Anshuman: Welcome to Career Circles LIVE. This series puts talent acquisition, industry leaders, and candidates at the center of meaningful conversations. Today’s topic is “Diverse Talent, Inclusive Opportunities at Henkel.”

Henkel is a global leader in FMCG and consumer goods, recognized for its commitment to innovation, diversity, and inclusion. Joining me today is Rishma, Senior HR Leader at Henkel, to discuss Henkel’s diversity journey, opportunities for young and experienced talent, and the company’s inclusive culture.

Henkel’s Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Q (Host): What does diversity and inclusion mean at Henkel?

Rishma (Henkel): I like to explain it with an analogy. Diversity is ensuring everyone is invited to the dance floor. Inclusion is making sure everyone feels free to dance in the center. At Henkel, we embrace people of different backgrounds, perspectives, and personalities.

It’s not only about gender. It extends to veterans, the LGBTQ+ community, differently abled individuals, and diverse professional experiences.

Challenges in Driving Diversity

Q: What challenges do you see in driving diversity beyond gender?

Rishma: Like many large organizations, we began with gender parity, especially in manufacturing and consumer goods where representation is lower. But diversity is broader than gender.

Our challenges include:

• Representation gaps in certain functions
  
• Building flexible policies to attract diverse talent
  
• Opening opportunities across industries and geographies
  

We address these through sponsorship, flexibility in roles and locations, and building infrastructure to support diverse needs.

Building an Inclusive Culture

Q: How do you sustain DEI initiatives within Henkel?

Rishma:

• Leadership Sponsorship: Senior leaders actively drive and support diversity.
  
• Flexibility: Openness to alternate industries, geographies, and work models.
  
• Internal Advocacy: Regular communication, celebration of Pride Month, Disability Awareness events, and other campaigns to normalize inclusion.
  

It’s about making diversity a part of daily culture, not a one-off initiative.

Support for Employees

Q: How does Henkel support employees during personal and professional challenges?

Rishma: Our approach is centered on genuine care. Examples include:

• Gender-neutral parental leave policies
  
• Flexible work-from-home options
  
• Post-maternity and caregiver support programs
  

We normalize life events like childbirth, caregiving, or health challenges. One instance: a new hire who discovered she was pregnant during her transition. We assured her of our full support, encouraged her to join, contribute, take her break, and return when ready.

Diversity Beyond Gender

Rishma: At Henkel, diversity includes:

• International Representation: 138+ nationalities
  
• Generational Diversity: Talent across career stages
  
• Abilities: Programs for differently abled professionals
  
• Leadership Representation: 38% of Henkel’s management are women
  

We consciously recruit diverse talent across all levels, not just at entry or mid-level.

Opportunities for Young Talent

Q: What can young professionals expect from Henkel?

Rishma: Henkel offers several graduate and early career programs:

• Innovation Impact Program – for R&D and technology enthusiasts
  
• Women Engineering Program – focused on core manufacturing roles
  
• Lead Programs – for marketing and commercial talent
  
• Digital Talent Programs – for careers in tech and digital
  

We encourage cross-functional and cross-border experiences. Many graduates rotate across Germany, China, and other global hubs early in their careers.

Advice to young professionals:

• Stay agile and open to different projects and geographies
  
• Don’t job-hop too frequently; invest time to grow within an organization
  
• Every year may not be perfect, but every experience adds value
  

Work-Life Balance at Henkel

Audience Q: How does Henkel promote work-life balance?

Rishma: We follow a Smart Working model: hybrid work with flexibility of 3–4 days in office. We monitor overwork risks and encourage maturity in balancing work and life. It’s about flexibility, trust, and mutual responsibility.

Hiring Outlook

Q: What are Henkel’s hiring plans for next year?

Rishma: Henkel has doubled hiring in the past two years and will continue to grow. We are hiring across supply chain, technology, IT, commercial, and marketing. Being present in both FMCG (B2C) and B2B spaces, opportunities span diverse functions and industries.

Final Thoughts

Rishma:

• Explore internships and graduate programs to experience Henkel firsthand.
  
• Keep your mind open to different career paths.
  

Follow Henkel’s official website and Instagram to see real employee stories.

The post Career Circles Live: Henkel – Diverse Talent, Inclusive Opportunities appeared first on .

Introduction

Naved: Good evening and welcome, friends. Thank you so much for joining us for the 22nd episode of Career Circles Live. My name is Naved, and I’ll be your host for today’s session.

As you all know, Career Circles are exclusive talent communities by Taggd, where talented professionals like each one of you, along with industry mentors, peers, recruiters, and leaders, come together for open-ended conversations. We bring the best minds and mentors to share the latest trends, insights, and experiences that help shape professional careers.

Today’s session is all about deep diving into Mahindra Last Mile Mobility — or LMM — focusing on technology, innovation, and the future of sustainable mobility. We are honored to have distinguished leaders from one of India’s foremost automobile manufacturing companies.

Please join me in welcoming our guests.

Guest Introductions

Naved: We have with us Ms. Anisha Saluja, who leads HR for Last Mile Mobility. She carries around 11 years of experience in talent management, capability building, and HR business partnering. Welcome, Anisha.

Anisha: Thanks, Naved. Hi everyone, good evening.

Naved: We also have Mr. Vijay Gandhi, Head of Product Planning, with over 15 years of experience in strategic product planning, market strategy, and EV product development. Welcome, Vijay.

Vijay: Thanks, Naved. Hi everybody, good evening.

Naved: And we have Mr. Philip Jose, Head of Product Development, with more than 20 years of experience in engineering, designing, and developing electric powertrain systems. Welcome, Philip.

Philip: Thank you, Naved. Good evening, everyone.

About Mahindra Last Mile Mobility

Nvaed: Do you want to share what LMM is all about for our viewers?

Anisha: LMM is an organization that has grown rapidly in the last couple of years,  from a relatively small unit to a large-scale, high-paced business. We work toward electrifying the last mile in India, truly serving the end customer’s needs. We’re the largest electric three-wheeler player in the country, with tremendous growth and career opportunities. You also get to work with fantastic peers, and you’ll hear more as we go deeper into today’s discussion.

Technology & Innovation at LMM

Naved: Product Development division?

Philip: We make livelihood-focused vehicles. So, our biggest challenge, and the one we work on constantly, is making these vehicles affordable and reliable. A day of downtime means a day of lost income for our customers. So, reliability is everything.

We look at every aspect – how systems behave, what can fail during operation, what causes inconvenience, and how we can eliminate those issues. At the same time, we must avoid gold-plating. The tension between reliability and cost is constant.

Another challenge is how the vehicle interacts with the environment, charging on the highly variable Indian grid, dealing with heat, humidity, rain, or flooding. And the third major area is connectivity. Our vehicles are already connected; they send data to the cloud. But then comes the question of data integrity, quality, and turning insights into actionable value for customers.

So, it’s a combination of engineering, environment, and technology integration — and that keeps us constantly engaged.

Collaboration Between Engineers & Designers

Naved: Engineers and designers work very differently. How do you ensure collaboration and integration between these two groups at LMM?

Philip: We have a very collaborative environment. Senior management encourages open discussions, even loud ones, because divergent viewpoints often lead to better products. Mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, electrochemists — everyone works together. Each brings a unique lens to the same problem.

Vijay: Adding to that, innovation cannot be done for the sake of innovation. The real problems come from the ground, in the last mile mobility space. We take engineers to the field, a “day in the life of an auto driver.”  When they see the customer’s challenges firsthand, collaboration becomes natural. Everyone focuses on solving the actual problem, not just building in isolation.

Skills & Profiles LMM Looks For

Naved: What skills are you looking for in candidates, especially in the product development domain?

Anisha: We’re hiring across functions: product development, planning, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, finance, HR, sales, service, marketing, everything. Talent is one of our key pillars. For PD specifically, we look for mechanical engineers, electrical/electronic engineers, computer science, mechatronics etc.

Beyond technical skills, we look for curiosity to learn, passion for EVs, and strong ethics. People who look towards end-customer needs and work accordingly. We also look for people who are passionate about EVs and are inclined to solve real-world problems. They don’t compromise and have high standards for ethics and governance.

Philip: We design most of our vehicle aggregates in-house — power electronics, suspension systems, dashboards, body parts, and all vehicle software. So, we need people who can think in systems: mechanical, electrical, heat transfer, control systems, all integrated. All the engineers work on components of vehicle and on the vehicle overall.   We would expect different domain engineers to come together and solve the problem as a whole.

Diversity at LMM

Naved: Mahindra is known to be an equal opportunity employer. What does diversity look like at LMM?

