In an exclusive interview with Cxolanes, Sunil Nair speaks on Revolutionizing HR Leadership and Driving Success at Rossari Biotech
Sunil Nair, the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of Rossari Biotech Limited sheds light on his journey as a HR professional and his transformative approach towards leadership. With more than two decades of experience across diverse industries, Nair has improvised the CHRO role into a beacon of strategic leadership in the corporate realm. Keeping in mind the growing success of Rossari, Nair is all set to unveil his unique vision for fostering a culture of growth and empowerment. From spearheading talent management strategies to maneuvering cultural diversity, Nair’s insights highlight commitment to redefine excellence in HR leadership, setting a new benchmark for organizational success.
Q. You’ve had an impressive journey in HR leadership spanning over 25 years, with significant roles in various organizations. What inspired you to pursue a career in Human Resources, and how has your journey shaped your approach to leadership today?
Sunil Nair : It has been quite a journey from working in a Garments Factory to overseas stints in the consultancy space to Leading the Corporate TA at a large automobile manufacturing setup and moving up the ladder to become HRBP and then heading the HR for one of the largest divisions in the organization. From a Computer Grad, my journey into HR started with my first stint as a coder entrusted with a task to build a payroll software for the Garments factory and that’s when I was exposed to the HR landscape and eventually I became a part of HR. My experiences from varied industrial segments and varied geography have shaped me into what I am today. Working across these different organizations exposed me to a wide range of cultures, leadership styles and challenges. My journey has been that of constant learning. As HR I strongly believe we should understand the business well to bring in people centric initiatives matching to the organization goals.
Q. Your career spans over 26 years with significant contributions in various sectors such as automotive, garment manufacturing, and consultancy. How do you plan to leverage this diverse experience in your new role at Rossari Biotech?
Sunil Nair : While the specifics of each industry differ, the core HR skills I have honed are universally applicable and these can be seamlessly transitioned to Rossari’s needs. My varied industry experience has helped me adapt to different types of workforces ;I will leverage the same over here at Rossari. Rossari Biotech is experiencing rapid growth and I will be leveraging my experience in scaling HR practices to meet the everchanging needs of the organization.
Q. Talent management and employee engagement have been key areas of your expertise. What innovative approaches do you plan to implement at Rossari to enhance these aspects?
Sunil Nair : In Talent Management, I will leverage my experience in building skill development, Succession Plan, Talent Mobility, Talent retention, Curated programs for Hi-pots etc. While Rossari already has a well engaged and dedicated workforce, I will look at fostering the same by bringing in empowerment & ownership and will focus on employee wellbeing.
Q.With your experience in both Indian and international markets, particularly in the UAE, how do you navigate and leverage cultural diversity to drive HR strategies that resonate across different regions?
Sunil Nair : My experience working in different geographies with cultural crossroads, has equipped me to navigate and leverage cultural diversity for effective HR strategies across regions. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. I’ll tailor HR strategies to resonate with the specific culture of each region. First step is to listen and learn, listening is the key here, then evaluate which of your ideas would fit that organization.
Q. Your expertise extends to talent acquisition, HR operations, and business partnering. Could you highlight a challenging situation you encountered in your career?
Sunil Nair : Every HR Professional would agree with me that this fraternity faces many challenges on a regular basis. The biggest challenge I would have faced is Change management, which is quite obvious. It is tough to change a set framework. Way back in my career, I planned to change a people-based org structure to a role-based org structure. The idea was to put in roles and prepare the org structure and then fit in people based on their competencies which resulted in many role changes of seniors, there was stiff opposition, but I was able to convince the management and the employees and implemented it.
Q. In today’s dynamic business landscape, the role of HR in driving organizational change is crucial. How do you ensure HR initiatives align with the company’s strategic objectives, especially during times of transition or expansion?
Sunil Nair : HR’s role is key in driving organizational change. We need to understand the core objective of the organization through collaboration with the leadership team. These objectives need to translate to clear HR strategy, which will outline specific initiatives that directly support the objectives. For example, if the objective is to scale up, the HR will need to concentrate on hiring, onboarding, training and ensure right talent is brought in within shorter timelines.
Q. Finally, considering your wealth of experience, what advice would you offer to aspiring HR professionals who aim to make a significant impact in their organizations and the field at large?
Sunil Nair : First and foremost, I would ask aspiring HR professionals to be strong in core HR principles and ensure there is continuous learning. They also need to go beyond HR and develop an understanding of the business landscape, this way the decisions you take will be impactful. Finally, people are the core for any business and as HR professionals we should have a genuine passion for people and their development.
