value chain for hiring - from planning, sourcing to onboarding. It is shaping talent brand for employers and matching jobs to people with accuracy and efficiency. The organisations that embed AI meaningfully into hiring systems will build stronger talent pipelines. Srinivas Kontham Neha Bhatt Samatha Prasad Ramakrishna Momidi Naveen James Komal J. Abhinav Mishra Mahitha K KamalKumar Bachewal Vasudha Arora Reju Varghese Vandana Rawat Aparna Vattikuti Tanusri Gurudanti Shilpa Kankaria Sulakshana Sreeram Indumathi M Samir Singh Praveen Nair Ram Neelam Susmitha Sam Thomas Niraj Seth Dipti Sharma Pallavi Belagavi #AIinHR #TalentStrategy #GCCIndia #FutureOfHiring #HRLeadership #HiringInnovation

Gandharv Shah has joined Policybazaar.com’s offline distribution arm, PB Partners, as Head Human Resources and Training, strengthening its leadership bench as the business scales its partner network across the country. He will lead the people and training mandate for a rapidly expanding advisor-driven model, focusing on talent acquisition, frontline capability building, structured learning frameworks, and performance alignment. The role becomes particularly critical as PB Partners continues to deepen insurance penetration and strengthen last-mile distribution in India’s evolving protection landscape. Shah brings over two decades of HR leadership experience across financial services and diversified corporations. His appointment signals a sharper focus on building workforce readiness and scalable people systems to support sustained growth in the offline distribution ecosystem. 🔗 Read More: https://lnkd.in/geP-DPVw #Policybazaar #LeadershipAppointment #HRLeadership #PeopleStrategy #TalentDevelopment #PeopleMatters 

Employer branding in 2026 is no longer a game of visibility — it’s a test of credibility. Talent believes what they experience and hear, not what brands claim. That shift is redefining EVP design, channels, ownership, and ROI. At an exclusive closed-door roundtable, People Matters, in association with Naukri.com and AmbitionBox, brings together CHROs and TA leaders to discuss:  • Employer branding across the talent lifecycle  • Crafting a credible, resonant EVP  • Linking brand strategy to measurable impact 𝗜𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 — 𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗱? 𝟮𝟲 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 | 𝗜𝗧𝗖 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮, 𝗠𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗶 Mayur Mundada Swati Vashistha Veena DSilva Sameer Arora Ankur Jain Swati Singh Ajit Durgawale Vijay Sethi Dr Ujjal Sengupta Manasvi Nandu Sonal Singh Kulbir Singh Gandhi Kalpak Huddar Latha Iyer Richa Parikh SHEETAL PAWAR Jasmine Bawa Priya Dutta Myra Tulsani(She/Her) Anita Thakur Sahdev Bhatt Davis John ( DJ ) - I am because WE are #EmployerBranding #TalentAcquisition #EVP #HRLeaders #FutureOfWork #PeopleMatters

OpenAI has appointed Arjun Gupta as its first Solutions Architect in India, marking a step toward deeper engagement with the country’s startup and developer ecosystem as AI adoption shifts from experimentation to scaled deployment. Gupta will partner closely with founders to accelerate production-grade AI deployments, helping startups move beyond prototypes and build resilient, scalable systems with OpenAI models at the core. With India emerging as one of the largest users and adopters of generative AI, the move signals a deeper commitment to on-ground support, community engagement, and tailored solutions for the market. He joins from AuraML, where he served as Co-Founder and CTO, bringing hands-on experience in building and scaling AI systems that span infrastructure, training, and real-world workflows. 🔗 Read More: https://lnkd.in/dXdD7Q7i #OpenAI #LeadershipAppointment #AIStartups #AIinIndia #TechHiring #PeopleMatters