Philip: We encourage diverse gender, culture and region. Diversity shows up in our customer base itself, a significant number of our vehicle buyers are women today.  We include women engineers in every evaluation team to ensure design sensitivity.

Anisha: We’ve always hired women across R&D, manufacturing, and quality. But recently, we’ve also built strong female presence in sales and service, women going into the field and selling last-mile products. Diversity for us goes beyond gender, thoughts, it’s ideas, age, generation, geography.

Growth Opportunities at LMM

Naved: What growth opportunities exist at LMM for someone who joins today?

Anisha: A lot. We have a strong Internal Job Posting (IJP) policy across Mahindra. Employees can apply for roles across departments after one year. In PD, we encourage people to switch between testing and development or delivery and engineering — to gain holistic vehicle knowledge.

We also offer structured learning through our LXP EdCast, technical certifications, leadership programs, and continuous upskilling.

Emerging Technologies & LMM’s Approach

Naved: EV technologies change fast. How does LMM stay ahead?

Vijay: By focusing on relevant problems and not adopting technology for the sake of it. For example, in case of EV, predicting battery resale value requires machine learning and deep data modelling. We pilot relevant technologies with startups and incubators. We are scouting for problems and the people who are passionate about solving them. India has so much innovation happening in colleges, we tap into that ecosystem.

Challenges in Sustainable Mobility

Naved: What are the biggest challenges LMM faces in creating sustainable mobility solutions?

Vijay: Affordability and reliability. Our customers are daily wage earners, affordability becomes critical. If the vehicle stops, income stops. Frugal innovation is key, solving problems at one-tenth the cost. Reliability across weather, terrain, and usage variations is critical. These are real challenges in last-mile mobility.

Role of Data & UX in EVs

Naved: How do data analytics and user experience influence LMM products?

Philip: We have 35,000–40,000 connected vehicles sending real-time data. We use data to understand average speeds, charging patterns, battery discharge, driver behaviour etc, this helps in improvement of product design and give insights back to customers to extend battery life and maximize uptime.

Advice to Young Engineers & Aspiring EV Professionals

Naved: What advice do you have for young engineers who want to build a career in EVs and with LMM?

Anisha: Fundamentals matter. Curiosity matters. Hands-on experience matters. Being open to working across sub-teams, traveling, visiting suppliers, all that builds true expertise.

Philip: EVs are simple and complex at the same time. Mechanical engineers must understand electronics; electronics engineers must understand embedded systems. Think holistically, work collaboratively, and develop systems thinking.

What Makes a Candidate Stand Out?

Naved: What helps a candidate stand out?

Anisha: Authentic CVs, strong conceptual clarity, demonstrable impact in past roles, and clarity on what they would do differently from others. We look for people who think beyond the obvious.

Perks & Benefits at LMM

Naved: What are the perks and benefits of working with LMM?

Vijay: One intangible perk: purpose. Our vehicles uplift livelihoods. Meeting customers reminds you why your work matters.

Anisha: We offer best-in-class policies, strong learning opportunities, exposure to cutting-edge EV tech, and a great peer group.

Philip: The depth of engineering here is phenomenal. Mahindra has more than a decade of EV learnings, and you get to build on top of that.

Audience Questions

Q: How to become a better battery engineer?

Philip: Battery engineering requires systems thinking. It’s mechanical, electrical, thermal, chemical, all connected. Work across domains, understand busbars, heat transfer, cell behaviour, and collaborate with experts. There are no shortcuts, only deep learning and exposure.

Q: Attrition in the EV sector is high. How does LMM retain talent?

Anisha: True, EV talent is in demand. We focus on purpose alignment, career development, learning, and competitive rewards. Deferred bonuses, differentiated performance rewards, and strong growth pathways help retain talent.

Q: Are sales roles only entry-level?

Anisha: No. We hire across entry, mid, and leadership levels. Many leadership hires were made in the last two years. More openings are coming, keep an eye on our careers page.

Q: Plans for the ECV segment (2–3.5T category)?

Vijay: We continuously evaluate emerging product spaces. Yes, you can expect announcements in this segment soon.

Q: Future of hydrogen internal combustion engines?

Philip: Hydrogen will matter for long-distance heavy-duty applications. But hydrogen IC engines are less efficient and leak-prone compared to fuel cells. Fuel cells may scale faster.

Vijay: Hydrogen and EVs will coexist. India’s government focus ensures both ecosystems will grow.

Closing

Naved: Thank you, Anisha, Philip, and Vijay, for this insightful session. And thank you to our 700+ attendees for your questions and energy. This is just the beginning, follow Taggd’s channels, join Career Circles, and stay tuned for more exciting sessions.

Have a great weekend ahead!

The post Career Circles Live: Deep dive into Mahindra Last Mile Mobility’s Technology & Innovation appeared first on .

Introduction

Vishal Bhardwaj (Host): Good afternoon, I’m Vishal Bhardwaj, and I’ll be moderating today’s session.

We are back with another Career Circles Live conversation for all the aspirants joining us for the first time. Let me set a brief context on why we’re here and what to expect over the next 35 to 40 minutes.

Career Circles Live’s intent is to bring talent advisors, career aspirants, and industry experts on the same platform so that people can access insights that are not always easily available.

With that in mind, we always invite a valued industry expert who can share real understanding. And today, it’s our privilege to host someone with four decades of HR experience across some of the most respected organizations.

Please join me in welcoming Mr. Sushil Baveja, CHRO, Jindal Stainless Limited.

Thank you, Mr. Baveja, for joining us. Before I say more about your journey, why don’t you start by introducing yourself?

Mr. Baveja: Thank you. I’ve been in the HR space for close to four decades now.

I completed my MBA from IMT Ghaziabad in 1984, and since then I’ve worked across Indian and multinational companies. I began my career with Samtel, which was into black-and-white and colour TV picture tubes. From there I moved to Cadbury India, then to Dalmia Industries, and then to Gillette. After that, I was with Alcatel heading HR for India, and then with DCM Shriram, where I had my longest stint, over 18 years as Head of HR. I joined Jindal Stainless about a year ago.

It has been a great journey, and I have been fortunate to experience Indian family businesses as well as British, US, and French multinationals. Each environment has taught me something unique.

Vishal: Wonderful. Honestly, I cannot think of a better profile representing such diverse experiences.

Before we go deeper into Jindal Stainless, I would like us to take a quick visual glimpse into the organization. Team backstage, please play the video.

(Video plays)

About Jindal Stainless

Q (Host): Can you give us an overview of what Jindal Stainless really is and how this journey has evolved?

Mr. Baveja: Sure. The Jindal group has been in existence for over 53 years. We are the number one stainless steel producer in India and around number five globally.

Stainless steel as a category isn’t always fully understood by the general audience, but it has very wide applications — from a needle to the Chandrayaan.

People don’t always know that the coins they carry in their pockets are made from stainless steel produced by Jindal Stainless. Razor blades come from here too. You will find stainless steel in mixers, grinders, washing machines, microwaves, in industrial applications, and heavily in architecture, building and construction.

Railways, metro coaches, nuclear, space, green hydrogen, marine, missiles — the range is enormous. The awareness is only growing.

Core Values and Expectations from Candidates

Q(Host): what core values define Jindal Stainless, and how should aspirants demonstrate them during interviews?

Mr. Baveja: Values define the ecosystem of an organization. At Jindal Stainless, our values include:

• Respect for individuals
• Meritocracy — neutrality, objectivity, fairness
• Dynamic thinking
• Creativity and innovation
• Social responsibility
• Integrity

These values are not just words. The behaviours linked to them are woven into our HR systems, assessment frameworks, and culture. When we evaluate candidates, we look for these behaviours naturally reflected in their decision-making, communication, and approach to work.

Presence and Opportunities

Q (Host). Jindal Stainless has a strong pan-India footprint. Can you share where you are present and what kind of opportunities exist?

Mr. Baveja: Our major manufacturing locations are Hisar (Haryana) and Jajpur (Odisha). Both are large bases with significant ongoing expansion and activity. We have opportunities in both these cities.

We also have corporate and sales offices in Delhi NCR and across India. Opportunities exist across domains:

• Quality assurance
• Production and production planning
• Engineering and maintenance
• Safety
• Procurement
• IT
• Sales, accounts, HR (in corporate offices)
• Group functions

We hire graduate engineers, diploma engineers, ITIs, especially metallurgical engineers, as well as mechanical and electrical engineers. For corporate roles, we look for CAs and MBAs across streams. We are in growth mode, and the need for talent is continuous.

