Faces of HR: L'Oreal Group's Roshni Wadhwa on why we need to keep the 'human' in HR

"It's about fostering trust, respect, and belonging," she shares.

For HR leader Roshni Wadhwa, one key lesson from her first day in HR still shapes her approach to her role today: never lose sight of the 'human' in human resources. "Behind every policy and process are people with unique stories and aspirations," she reflects.

Roshni, who is HR Transformation Director, SAPMENA at L’Oreal Group, is an accomplished corporate executive, coach, mentor, and transformation leader with about 27 years of experience across sectors. She is a certified Independent Director and ESG expert certified by The Directors’ Institute – World Council of Directors.

She is passionate about, and has contributed to, areas around digital acceleration, leadership evaluation & development, people & culture change, and skills building holistically for business value and excellence creation in her various roles with L’Oreal, Novartis, and Future Group.

In her current regional role with L’Oreal, she is responsible for building convergence between business and people, keeping technology at the forefront and preparing HR for future.

In this edition of Faces of HR, Roshni shares with Mary Ann Bundukin how HR leaders can transform today’s talent for the future, the trends redefining the workplace — from AI and people analytics to cross-border hiring, and what she is most excited to explore at the upcoming #TalentTechAsiaSummit.

Q Thinking back to your first day in HR, what is the most important learning that sticks with you until today?

Amongst many learning, the one which stuck with me was 'The 'human' in human resources'. Behind every policy and process are people with unique stories and aspirations. It's about fostering trust, respect, and belonging.

To this day, I focus on creating environments where individuals feel heard, valued and empowered – keeping the ‘human’ at the heart of HR.

Q What steps do you believe are necessary to transform today's talent into the talent that the business needs?

To transform today’s talent, businesses need to prioritise a future-focused approach by identifying emerging skills and integrating them into learning and development programmes. Continuous learning is the need of the hour to bridge the huge skill gaps we are facing today, arising due to major digital/AI/Tech deployment.

Q Could you share emerging trends that you believe will have the most significant impact on HR in the next few years?

We are living in a disruptive economy and constantly under challenge to evolve and change. The deployment of AI in HR processes, skill-based hiring and career progression, more focus on mental health and wellbeing, people analytics and cross-border hiring in a globalised workforce, embedding a project management style of working, and responsibility and reputation are some of the big emerging trends impacting our HR eco system today and for many years to come.

Q What are you most looking forward to in your session at #TalentTechAsiaSummit?

I am super excited to be part of this event and look forward to all the exchange with other participants and speakers. Personally, for me, I am super keen to learn on how we are shaping leaders and leadership in AI era, and how to maintain employee engagement and emotional intelligence in a tech-driven environment.

I want to attend the conference: If you're keen to attend this closed-door conference, kindly register your interest here. For speaking opportunities, please write in to Mary Ann Bundukin. We look forward to welcoming you!

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