Vivek Kumar, chief human resources officer, Indus Towers, believes that the telecom industry is going through a very exciting phase with the recent spectrum auction attracting investments of over $15 billion, the growing demand for data services and the expected entry of new players. “With these developments, we expect an increase in demand for talent and a scarcity of competent resources,” says Kumar. “This is likely to lead to an uptrend in attritions. Accordingly, organisations are likely to make increased investments in the retention of talent by providing faster growth within the system, additional learning opportunities and enhanced engagement activities across the board.”

Kumar’s professional journey started at ONGC as an industrial engineer in 1984. The sheer scale of operations and the company’s market leadership position helped him realise the importance of processes and their impact on productivity. During a career spanning 30 years, Kumar has worked with companies such as Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Tata Consultancy Services and Aegis Limited besides ONGC. Having worked on the business side in the industry for a long time and then moving to HR had its advantages, he believes. It helped him develop an understanding of business dynamics, an empathy with the management viewpoint and the ability to align HR priorities with business needs. As a professional, he identifies his in-depth subject knowledge, rich cross-industry experience, strong people orientation and emotional maturity as his biggest strengths.

Kumar enjoys his role as HR head at Indus Towers and plays a key role in creating and sustaining a values-based culture in the organisation to ensure that it is an employer of choice. “Currently, we are in the process of transforming an already automated HR process to a new technology platform, which will not only provide an enhanced experience to users but will also be able to seamlessly connect a highly distributed workforce on a real-time basis,” says Kumar. “This is a very challenging project not only from a process alignment and technology viewpoint but also from the perspective of training and involving people spread out across the country.”