Hiring Process

Q (Host): Many candidates experience long and unclear hiring processes. What does the selection journey look like at Jindal Stainless?

Mr. Baveja: We assess candidates on technical, functional, and behavioural competencies, and on value alignment. For entry-level roles, there may be aptitude or subject-matter tests. After screening, interviews begin:

1. A technical and functional interview
2. A behavioural interview

The process is brisk. We track time-to-hire closely because we want to bring people on board quickly. And importantly, we want candidates to have a respectful, positive experience. We see them as brand ambassadors, not just applicants.

Career Progression

Q (Host): If someone joins JSL, what does growth look like? Is it purely tenure-based, or more merit-based?

Mr. Baveja: Merit is central.

We look at:

• Sustained and the consistency of the performance.
• Potential for larger responsibilities
• Initiative, agility, and stretch

For middle management and below, promotions involve a panel interview with internal leaders and external experts. We keep the process objective and neutral.

Q. (Host): Today, cross-functional experience matters as much as vertical growth. Can employees move across functions?

Mr. Baveja: Yes. Growth is not just vertical. We offer:

• Lateral movements
• Role rotations
• Internal job postings (IJP)
• Cross-functional projects
• External seminars and international exposure

We encourage employees to explore new domains.

Learning & Development

Q. (Host): There’s a growing focus on building talent internally. What does learn and upskilling look like at JSL?

Mr. Baveja: We have a strong Learning & Development vertical at both group and unit levels. We conduct systematic training-needs assessments across:

• Technical
• Functional
• Behavioural

We have an annual learning calendar, external experts, and sponsorships for programs at institutes like IIMs and ISB. The idea is to build holistic professionals.

Employee Engagement

Q. (Host): Manufacturing environments often struggle with engagement. How does JSL approach this?

Mr. Baveja: Engagement happens at multiple levels:

• Social and cultural activities
• Festival celebrations
• Sports events
• Safety Day, Women’s Day, and more

But two things are particularly impactful:

The Quarterly Forum
Our Managing Director, Mr. Abhyuday Jindal, addresses all employees, shares business updates, and takes open questions, ranging from strategy to transport to personal wellness.

Rewards & Recognition (R&R)
Our MD personally participates in R&R events. Recognition is not treated as a ritual, it is meant to celebrate achievements and make people feel valued and part of larger JSL families.

We also reach out to employees to understand their satisfaction levels at JSL from time to time. Moreover, we recently conducted an NPS survey and scored above 55%, which is strong by industry benchmarks. Technology also plays a major role. With Darwinbox, all HR processes are digital. For us, the journey begins after implementation, adoption and employee experience matter.

Audience Questions

Q1. How does JSL drive innovation?

Mr. Baveja: Innovation is a core value. It is part of performance discussions, part of our R&R framework, and part of daily behaviours. We reward not just ideas but also execution. We bring external perspectives and benchmark continuously.

Q2. What is JSL’s approach to diversity?

Mr. Baveja: We are on a journey. Manufacturing, especially metals, faces a talent-availability challenge for gender diversity. However:

• We prioritize diversity candidates in corporate roles (without compromising merit).
• Inclusion matters as much as diversity; decision-making here is consensus-driven.
• We encourage diverse and even contrarian perspectives because they elevate outcomes.

We still have a long way to go, but the roadmap is clear.

Closing Remarks

Mr. Baveja: Jindal Stainless is a progressive, professional organization. We invest heavily in upgrading systems and processes. We bring in outside-in perspectives to stay contemporary and raise the bar continuously.

We don’t aspire to be just a domestic leader. We are already among the top five globally, and our ambition is to be in the top three.

Vishal: Thank you, Mr. Baveja. We wish JSL continued success as you reach for that global leadership.

And to all our aspirants, thank you for joining us. You’ll see an email ID on the screen. Please share your profiles for relevant opportunities at JSL.

Until next time, take care and thank you for being part of Career Circles Live.

The post Career Circles Live: JSL’s Culture & Values – A Beacon of Excellence appeared first on .

Introduction

Elton:  Good afternoon, friends. Thank you so much for joining us on the 19th episode of Career Circles Live. My name is Elton, and I’ll be your host for today’s session.

Career Circles are exclusive talent communities by Taggd, where professionals like each one of you can connect with industry mentors, experts, peers and recruiters. Career Circles Live is an extension of these conversations, where we bring together some of the best minds from the industry to share insights and emerging trends with professionals like you.

Without further ado, let’s kickstart today’s session. The theme for today is Careers in Industrial Services for Engineering and Management Talent, with Thyssenkrupp Industries India (TKI) .

It gives me great pleasure to welcome our speaker for today, Mr. Puneet Kalan — an accomplished leader with over two decades of experience across diverse functions in reputed global industrial MNCs. He currently serves as Director and Head of Service Business at CCLP Industries India. Prior to joining TKI, Puneet held leadership roles managing service operations in India at Omnium International, G Power India and Siemens Energy India.

Welcome, Puneet.

Puneet: Thank you so much, Elton. I’m really looking forward to this conversation. I always enjoy talking about industrial services, and I’m confident this will be one of those enriching discussions.Video Plays

Understanding Industrial Services and the Market

Elton: What are your thoughts on the current job landscape in India’s industrial services market?

Puneet: Before I talk about the opportunity itself, let me first clarify what I mean by industrial services.

When I refer to industrial services, I’m talking about the entire lifecycle services that companies offer for their industrial assets. These could be power-generation assets, assets in cement plants, sugar plants, material-handling facilities and similar environments.

If you look at manufacturers of plant and machinery across these industries, they need a strong supply chain for spare parts and highly skilled technicians to service these assets. As the assets age, the requirement extends to engineering, project management and field services for retrofits, life extensions, performance enhancement and emission reduction.

That entire spectrum is what I call industrial services.

From a market perspective, this continues to be a very exciting opportunity. Industry and consulting reports estimate that industrial services in India represent a four to five billion-dollar annual revenue opportunity. More importantly, this market is growing. With India’s GDP projected to grow at 6–8 percent, the industrial sector is expected to keep pace.

The outlook is very positive,  both for professionals already in industrial services and for those aspiring to enter this space.

Career Challenges in Industrial Services

Elton: From a candidate’s perspective, though, what challenges do professionals typically face while navigating careers across different industries within industrial services?

Puneet: If I reflect on my own journey of nearly two decades in industrial services, across power and capital goods there are three salient challenges:

• Absence of clearly structured career paths for service professionals. In functions like product development or engineering, many companies have well-defined progression tracks. Services, however, has traditionally lagged in offering equally structured and attractive career paths.
• Lack of formal training, development and certification programs. Many service professionals learn on the job, but there isn’t always a structured framework that defines skill progression over 5-10 years, or certifications that validate expertise across asset categories.
•  Many professionals underestimate how fungible service skills really are. Experience gained in one industry, for instance, power — often translates extremely well to another, such as cement or mining. Yet, people sometimes feel “stuck” within a sector, especially during periods of disruption.Recognising the transferability of service skills can unlock significant career opportunities across industries and organisations.

TKI Structure and Services Presence

Elton: Please tell us about TKI’s presence and structure within the industrial services ecosystem?

Puneet: TKI recently celebrated 75 years of operations in India. Today, the company has four strong new-equipment divisions.

One division serves the cement industry through equipment supply and EPC projects. The second, and oldest, focuses on sugar plants and EPC within the sugar industry. The third caters to mining and material handling, where TKI is among the strongest players in the country. The fourth is the energy division, supplying boilers, waste-heat recovery systems and undertaking full-scale EPC power projects.

Each of these divisions is supported by a fifth division, services — which I head. The services division not only supports TKI’s installed base but also provides lifecycle services to other OEM equipment across cement, sugar, energy and mining.

With over 2,500 employees, the services division is one of the largest within TKI. Our work spans parts engineered solutions and revamps, as well as large-scale operations and maintenance deployments across the country.

Hiring and Skill Expectations

Elton: From a hiring perspective, what skills or attributes does TKI look for in service professionals?

Puneet: We recruit across multiple channels. We hire fresh graduates from engineering colleges, diploma institutions and management schools, as well as experienced professionals from the industry.

For freshers, we assess technical fundamentals but also place strong emphasis on cultural fit. TKI combines German engineering discipline with an entrepreneurial Indian legacy, and cultural alignment works both ways.

For lateral hires, technical competence is critical because we are custodians of customer assets. At the same time, cultural fit remains non-negotiable.

What we particularly look for a service mindset. This includes learning agility, assets have lifecycles of 20 to 30 years, and an ability to continuously learn and adapt. It also includes financial awareness, because services must deliver both profitability and cash flow.

