Rajesh Balaji Sathyanarayanan: Optimising Workforce Strategy Through Technology & Experience
Rajesh Balaji Sathyanarayanan
Chief HR Officer
His professional journey is predominantly associated with leading organisations such as Hexaware Technologies, Hewitt Associates, Barclays Bank, Landmark Group, and Standard Chartered he has been instrumental in spearheading the HR department in each organisation, thus contributing to the overall business growth.
Rajesh is an industrious HR leader with extensive experience in Compensation and Benefits, Talent Management, Performance Management, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Change Management, and International HR Practices. He joined Matrimony.com intending to understand the technologies and business in the wedtech platform, mastering them to improve HR processes, and developing insights through advanced analytics, thus creating a more dynamic talent & work model for the organisation. Let's hear it from Rajesh.
Define Matrimony.com as a trusted matrimony brand and how it creates impacts using technology.
Matrimony.com is a 22-yearold organisation and a trusted brand in every household. It is a wellknown wedding technology platform (WedTech Platform) that has successfully created a space for itself in every potential bride and groom's mobile phone. The kind of technology that matrimony.com has
fashioned is now a game changer, disrupting the matchmaking and wedding industry through its progressive plot.
Since its launch 22 years ago, this technology has been an unrivalled offering; it has led the way in the formal matchmaking process to empower people. Potential brides and grooms can now choose their partner based on their interests, likes, and dislikes. This platform has allowed everyone to sculpt a future where the life partners are compatible, and the children they nurture will be better citizens, thus making society an evolved one.
As the CHRO, how would you define culture? What is the holistic approach when it comes to building and maintaining culture?
My definition of organisational culture is employees' subconscious behaviour or their way of life while working and collaborating at the workplace. In other words, culture is this comprehensive emotional norm, the unspoken rules that dictate what all employees feel or express in their day-to-day activities while keeping the organisation's values & purpose as the unpinning foundation. How this translates into ways of working & living during work hours determines an organisation's culture.An organisational’s culture should always be as good as their HR policies on paper. So, when we follow and practice employee centric, value-centric, and vision centric guidelines in the organisation, it becomes its culture over time.
According to you, what are the critical technology trends changing HR management today?
Couple of decades ago, HR functions revolved around merely administrative work. Whereas HR now functions as the organisation's business partner as they are the pioneers in navigating the paradox of individual care and organisational competitiveness.
Currently, HR has become extremely important in decision making. The business liaises and seeks HR's opinion in every critical decision as people's competencies are crucial in
Since its launch 22 years ago, this technology has been an unrivalled offering; it has led the way in the formal matchmaking process to empower people. Potential brides and grooms can now choose their partner based on their interests, likes, and dislikes. This platform has allowed everyone to sculpt a future where the life partners are compatible, and the children they nurture will be better citizens, thus making society an evolved one.
I lead through empowerment backed by a solid support, technology and principles. When a team is empowered and trusted, there is no need to micromanage them
As the CHRO, how would you define culture? What is the holistic approach when it comes to building and maintaining culture?
My definition of organisational culture is employees' subconscious behaviour or their way of life while working and collaborating at the workplace. In other words, culture is this comprehensive emotional norm, the unspoken rules that dictate what all employees feel or express in their day-to-day activities while keeping the organisation's values & purpose as the unpinning foundation. How this translates into ways of working & living during work hours determines an organisation's culture.An organisational’s culture should always be as good as their HR policies on paper. So, when we follow and practice employee centric, value-centric, and vision centric guidelines in the organisation, it becomes its culture over time.
According to you, what are the critical technology trends changing HR management today?
Couple of decades ago, HR functions revolved around merely administrative work. Whereas HR now functions as the organisation's business partner as they are the pioneers in navigating the paradox of individual care and organisational competitiveness.
Currently, HR has become extremely important in decision making. The business liaises and seeks HR's opinion in every critical decision as people's competencies are crucial in
deciding the market/revenue as,eventually, it is the people who deliver value to the marketand contribute to the organisation's revenue. In the context of technology, I believe that People Data has become the new religion within the HR function and the God in that religion is Analytics & Insights.
Information rich decisions are more effective than decisions made merely on speculations navigating the fire hose of available knowledge requires data and analytics. Knowing how to use the information and turn that into improved decision-making guideposts helps deliver more value. It empowers business leaders to take the right people's decision that directly correlates with business performance.
The role of an HR Business Partner has evolved tremendously over the years. I, in fact, partner with my CEO daily to discuss critical strategic people agenda, from hiring to talent development. In addition, I share the table with my CEO on essential business reviews and growth meetings, which are self-explanatory to showcase the importance of the HR Function in the new age organisations.
Describe your leadership style and the success mantra that has been helping you arrive at positive outcomes in your professional journey.
My leadership style majorly focuses on empowering my team. Empowerment starts with identifying the right talent for the role Then, once the candidate hired becomes a part of the team, I support and guide them on key HR initiatives and stand shoulder to shoulder with the challenges they face during execution. I lead through empowerment backed by solid support, technology, and principles. When a team is empowered and trusted, there is no need to micromanage them.
Rajesh Balaji Sathyanarayanan, Chief Human Resource Officer, Matrimony.com
Having Masters in Personnel Management and 25 years of outstanding experience in the HR domain, Rajesh is flawlessly playing the role of CHRO by developing people-centric & vision-centric strategies and connecting them to the business, thus taking the organisation & its people to the next level.
Awards & Recognitions:
•Awarded Top 100 HR Professionals in India by World HRD Congress
•Best CHRO by Global Employees Choice Award
Information rich decisions are more effective than decisions made merely on speculations navigating the fire hose of available knowledge requires data and analytics. Knowing how to use the information and turn that into improved decision-making guideposts helps deliver more value. It empowers business leaders to take the right people's decision that directly correlates with business performance.
The role of an HR Business Partner has evolved tremendously over the years. I, in fact, partner with my CEO daily to discuss critical strategic people agenda, from hiring to talent development. In addition, I share the table with my CEO on essential business reviews and growth meetings, which are self-explanatory to showcase the importance of the HR Function in the new age organisations.
Describe your leadership style and the success mantra that has been helping you arrive at positive outcomes in your professional journey.
My leadership style majorly focuses on empowering my team. Empowerment starts with identifying the right talent for the role Then, once the candidate hired becomes a part of the team, I support and guide them on key HR initiatives and stand shoulder to shoulder with the challenges they face during execution. I lead through empowerment backed by solid support, technology, and principles. When a team is empowered and trusted, there is no need to micromanage them.
Rajesh Balaji Sathyanarayanan, Chief Human Resource Officer, Matrimony.com
Having Masters in Personnel Management and 25 years of outstanding experience in the HR domain, Rajesh is flawlessly playing the role of CHRO by developing people-centric & vision-centric strategies and connecting them to the business, thus taking the organisation & its people to the next level.
Awards & Recognitions:
•Awarded Top 100 HR Professionals in India by World HRD Congress
•Best CHRO by Global Employees Choice Award