Women in HR leadership have thrived in recent years. Women HR leaders have been instrumental in transforming the HR environment, breaking stereotypes and barriers, and making a lasting impact on the field. Women HR executives continue to drive organizational success, supporting diversity and inclusion programs and leading creative HR strategies.  Here are a few top women leaders in HR.

 

Remadevi Thottathil, CHRO, LatentView Analytic

In earlier days, women were rarely entering the Navy, and Remadevi Thottathil was the first female to enter the Indian Navy when it began to induct women as Short Service Commissioned officers in a few branches, notably ATC (Air Traffic Controller), in July 1992. Born and brought up in Kerala, Remadevi completed her education and received her diploma from Trivandrum.

When it came to her career, Remadevi had two options: either she had to pursue a post-graduation degree and become an educationist or follow in her father's footsteps and become a doctor. All of a sudden, everything changed. A newspaper clipping announcing the admission of women to Naval Air Traffic Services was presented to her by her brother. Remadevi's brother served in the NCC and aspired to enlist in the military.  After her service in the Navy, Remadevi joined Bahwan Cybertek as CHRO, where she fostered the business's explosive growth. Recently, she was appointed the CHRO of LatentView Analytic.

Priya Tikare, Director & Head of HR, Lenovo India

Priya is well known for her leadership, and she has taken the crucial responsibility of attracting, nurturing, and keeping elite talent, strengthening India's standing as the global center of technology. She is a seasoned Lenovo employee with more than 20 years of people management expertise, having worked in exclusive roles with Lenovo. She formerly served as the Asia Pacific Talent Acquisition Leader and Global HR Director for Lenovo's International Services Support.  Priya holds a computer science and MBA degree. Under her leadership, the company looks forward to the quick expansion and development of India as the primary talent hub, and she pays attention to strategic initiatives outlined by the multinational technology business that has India at its core.

Archana Bhaskar, CHRO, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories 

Archan has worked with many organizations for more than 32 years.  She undertook important HR positions at Royal Dutch Shell for ten years, including talent management and worldwide commercial companies. In her last role, she oversaw HR worldwide for Shell's Lubricants, Aviation Fuels, and Speciality businesses as VP of HR Global Commercial, based in Singapore. She formerly served as Shell's Downstream Companies' Global Head of Talent & Development. She worked with Unilever for 15 years before that, holding positions in Europe and India. 

Archana is a graduate of IIM Bangalore and Lady Shri Ram College and has a strong interest in coaching and mentoring.  She is a member of several boards, such as the Industry Advisory Board at Ahmedabad University and The HR Fund.  She is also a member of both the LSD Governing Board and the CII National Committee on Skilling and Livelihoods.

Anuradha Razdan, Chief Human Resources Officer, Unilever, South Asia

Anuradha is the  Executive Director of Human Resources (HR) and a member of Hindustan Unilever Limited's Management Committee. Working with members of the Unilever Leadership Executive, she is a business-oriented HR leader with a worldwide career and extensive expertise in HUL and global leadership roles.

After graduating from XLRI in 1999, she began working at HUL as a Management Trainee. Anuradha worked with teams in Customer Development and Employee Relations for the first 14 years of her HUL career.

 

She also served as an HR Partner to members of the HUL Management Committee in Marketing and Supply Chain. In her capacity as Director of Leadership Development in South Asia, she oversaw the Talent strategy in five markets and was instrumental in bringing significant external recognition to the company.

Pavitra Singh, HR Head of PepsiCo India

Paitra began her career with PepsiCo in 2006.  Holding 20 years of expertise managing big teams in various locations, Pavitra has held leadership positions in India and other regions—from HR business partner positions to center-of-excellence positions like Talent Management, L&D, Culture, D&I, and Talent Acquisition. She worked at American Express and Fair Isaac before joining PepsiCo. Building institutional capacity and developing new talent are two things that Pavitra is passionate about. As a DEI evangelist, she firmly believes in fostering an inclusive culture that allows diversity to flourish in spirit and deeds.  

She has also received recognition from numerous thought leadership venues and forums. She was featured in the ETHR World 50 Thinking Leaders of 2022, Business World's Most Influential Women 2022 list, and ET's Women Ahead list as one of Corporate India's fastest-rising women leaders, to mention a few. She was also referred to as a DE&I champion in other external venues.