For MBA hires, we increasingly use case-based interviews drawn from real business challenges to understand problem-solving and commercial thinking.

Learning, Development and Career Growth

Elton: Once someone joins TKI, how do you support their professional development and growth?

Puneet: Services is fundamentally a people business. Unlike manufacturing or IT, much of the value creation in services happens directly through people.

At TKI, we invest consciously in development. Every new hire is assessed for the complexity of roles they can handle, and customised training plans are created. For operations and maintenance roles, this includes structured technical training and on-site mentoring before independent deployment.

We run a central learning platform with monthly training calendars. We’ve also established a safety academy, with a vision to make safety a key differentiator for TKI in the Indian market.

In addition, we are setting up a formal TKI Training Academy to develop talent from both the market and technical institutions.

Career progression within services is flexible. We’ve seen individuals move from field engineering to project management, sales, operations leadership and eventually business heads. The opportunities are wide-ranging for those willing to learn.

Entry-Level and Lateral Opportunities

Elton: For those watching today, what entry-level roles is TKI currently hiring for?

Puneet: Each year, we hire graduate engineer trainees, diploma engineer trainees and management trainees.

Graduate engineers go through a year-long rotation across functions before settling into engineering or project roles. Diploma engineers typically start at sites in maintenance roles and may later transition into engineering. Management trainees often begin in strategy, sales or business development functions.

For lateral hires, we recruit across engineering, project management, controls, instrumentation and senior leadership roles, depending on experience.

The long lifecycle of services ensures sustained opportunities across functions, with delivery remaining a constant focus.

Innovation and Digitisation

Elton: Innovation is often associated with young talent. How does TKI encourage innovation and technology-led thinking?

Puneet: Innovation underpins differentiation, whether on cost, quality or brand. Technology enables all three.

We actively encourage Kaizen initiatives and continuous improvement, supported by incentives. Our learning academy allows employees to upskill deeply, drawing on decades of in-house expertise.

We are exploring drone technology, AI and Big Data, that provides incremental value.

High-potential employees are sponsored for external leadership and management programs. We also invest heavily in IP, filing patents, contract performance management, and building proprietary technology platforms.

Digitalisation is another passion area for us, from fully digitised O&M workflows to drone-based surveillance, AI-led analytics and predictive maintenance for critical assets like conveyor belts.

Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility

Elton: Beyond jobs and technology, how does TKI approach sustainability and environmental responsibility?

Puneet: Almost everything we do has a positive environmental impact.

Through O&M contracts, we improve asset efficiency, which directly reduces fuel consumption and emissions. Through revamps, we upgrade older assets to meet stricter emission norms.

Staff is also trained to have focus on environmental considerations.

Safety is also a critical pillar of sustainability. We have robust frameworks, trained safety officers and strict operational standards to ensure safe and responsible execution across sites.

DEI initiatives

Elton: And finally, diversity and inclusion?

Puneet: Diversity and inclusion are integral to our business strategy. With operations across regions, we respect work cultural, geographic and gender diversity. We are absolutely cognizant about the needs for people who are working in regions away from their homes.

We consciously design gender-neutral job descriptions and support employees working in geographies different from their own. Without an inclusive culture, it’s impossible to attract and retain high-performing talent in services.

Expert’s Advice

Elton: Before we close, any advice for professionals exploring careers at TKI?

Puneet: Don’t hesitate to change sectors. Service skills are highly transferable. Leverage your networks, reach out to TKI and Taggd. If you’ve done good work in industrial services elsewhere, there’s a place for you here.

Puneet’s Inspiring Journey

Elton: Tell us about your own journey?

Puneet: I began in R&D, moved through project engineering, strategy, operations and business leadership, always within services. The challenges and excitement remain the same: driving profitability, efficiency and growth.

Services may look small on paper, but it often delivers the highest value per employee. That’s why it offers such a compelling career path.

Elton: Thank you so much, Puneet, for your insights and experiences.

Friends, this brings us to the end of today’s session. Thank you for being such an engaged audience. Stay connected with Career Circles for more conversations like this.

You can write to us at careercircles@taggd.in with your feedback.

Have a wonderful weekend.

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Introduction

Naved: Thank you so much for joining us for the 18th episode of Career Circles Live. My name is Naved Falak, and I’ll be your host for today’s session.

As you all know, Career Circles are exclusive talent communities by Taggd, where talented professionals like each one of you can connect with industry mentors, career experts, peers, and recruiters. Career Circles Live is an edition of these conversations which are open, where we bring the best minds and mentors from the industry to share the latest hiring trends and how they are shaping the world of work for professionals like you.

The theme of today’s session is Back to the Roots: New-Age Jobs in Agri-Tech and the Farm Industry as a whole. And we are joined by a known HR leader from one of India’s leading farm and manufacturing companies, Mr. Sanket Patil.

Hi Sanket, how are you doing?

Sanket: Naved, thank you so much for having me on the show today. Very happy to be here.

I’ll keep my introduction short. I would hate to blow my own trumpet. I have around 23–24 years of experience in the Human Resource Management field. I’m an engineer by graduation, and like a lot of people who decide to pursue management without straight going into a job, I followed the same line.

I chose human resource management at a time when HR probably was not having that much significance or importance. I started my career from industrial relations function, the ER function, one of the toughest functions within HR, in Tata Motors.

From there, I’ve spent time in different industries: Lupin in pharma, General Electric in the technology center, and I worked for a long time in an auto component supplier, electronics and lighting component supplier company by name Hella, which is part of the FORVIA group now.

I would like to highlight the diversity of roles and cultures. In my last role I was working out of the US, and my HR team had nationals from Korea, South Africa, Mexico. Previously I worked in Germany and had good exposure to a completely different way of working.

It’s been an enriching journey, and I still call it a journey. I currently work with Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector, and it is a different experience. After being in automotive, it’s the first time I got a chance to be involved with an industry focused towards the farming sector. I feel very satisfied in the role I’m currently playing. Looking forward to the discussion today.

Mahindra’s High-Tech Tractor Platform

Naved: What is OJA all about?

Sanket Patil: OJA is the recently launched new platform of tractors that Mahindra Tractors has launched. 15th of August is when we launched it globally. OJA is a high-tech, new-age tractor. It’s a game-changer. If we could make that parallel, it is the XUV700 of tractors.

It’s packed with tech features and three different technology packages. One is the productivity pack. OJA has best-in-class NVH, which is noise, vibration and harshness. Smooth operation is not something we generally talk about in tractors, but this is very smooth to work, yet one of the most powerful. It has telescopic steering, adjustable steering, projector lamps, and higher luminosity. Comfort and convenience wise, it’s a beautiful machine.

Second is the telematics pack. It’s not only a tractor, but also an intelligent tractor. It has GPS built in, the owner can control it over a mobile application, there is GPS tracking, service alerts, fuel level and fuel efficiency.

In farming, a huge amount of work is done in a short span during the monsoon when activities are at peak. Imagine a tractor breaking down during that. That’s not a month of earnings lost that’s a year of earning lost. So pre-emptive maintenance alerts matter.

Third is the Robo pack. There are autonomous features. Heavy machinery connects to a tractor, and connecting implements becomes easier through electronically controlled ways. Even turning radius and braking can be optimized through systems that reduce effort and improve productivity.

Overall, it’s a very advanced product. It illustrates the technology usage in a product which is traditionally seen as highly mechanical product.

Job Landscape in India’s Farm Industry

Naved: While Mahindra is coming up with new technology and things are changing in the farm industry as well, what are your thoughts on the current job landscape in India’s farm industry?

Sanket Patil: There are traditional roles that continue to exist, and there are new-age roles that are emerging. The new roles are not completely taking over the traditional roles.

Traditional roles include mechanical aspects, production, engine, chassis, transmission, hydraulics. Mechanical and automotive engineers continue to be relevant. Traditional selling roles also continue, because in farming there is still a huge amount of personal connect required. A lot of our sales teams are grounded people who are deeply connected with farmers.

What is changing is the new way the tractor and farming industry is shaping. There is extensive digital marketing now. Contrary to belief, farmers are among the most educated and they use Facebook and WhatsApp extensively, and a lot of selling and engagement happens there.

We are creating an app, that will provide advisory services, and farmers will be able to book the tractors. Many small farmers cannot afford a tractor outright, but they can rent it.  We aim to build an Uber- or Ola-like platform for tractors, connecting farmers who need equipment with those who rent it out.

