Futuristic People Management

L&T EduTech’s roundtable sheds light on how new technology is redefining talent management

On 18 October 2023 in Chennai, L&T EduTech hosted a roundtable of CHROs and HR leaders representing a rainbow of leading industries from all over India.

Titled ‘Unlocking the Future of Talent’, the event served as a beacon, addressing themes central to modern HR practices: the power of technology in talent transformation, AI in hiring and recruitment, and building an ideal talent strategy.

Mr Sanjai Ranganathan (Chief Executive – L&T EduTech) set the stage as he explained how L&T EduTech is trying to bring about transformation in the talent management ecosystem and bridge the skill gap between academia and industry. He delved into L&T EduTech’s two- year journey, centered on practical learning and experience-based education, and how it aims to blend engineering, technology and financial expertise to address HR challenges.

The discussion covered aspects like skilling, talent acquisition, employee learning and retention, and the seamless integration of learning platforms with HR systems. Dr Anbuthambi B (Head of Strategy & Partnerships – L&T EduTech) moderated the discussion, highlighting how technology transcends from being a mere tool to becoming a catalyst for change.

Senior professionals from various backgrounds explored how AI is impacting their organisations, particularly the HR function. A focus area of the discussion was whether technology, specifically AI, is causing substantial changes and replacing traditional processes like resumes and in-person interviews.

Mr Madhu Raghunathan (Head - HR & Operations, TVS Mobility) mentioned the transformative impact of technology on operations and data-driven decision-making. He highlighted the challenges in leveraging AI in recruitment due to the company’s limited scale of hiring.

Acknowledging the difficulties in aligning campus recruits to client demands due to insufficient hands-on experience, Mr Subakaran Ravindran (Director - Campus & Learning at Virtusa) highlighted the growing expectations from freshers, especially in coding experience, whereas clients anticipate capabilities akin to those with five years of experience. He also elaborated on the learning habits among freshers, a shift in Gen Z’s mindset, seeking personal benefits from learning initiatives.

With learning & development arm shouldering amplified responsibilities, the quest for suitable vendors and platforms to bridge education and certification gaps, coupled with the desire for industry recognition to incentivise learning, emerged as a recurring topic.

Mr Charles Godwin from ZOHO underscored the significance of engaging young talent, intertwining aspirations with practical skill development programmes. This sparked conversations on the necessity for unconventional hiring strategies, especially to support individuals returning to work after a career break.

Speaking on skill development, Mr Sabitha J (CHRO – Market Simplified) passionately articulated the need for a robust career management system – a compass navigating through the labyrinth of productivity and readiness for new roles.

Mr Ganapathi Subramanian (CHRO – Sundaram Home Finance Ltd) shared inspiring success stories of fresh graduates shining in roles tailored to their abilities.

Remote work emerged as a focal point, emphasised by HR leaders acknowledging technology’s pivotal role in fostering collaboration across geographies. The resonance in their voices mirrored the seismic shift in work dynamics.

Other notable HR leaders at the roundtable included Mr N R Mani of Lucas TVS, Ms Pon G Nithya of Prodapt, Mr Ganesh Balasubramanian of Apollo Tyres, Ms Hema Rengaswamy of Standard Chartered, Mr Fabian Figredo of Shell GBS, Mr Satish Rajarathnam of Mphasis, Mr Mahesh N of TAFE, Mr Naresh Rajendran of Grundfos and Mr Thirukumaran R of Nokia.

Mr Sreechand S (Head of Enterprises Business – L&T EduTech) encapsulated the entire conversation by highlighting the three major points – the need for a mindset shift to leverage technology for enhanced employee experiences and holistic skill development, efforts towards a skills-based model and cultural change within organisations to effectively bridge skill gaps and align talent with business objectives, and the quest to centralise and integrate data for a comprehensive view of employee development, performances and succession planning.

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