Manager - Human Resources at The Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad (Aga Khan Development Network — AKDN) (2011-08 – 2026-04)
Led end-to-end HR strategy and operations for a globally recognised international educational institution with 200+ faculty and staff, delivering consistent people outcomes across a highly multicultural environment.
- Joined the Academy when it started in 2011 and architected and owned the institution's HR setup from scratch
- Designed and rolled out a structured performance management framework, driving accountability across all departments
- Built succession planning and talent pipeline processes to ensure continuity in senior academic and administrative roles
- Aligned HR KPIs and OKRs with institutional mission, reporting outcomes to senior leadership and AKDN global stakeholders
- Reduced time-to-hire by 20% through redesigned recruitment workflows and structured competency-based interviewing
- Developed onboarding frameworks for 50+ international hires, cutting ramp-up time and improving 90-day retention
- Built diverse talent pipelines across local and expatriate candidate pools, improving quality-of-hire scores
- Rolled out leadership development tracks for academic department heads and admin managers
- Partnered with external vendors and online platforms to scale learning access cost-effectively
- Achieved 100% compliance across POSH, maternity benefits, leave entitlements, and disciplinary procedures
- Member of Internal Complaints Committee (ICC)
- Developed and revised HR policy manuals, employee handbooks, and statutory compliance trackers
- Led full HRMIS digitisation programme, eliminating paper-based HR processes and saving approximately 80+ hours/month in administrative effort
- Implemented digital leave management, payroll integration, and employee self-service portals
- Introduced HR dashboards tracking headcount, attrition, training completion, and engagement metrics for senior leadership review
- Conducted annual compensation benchmarking and designed localised reward structures
- Ensured market-competitive pay bands for faculty and staff, reducing pay-equity gaps and supporting retention
- Established employee wellness programmes, internal communication protocols, and engagement surveys
- Drove year-on-year improvements in engagement scores through action-planning based on survey data
Team Manager — HR Operations at Alliance Boots (2007-05 – 2011-05)
Managed full-cycle HR functions for a major UK pharmacy and health & beauty retailer, supporting a multi-site workforce across London.
- Reduced recruitment costs by 12% through in-house sourcing strategies and vendor renegotiation, while maintaining quality-of-hire standards
- Improved employee retention rates through structured engagement initiatives, line manager coaching, and stay-interview programmes
- Led workforce resilience and change management programmes during economic downturn, delivering cross-functional training to support role transitions
- Managed onboarding, probation reviews, performance coaching, and disciplinary processes for 100+ employees across multiple sites
- Partnered with business leaders as an embedded HRBP, providing pragmatic HR guidance on people matters and organisational changes
Manager — Human Resources at Bhrigus India Pvt. Ltd. (2003 – 2007)
- Managed end-to-end recruitment, payroll processing, statutory compliance, and employee onboarding across the organisation
- Developed HR manuals, SOP documentation, and statutory compliance trackers to build foundational HR infrastructure
- Supported implementation of HR policies aligned with Indian labour laws, contributing to audit-ready compliance posture
Technician at GAETEC, Semiconductor Complex Ltd. (1997 – 2002)
Provided technical operations support in a government semiconductor manufacturing environment.