The technology is advancing in terms of productivity and precision. Some examples are precision farming, satellite-based imaging, and crop monitoring. For instance, sugarcane: sugar content peaks at a point, and harvesting at that time gives higher yield. Using satellite images and proprietary software, we can predict with high accuracy when sugar content is highest, and that can improve output significantly.

So, to summarise, traditional roles remain, and new-age roles, especially on the technology side, are growing.

Skills, Upskilling, and Career Navigation

Naved: Do you think existing traditional job seekers need to evolve in terms of skills or learning, or they should feel safeguarded wherever they are? And what are the current challenges faced by professionals in navigating career paths within this industry?

Sanket: Both questions are interrelated.

Traditionally, people thought hiring in farming would happen only for those with a farming background or deep farming knowledge. That is no longer the case. Someone writing an algorithm to predict crop conditions doesn’t necessarily need to come from farming. It’s always an added advantage, but it’s not a must.

Which means the opportunity is wider: people not connected to farming can still build careers here. And it works the other way too. If you work in farming, it doesn’t mean you cannot move into other sectors.

Even within Mahindra, because the group has different businesses, there is movement. The core remains the same for many functions. Selling remains selling, whether it’s tractors, SUVs, or loans. The time now is where jobs will be more industry-agnostic, with more movement across sectors.

Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector: Core Businesses

Naved: Can you provide an overview of Mahindra’s Farm Equipment Sector core businesses? What is Mahindra into when we talk about the farm sector as a whole?

Sanket: Let me talk about the businesses and the functions/roles within them.

The biggest business is tractors. Mahindra has been market leader for the last five decades. We are the world’s largest manufacturer of tractors. The Indian tractor industry is the biggest in terms of numbers globally, and we are the biggest in India, with around 42% market share. Roughly every second tractor you see is a Mahindra tractor.

We are present through three brands: Mahindra Tractors, Swaraj Tractors, and Gromax Tractors. For tractors, we do end-to-end: product development (engines, transmission, hydraulics, electrical/electronic), manufacturing (multiple plants), and sales through dealers, plus after-sales and service. We have a very large service network.

Second is farm machinery/implements. Tractor is the power source but implements are what do the farming operations. Broadly farming operations happen in five stages: soil preparation, sowing, crop care, harvesting, and post-harvesting.

In India, mechanization is still limited in many stages. There are machines available to mechanize each stage of farming. Some implements are traded (we ensure quality and sell under Mahindra/Swaraj brand), some are designed and manufactured by us, and some are contract manufactured.

Third is farming services. We work with farmers through advisory services and demonstration. We create technique plots, where farmers give one acre, and we demonstrate improved yield with mechanization and advanced techniques.

There are other businesses too in agri like irrigation, seeds, and crop care, but I won’t go deep into that here. The purpose statement for Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector is: Transforming farming and enriching lives. We want to democratize technology and enrich lives of the farmers by transforming farming.

Agri-Tech Solutions: Sustainability and Efficiency

Naved: Can you share examples of innovative Agri-Tech solutions making farming more sustainable and efficient?

Sanket: OJA has built-in GPS and telematics, but most tractors already on ground are traditional. So, we introduced a hardware called Krishi Smart Kit. It can be fitted under the dashboard and converts a normal tractor into a smart tractor. Like how a Chromecast makes a normal TV smarter. It provides GPS, tracking, geo-fencing, health monitoring, and alerts.

Another example is irrigation. India uses a very high share of its water for agriculture. Traditional surface irrigation has low efficiency. Sprinklers improve it, and drip irrigation improves it further. We are working on smart irrigation solutions, “water, crop per drop.”

We also use soil mapping techniques. A sensor attached during soil preparation can create a topography of the land, showing fertilizer and water content, so you can decide how much fertilizer or water is needed.

Drones are being used to spray pesticides only in infested areas instead of the entire crop. India is still transitioning from labour-intensive farming to mechanized and smart farming, but we are driving this. Our success, lies in the success of others.

Career Paths in Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector

Naved: What kind of career paths are available within Mahindra Farm Equipment Sector?

Sanket: There are opportunities across domains:

• Product Development: engine design, transmission, hydraulics, electrical/electronics, telematics.
• Manufacturing: mechanical engineers, diploma engineers, automation, robotics (especially in paint areas), specialists like paint technologists, industrial engineering.
• Sales and Market Development: territory roles, channel/dealer ecosystem, business development.
• Marketing: including digital marketing.
• Service: service engineers with strong problem-solving aptitude.
• Business/Entrepreneurial roles: especially in farm machinery where you manage sourcing, contract manufacturing, supplier ecosystem, and business ownership-like responsibilities.
• Supply chain, sourcing, component development: strong requirements here too.

Inclusion and Equal Opportunity

Naved: What is Mahindra’s approach on inclusivity and equal opportunity? Not only gender, but overall inclusion.

Sanket: We started by defining inclusion. Diversity is a byproduct of inclusion.

For us, inclusion means valuing diversity, making people feel welcome, demonstrating respect explicitly, creating a supportive environment, and being fair to all.

We are moving towards gender-neutral job descriptions and making sure roles are open to qualified talent, with merit as the criteria.

We also worked on infrastructure: washrooms, safety, ramps, lift access, and support for people with disabilities. We do this through employee resource groups.

On policies, especially for women, Mahindra has rolled out strong support measures: crèche support, reimbursements, safety support for travel timings, maternity support including additional leave for complications, IVF reimbursement support, transport support during last trimester, premium travel arrangements during pregnancy, enhanced medical coverage, hybrid flexibility for new mothers, and sabbatical options for mothers to support children’s education.

What Mahindra Looks for While Hiring

Naved: In hiring for the farm industry, what specific skills or qualifications are typically sought? Are hiring managers aligned?

Sanket: What we are not focusing on anymore as a prerequisite is that someone must come from the farming industry. It’s an added advantage, but not a must.

What matters is conceptual clarity in your function. If you are strong in sales, marketing, manufacturing, or product development, that is important.

A big desirable aspect is passion for the purpose: transforming farming and enriching lives. People often need to connect with farmers, understand pain points, and speak their language. That requires genuine alignment with the purpose.

Audience Q&A

Autonomous features and skills

 Q: The tractors have autonomous vehicle features? What skills are needed so candidates can learn them?

Sanket: Yes, autonomous features exist, but autonomy in tractors is different from cars. In farming, autonomy relates to implement control, lifting and positioning equipment correctly, optimizing operations like turning radius, automated braking systems, and precision controls.

Driverless tractors are also in concept stages. Electric tractors are also being worked on. My view is electric tractors may still be a little in the future, mainly because of current price gaps versus fuel-based tractors, and the cost sensitivity of farming customers. But it will become a need of the future and we are investing now.

Bridging traditional farming and modern tech

Q: How is Mahindra bridging the gap between traditional farming practices and modern technology for farmers in rural areas?

Sanket: Through advisory services and demonstration. We have Krishi centers at dealerships and technique plots where we demonstrate the cost versus benefit and show results on the ground. Farmers believe when they see it.

Collaborations with institutions and startups

Q: In what ways is Mahindra collaborating with educational institutions and startups to promote innovation and skill development?

Sanket: We work with government skill development programs and train technicians to make them employable. We also have tie-ups with agricultural institutes and universities: projects, hiring, and engagement.

There are opportunities for freshers, especially through agri universities. Typically, college pass-outs are first exposed to sales and field roles connected with farmers, and then they can grow into other roles like manufacturing or service.

Closing

Naved: Thank you so much, Sanket. I’m sure we’ll be connecting again for a different topic. With this, we come to an end of this exciting session. Thanks to all our audiences for joining us.

Sanket: Thank you, Naved, and thank you to everyone who joined. Apologies, I usually am very passionate, so I go overboard when I’m talking about the farming industry and the farming roles, but I hope that was useful information.

Naved Falak: Absolutely. Thank you. Thanks everyone, take care. Bye-bye.

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Introduction

Vishal: Welcome, friends, to a new episode of Career Circle Live. Today’s topic is exploring new opportunities within the hospitality and timeshare industry, especially with Club Mahindra and Resorts.

For those joining us for the first time, this is a 45-minute conversation between me as the moderator and our panelists, where you can learn directly from industry leaders about the industry landscape, roles and opportunities, hiring process, and people practices.

Let me welcome our speakers, Mr. Bharat Sundararajan, Chief of Customer Acquisition and Mr. Yatish Kulkarni, General Manager of Human Resource. Thank you for joining us.

Vishal: Bharat, Yatish, a quick introduction and a quick overview of Club Mahindra.

Bharat: Good afternoon. I’m Bharat Sundararajan. I’ve been working for over 29 years, largely in sales and distribution. I currently lead customer acquisition at Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited. We are in the leisure hospitality business, and we are the largest vacation ownership or timeshare company in India. We’re also proud to be part of the Mahindra Group.

Yatish: Good evening, everyone. I’m Yatish and I work with Mahindra Holidays. We are the largest vacation ownership organization in the country, and we also have an international presence. We’ll share more as the conversation progresses.

Industry Landscape and What’s Ahead

Vishal: Howhas hospitality and timeshare changed in the last 2–3 years, and what do you see for the next 2–3 years?

Bharat: The word that comes to mind is opportunity. If I’m joining any company, I ask: is the industry growing, is the company growing, and will I be able to grow there?

From a vacation ownership lens, we’re bullish. India is expected to have more than three crore high-income households by FY30, which is a strong target segment for vacation ownership. We also have a large base of annual room consumption. The category is still under-penetrated. In India, penetration is around 2%, while markets like the US are much higher.

Now, in terms of change: there’s a clear pre-Covid and post-Covid shift. Post-Covid, we’ve seen a renewed surge in travel. Airports, railway stations, tourist hubs, everything is buzzing. Even our first quarter results, which are in the public domain, show occupancy around 90%.

As a company, we’re looking to almost double our inventory till FY30, meaning the number of rooms or keys available for our members. So, it’s a strong industry, and we’re positioned to capitalize on growth.

Roles and Opportunities Across Functions

Vishal: What opportunities are available right now across functions?

Bharat: We’re growing and tapping new segments, so opportunities are broad.

On the business side, we have a large sales team, so there are roles like relationship managers and supervisors. We also have a large acquisition marketing setup, where teams generate and qualify opportunities for sales. There are roles in tele calling, team supervision, and campaign execution.

We also have channel management roles. International roles exist too, including markets like Dubai and Qatar.

Then there’s the resort side, which is classical hospitality. Roles include front office, operations, kitchen, and other backend functions.

Yatish: Adding to that, sales frontline and sales supervisory roles are always active. There are also corporate roles that support sales structures and multiple acquisition channels.

On the resort side, because we’re expanding and doubling inventory, roles in front office, kitchen, and facility management keep coming up.

One thing we are clear about: the communication methodology has to be right, we do not treat language as a barrier. India is diverse, and we hire across markets, including rural markets where opportunities are fewer and talent acquisition becomes important.

Hiring Process: Rounds and What Gets Evaluated

Vishal: At Club Mahindra, what are the usual rounds and what gets evaluated?

Yatish: We try to make the process effective for the candidate and the organization.

For customer acquisition roles, one early evaluation is comfort with non-stagnant work timings. This isn’t a strict nine-to-five role.

We evaluate role-fit: exposure to similar roles, understanding of product or concept selling. Along with that, we evaluate what we call SEVA values. For us, that includes:

• A can-do, will-do attitude
• Showing up consistently
• Respect for all
• Relentless creativity in how you approach and communicate with customers

Leaders in later rounds focus more on attitude and person-level fit. We also conduct an aptitude test for branch roles.

Bharat: The purpose of two to three rounds is to ensure a meeting of minds and avoid expectation mismatch. We’re transparent about what the role needs for success.

We evaluate functional and technical competencies, and alignment to values. Our training, development frameworks, and even performance cycles continue to reflect these same competencies and values.

We focus on long careers. We’re a 27-year-old company and many people have been here since inception. In sales, we also prefer leaders to grow from frontline roles.

Do You Hire Only from Hospitality?

Vishal: Are you hiring only from hospitality and timeshare, or are you open to other industries?

Bharat: We’re fully open. In my sales team, I have people from hospitality, edtech, insurance, BFSI, and more.

We’ve also groomed freshers with no sales experience. We run structured sales training, so for sales roles we look at interest, aptitude, and potential, not industry background.

Career Progression: Vertical and Horizontal Growth

Vishal: How does career progression work? And do you allow horizontal movement?

Bharat: If you join as a relationship manager, we have structured growth programs. We run a program called Ace, where high performance helps you grow remuneration while staying an individual contributor. We have an initiative called iGrow, which enables movement from individual contributor to managerial roles. When you move up, we provide customized training, mentoring, and monitoring for about six months so you can succeed in the new role. Some people prefer to remain individual contributors because incentives are strong, and that’s a valid career path. Others want managerial growth, and that’s supported too.

Outside these programs, we have a standard appraisal cycle with KRAs and KPIs. On horizontal movement: yes. We have internal job postings open to everyone. We’ve seen movement from acquisition marketing to sales, membership services to sales, and even sales roles into collections. We encourage movement when the competence and fit are there.

Yatish: iGrow also exists on the resort side. People move across functions like kitchen to front office, front office to housekeeping, and more. Since we’re present across India, there are also location movements possible if someone has personal requirements.

Engagement, Recognition, and Culture Across Dispersed Teams

Vishal: How do you keep employees engaged across remote branches and resorts? How do you recognize and reward people outside corporate offices?

Yatish: We have branch HR and resort HR structures on both sides. Engagement is calendarized. There are themes, activities, and regular connects beyond daily work. We also run learning and career growth discussions on the floor. We do skip-level connects through a program called Mann ki Baat, where employees can share things, they may not raise with their direct manager.

As a group, we run Mahindra Special Options, where employees participate in social causes such as beach cleanups, tree plantations, visits to orphanages and old age homes. These happen regularly and branches have budgets to run them locally.

Bharat: We have a strong Kaizen culture. A lot of process improvements come from frontline teams. Recognition and rewards happen frequently, often monthly, across functions, not only in sales.

Diversity and Inclusion Practices

Vishal: What is your D&I practice at Club Mahindra?

Yatish: Inclusion is a company-wide agenda. We run a program called iLEAP, focused on women returning from career breaks. In the North, I have a team from the iLEAP batch working in sales and branches.

We also run Career Intentionality Sessions where women looking to return after long breaks interact with leaders and learn about roles, work flexibility, and career pathways. In acquisition marketing across branches, women representation is around 26–28%. At corporate, it’s around 35%.

Interview Tips: What You Should Do

Vishal: Quick tips for candidates: what should they do and avoid in interviews?

Yatish: Grooming and formal attire matter, especially for customer-facing roles. Candidates should be able to talk through their experiences clearly, with real examples, and stay credible.

Bharat: Be presentable and understand the role you’re interviewing for. When asked “tell me about yourself,” don’t repeat the CV. Add nuance: what makes you successful, how you work, what you’ve learned, and how you handle real situations. That creates a better conversation and gives you room to show strengths.

Digital Transformation and Tech Enablement

Vishal: How is Club Mahindra enabling employees through digital and AI-led transformation?

Bharat: Customer onboarding is now largely digital, with video-based verification and product understanding. We provide laptops even to frontline sales staff because we want digital customer engagement.

We’re piloting virtual sales where appointment generation, prospecting, and selling happen through video tools. We’re seeing strong results, even though traditionally people assume sales must be face-to-face. We also have a WhatsApp journey for customers. Across functions, technology is being used for enablement and better outcomes.

On customer service, we explore chatbots. Internally, we also have a bot called Mahi used to capture employee feedback.

Incentives: Frequency and Payout

Vishal: What’s the frequency of incentives and payouts?

Bharat: A large part is monthly. Some schemes run quarterly. We also have annual recognition through clubs like the CSO Club and MD Club. Monthly payouts are important for faster cash flow, while quarterly and annual schemes usually carry bigger rewards because targets are bigger.

Closing

Vishal: Thank you, Bharat and Yatish. This conversation should give aspirants clarity on the industry, roles, hiring expectations, growth programs, people practices, and digital transformation at Club Mahindra.

If you have more questions, please drop them in the chat. If you’re interested in opportunities, please share your profile at careers@taggd.in. We’ll get back and take your candidature forward.

Thank you, everyone. Signing off.

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Introduction

Vishal: Good Afternoon friends! Welcome to a new episode of Career Circles Live. Today’s session is on exploring opportunities at Ingram Micro.

For those joining us for the first time, Career Circles Live is a LinkedIn Live session powered by Taggd. The idea is to bring employers and industry leaders closer to aspirants, so you can hear directly from leaders, understand the organization and the roles, and get practical clarity on careers and the interview process.

Over the next 45 minutes, we’ll cover what Ingram Micro is all about, what opportunities exist, and what it takes to crack the interview process. With that, I’m welcoming our guest, Mr. Anil Tari. Anil is a senior leader managing the SAP global services function at Ingram Micro. Anil, welcome.

Anil: Thanks, Vishal. Let me briefly introduce myself. I’m an engineering graduate. I started my career in the steel industry for a few years, and then around the 1998–2000 era, like many others, I moved towards IT. I did courses on SAP, got into SAP, and began my journey in the IT industry.

It’s been 28 years now in IT, across multiple organizations, both in IT services and global delivery centers. For the last eight years, I’ve been with Ingram Micro. I work on SAP and other technologies, and also global projects and implementations. I’m also part of the managing council for Ingram Micro India’s shared service center.

Ingram Micro is a global leader in distribution and logistics of IT products. We focus on IT products, hardware and software. We manage the complete supply chain of IT products, starting from OEMs who make the hardware and software, all the way to retailers and customers who sell to end customers like you and me. We manage and plan supply chain. We have 134+ logistics centers globally, through which we manage buying, selling, and stocking of products. We operate in 200+ countries from a sales perspective.

The core business is sales and warehouse functions. We are into distribution for hardware, software, and services. And to manage our own business, we also need our own IT operations and IT support. That’s why we have a large portfolio of applications, and a big IT team supporting the business. In Ingram Micro, you’ll see both IT and non-IT teams operating together.

In India, we have two to three divisions. One focuses on the core supply chain and logistics business. Alongside, we have a big IT team supporting global IT operations for 60+ countries where we have warehouse and supply chain operations. That’s the high-level view of what we do.

Vishal: Where are Ingram Micro’s centers in India?

Anil Tari: From a core business point of view, we have logistics centers across 26 locations in India, and multiple offices supporting those. From an IT support point of view, we have centers in Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai.

How Technology and IT Roles Are Changing

Vishal: In the last few years we’ve seen massive shifts, and you’ve seen the change over two decades. How do you see the next two years, especially on the IT side?

Anil: Even if you look at the last two decades, the focus was always on automation through IT: automate processes, integrate systems, generate reports, and use those to make decisions and improve business performance.

That’s why you had ERP, CRM, SRM, standalone applications, reporting tools, and basic analytics. The goal was optimization and performance improvement.

What changed in the last five to six years is the shift from standalone automation to digital transformation. Earlier, automation and reporting enabled decision-making. Now the goal is automated decision-making, where systems take decisions and trigger actions with minimum human intervention.

So, it’s no longer just faster processing or integration. It’s about AI, machine learning, robotics, digital platforms, and using data not only to capture transactions, but to enable the system to decide and act.

But this shift also raises data privacy and cybersecurity concerns. For example, automating payments means sharing credit card information, address, and more. Hence,  privacy and security become critical.

ERP and CRM remain important, but AI, ML, cybersecurity, data privacy, and predictive analytics have become key. Analytics has moved beyond reporting to predictive analytics that supports decisions.

That’s also why skill requirements have changed. Earlier SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, and functional consultants were prime. Now AI, ML, cybersecurity, and advanced analytics skillsets have become prominent.

Hiring Market Outlook

Vishal: Hiring was very bullish post-Covid, and now the market looks more stable. How do you see the next two years? Will there be a spike again?

Anil: We had disruptions and stabilization phases. There were supply chain disruptions, semiconductor challenges, and even geopolitical events that impacted inflation and industries. At the same time, the industry reshaped and invested heavily in digital transformation. Remote work and digital business accelerated demand for hardware, software, and services, which benefited the tech industry.

After a peak, you usually see a trough, a downward cycle. But it doesn’t continue long. Hardware refresh cycles and software upgrades will drive demand again.

If you refer to the NASSCOM report, they mentioned that in 2023 the technology industry including hardware would reach around $245 billion, with around 8.4% year-on-year growth. That indicates the demand cycle continues. Some industries may see specific impacts, but overall, the market should pick up again over the next couple of years.

Roles and Skills at Ingram Micro

Vishal: What kinds of roles and skills are you hiring for?

Anil: Our core business is supply chain distribution and logistics of IT products, so sales and warehouse management are core. In sales, we have two broad role types:

• Account management is customer centric. A sales associate or account manager may handle 30–40 accounts. Their focus is revenue and collections.
• Business development is vendor centric. We work with OEMs like Cisco, HP, Dell, and many more, including software companies. Business development teams are subject matter experts on the vendor portfolio and products. They support account teams with product expertise.

We also serve different customer types, channel partners, and corporate customers like hospitals, universities, and colleges. Often, we provide bundled solutions: servers, networking, laptops, software, and more.

In India, we also have a corporate IT division supporting 60+ countries where Ingram Micro runs supply chain operations. Our India setup is a global delivery center, not just an offshore center. We have a wide range of roles: developers, subject matter experts, solution architects, program managers, project managers, delivery managers, data architects, and more. Opportunities exist across core business roles and IT roles.

Interview Process

Vishal: What is the interview process like at Ingram Micro, and what does each round evaluate?

Anil: Typically, there are two rounds: technical evaluation and HR evaluation. Technical evaluation is job specific. We check technical experience, excellence, and subject matter expertise. Sometimes the technical panel is in India. If the expert is outside India, there can be an additional technical round with someone in another country.

Post technical clearance, HR evaluates communication and behavioural skills. We also check alignment with our standards of success, such as integrity, responsibility, innovation, talent, and being courageous. For the India IT team supporting global countries, written and verbal communication is important because you work with different nationalities, cultures, and remote stakeholders. Overall, it’s typically two to three rounds: one or two technical rounds, followed by HR.

Experience vs Academic Knowledge

Vishal: Candidates often ask about balancing academic knowledge and real job experience, especially in tech. How do you look at that?

Anil: Both matters. The balance depends on the team. For sales and supply chain roles, experience and domain understanding are key. Product knowledge, OEM portfolios, pricing, negotiation, and contracts are important. We value experience strongly there. At the same time, sales have levels. At entry levels, a decent understanding of at least one product line or brand is needed. Our intention is to provide exposure and growth.

For the IT side, strong programming fundamentals, logic, and problem-solving can make a big difference even with minimal experience. We hire through campus programs, provide training, and give on-the-job learning. Therefore, the weightage depends on the role and function.

Career Growth and Internal Mobility

Vishal: What does career progression look like at Ingram Micro, both vertical and horizontal?

Anil: Ingram Micro has global job roles and global alignment. So, the same job level in India, Australia, the US, Singapore, or other countries has similar expectations. This also enables mobility across countries if opportunities open.

On progression, many freshers join at entry level, get trained, then they grow into independent developers. Then they move into design plus development, where their design gets validated. Next, they reach a stage where they can design and validate others’ designs, and that’s where solution architect roles come in. There’s also a people management and project management path: project lead, project manager, program manager, delivery manager, and so on.

Projects test not just technical skills, but design skills, management skills, and people skills. Working across countries also adds complexity because laws and statutory requirements differ, so solutions change. That’s where growth happens.

Culture, D&I, ESG, and Engagement

Vishal: Can you also share about culture, engagement programs, and initiatives like D&I and ESG?

Anil: Ingram Micro is an equal opportunity company. There is no discrimination based on gender, language, nationality, religion, caste, sexual orientation, or anything like that. What matters is capability and the passion to deliver.

We also focus on ESG initiatives. For example, we did a “one associate, one tree” initiative and distributed samplings to associates to plant and take care of. We have programs for women employees,and we are tied up with the “NASSCOM Women Wizards” program. We encourage female associates to participate and grow.

We also have engagement communities like the Josh community that runs activities, and we’ve had events like fun fairs. We respect the LGBTQ community and have associates from that community working with us. We also have specially-abled associates who are doing phenomenal work. We also won the Great Place to Work award recently, which reflects our culture.

Audience Q&A

Q. Are we hybrid, work-from-office, or work-from-home?

Anil: For core business operations like warehouse and supply chain, office presence is key, so it’s primarily work-from-office. For the IT team, we still allow hybrid working. People can come to office two to three days and work from home a few days. That’s currently possible.

At the same time, office culture helps productivity. At home, you can be stuck in meetings continuously and forget breaks. In office, the day has structure, discussions happen faster, and collaboration is smoother. While hybrid is allowed for IT, working from office is still beneficial whenever possible.

Q. Does Ingram Micro allow switching careers across functions? For example, moving from IT to sale

Anil: Yes, it’s possible. Ingram Micro offers flexibility. People can apply for different roles depending on their skills, and they can move across functions globally as well.

A strong example is that our HR head recently moved into a sales function and is managing the sales business. That shows it’s possible at senior levels, and it’s possible for others too, based on openings and fitment. People can move across IT, sales, marketing, HR, and other roles.

Closing

Vishal:   Thanks, Anil, for sharing details that candidates don’t usually find online. For aspirants who want to apply, please share your profiles at careers@taggd.in. If you have questions post the event, drop them in the chat window. We’ll be happy to connect. Thank you, everyone. See you in the next session.

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Introduction

Neha:  Welcome to the 15th episode of Career Circles Live. I’m Neha Bali, and I’ll be leading today’s session. Career Circles is an exclusive talent community by Taggd. It brings together talent across industries to exchange ideas and understand what the industry is really expecting from professionals today.

Today’s session is with Honeywell. At Honeywell, the belief is simple: the future is what we make it. Let’s begin by watching a short video that shows how Honeywell is working on some of the most exciting and challenging projects in a rapidly changing world. The session focuses on artificial intelligence, how it is being used in buildings and customer experience, recent advancements in AI, and how this is opening up new job opportunities.

Neha: Joining us today are our speakers:

• Pinaki Lahiri, Senior Engineering Manager
• Piyanki Biswas, Senior Customer Experience Manager

Pinaki has over 26 years of experience in Honeywell and the automation industry. He joined Honeywell Automation India as a trainee and has worked across project engineering, commissioning, customer support, technical assistance, program management, and learning and development.

Bianchi brings 18 years of experience in customer service, digital transformation, operational excellence, and technical support. She joined Honeywell in 2008 and supports security and video product support. She has led business transitions, e-commerce deployment, training design, execution, and talent development.

Great to have both of you with us today.

AI Job Landscape in India

Neha:  What the current job landscape in India within the AI industry?

Pinaki: Artificial intelligence is clearly the buzzword today. Broadly, there are two tracks.

One is traditional artificial intelligence, where intelligence is built into software to enable decision-making. The second is generative AI, which can learn from existing data sets and create new ones, improving decision-making efficiency. This has created two clear job opportunities. One is in development, where professionals build AI into products and services, largely in software development. The second is adoption, where professionals use AI to improve productivity and decision-making using existing AI models.

Going forward, almost every role will benefit from AI. As models mature and deep learning improves, AI will span industries like commercial buildings, healthcare, hospitality, data centers, and retail complexes. The potential is tremendous, both in building AI systems and applying AI across roles.

Piyanki: From a customer experience lens, AI helps us build faster, more efficient, and more personalized experiences.

It starts with understanding the customer journey and touchpoints. Once that is clear, and we understand what AI solutions can do, we can marry these two to create the kind of experience customers expect today and in the future. Customer journey mapping is critical. AI helps us use insights from that journey to design better customer experiences.

AI in Buildings: Real-World Applications

Neha: Could you share examples of how Honeywell is using AI to improve building design and construction?

Pinaki: Building automation has existed for years, but what has changed is the addition of IoT and AI.

Today, buildings have connected sensors for temperature, air quality, and occupancy. These sensors feed data into building management systems. Automation already manages many operations, but when we add AI and deep learning, the benefits multiply.

For example, AI enables energy optimization by correlating temperature, air quality, and occupancy data. This is critical for commercial buildings, hospitals, residential complexes, and industrial facilities.

Another area is occupant comfort. AI can dynamically adjust lighting, ventilation, and temperature based on real-time occupancy and preferences, enhancing how people experience buildings.

Security is another key area. AI improves facial recognition, anomaly detection, and real-time decision-making without waiting for manual intervention. There’s also space utilization, indoor air quality management, and smart lighting, where AI adjusts lighting based on occupancy, preferences, and natural light. All these areas benefit from generative AI layered on top of building management systems.

AI and Customer Experience in Buildings

Neha: How does AI improve personalized and seamless customer experience in buildings?

Piyanki: Speed and simplicity matter to customers today. Earlier, resolving customer queries required manual research and time. With AI, we can detect patterns in customer queries, understand sentiment, and personalize responses.

AI helps us predict what a customer may need next, based on buying patterns or product usage. This allows us to be proactive instead of reactive. For example, if a customer is frustrated or has a critical issue, AI can route the case to a more experienced agent rather than a new team member. This improves resolution time and customer satisfaction. Personalization, prediction, and better insights together redefine how we serve customers.

AI Success Stories at Honeywell

Neha: Could you share a success story from Honeywell?

Piyanka: In Honeywell Building Technologies, we started our AI journey about three years ago.

We implemented chatbots to handle simpler queries. Earlier, customers waited 15–20 minutes for responses. With AI models, many queries are now answered instantly or within minutes. Customers appreciated this shift, especially in India, where there’s often an assumption that customers are not ready for digital tools. The response proved otherwise.

AI models need continuous training. Simply deploying an algorithm isn’t enough. The more data we feed, the smarter the system becomes. That’s the stage we’re in now.

Honeywell’s Long-Term AI Vision

Neha: Could you share Honeywell’s long-term vision for AI in building solutions?

Pinaki: There are two focus areas.

• End-user experience: indoor air quality, occupant comfort, predictive maintenance, energy efficiency, and security. Predictive maintenance is especially important. AI improves uptime, helps plan spare parts, and enhances system reliability.
• Implementation: AI enables faster deployment, quicker technical support, and better use of Honeywell’s vast project data. AI helps even less-experienced engineers deliver high-quality solutions by learning from thousands of past implementations.

AI, Self-Serve, and Omnichannel CX

Neha: Would you like to add anything from a CXO perspective?

Piyanki: Self-serve is the next big shift in customer experience. Customers want to track orders, resolve issues, and access information independently. AI enables this.

We are also using AI to understand buying patterns across sectors like hospitals, banks, government, and commercial spaces. Each segment has different sensitivity and urgency. AI helps us route issues through the right channels, enabling omnichannel support based on customer context.

Career Challenges in the AI Era

Neha: Many professionals feel unsure about entering AI. What challenges do you see?

Pinaki: AI is new, especially generative AI. Formal education helps, but it’s not just for freshers. Professionals must upskill. There are online courses, sandbox platforms, and learning resources available. Adaptability is key. Waiting on the fence will not help. AI adoption is happening, and skills must evolve. There are ethical concerns, but governments and organizations are actively defining regulations. AI will be adopted in phases, but it will be adopted.

Piyanki: People often ask if they need to become AI engineers. That’s not always true. You must first understand where you fit. Engineers build systems, but customer experts give AI its purpose.

Human intelligence is needed to build artificial intelligence. AI will not replace growth. If someone doesn’t evolve, another human will replace them, not AI.

Limitations of AI in Buildings

Neha: Pinaki, are there limitations we should be aware of?

Pinaki: AI models need maturity. Algorithms must be tested extensively to ensure they consider all data points correctly. Ethical considerations, especially around facial recognition and emotional analysis, are still evolving. These gaps are being addressed, and models continue to improve with training and regulation.

Diversity and Inclusion at Honeywell

Neha: Inclusion is a Honeywell priority. Could you share best practices?

Pinaki: Honeywell believes in equal opportunity at every stage, from hiring to career progression. Diversity brings better ideas, better decisions, and stronger customer understanding. We walk the talk, not just define policies.

Piyanki: Inclusive culture makes a real difference. Compensation and titles matter but belonging matters more. In my 18 years at Honeywell, strategies have changed, but inclusion has remained constant.

Hiring: Skills and Competencies

Neha: What do you look for when hiring?

Pinaki: Ethical behaviour is non-negotiable. Adaptability is critical. Technology and customer expectations change constantly. Confidence and hands-on experience

Piyanki Biswas: I prioritize mindset and attitude. Skills can be trained, but attitude cannot. Trainability, flexibility, and willingness to learn are key.

Learning & Development at Honeywell

Neha: What development programs support career growth?

Pinaki: Honeywell invests heavily in training. Programs include Honeywell Accelerator, on-demand learning, technical training, soft skills, ethics, and leadership development. There are structured programs and just-in-time learning options.

Piyanki: Learning is customized by role and career stage. Formats include instructor-led training, workshops, and digital modules. Continuous learning is a core part of Honeywell careers.

IoT + AI at Honeywell

Neha: How do IoT and AI work together at Honeywell?

Pinaki: IoT provides vast sensor data. AI gives context to that data. For example, HVAC systems use weather data, occupancy, and indoor conditions to optimize comfort and efficiency. IoT and AI together enable predictive, adaptive, and intelligent building systems

Closing

Neha: Thank you, Pinaki and Bianchi, for sharing such valuable insights. This session gave us clarity on AI, career opportunities, customer experience, and future skills. Thank you to our audience for joining us. Stay tuned for more Career Circles Live sessions. Please join the Career Circles community through the link shared in the chat. This is Neha Bali, signing off. Thank you.

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