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Discover how upGrad Rekrut is transforming India’s AI workforce strategies to build future-ready talent through skilling and innovative hiring.

Auto-published by Growwh – a smarter way to scale content and marketing. Want to know more? Chat with us.

upGrad Rekrut: Redefining India’s AI-Driven Talent Future

As AI transcends science fiction to become a defining force in the modern workplace, India finds itself at a pivotal crossroads in talent strategy. At the exclusive conclave ‘The India Strategy: Talent, AI, and the Next Global Workforce’, hosted by upGrad Rekrut, industry leaders shifted the dialogue from fear to proactive transformation, exploring how AI is reshaping workforce needs and how organizations must evolve their hiring and skilling to stay ahead.

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The upGrad Rekrut Advantage: Bridging Skilling and Strategic Hiring

Since joining forces, upGrad and Rekrut India have formed upGrad Rekrut—a pioneering talent partner for global capability centers (GCCs) and enterprises navigating the fast-evolving digital ecosystem. Their unique approach integrates domain-led skilling pathways with hiring intelligence, enabling organizations to build future-ready teams at scale.

Supporting tech-driven GCCs in niche talent ramp-up and fostering inclusive leadership pipelines, upGrad Rekrut operates at the nexus of technology, talent, and transformation. The Elevate event at The Oberoi, Bengaluru, showcased this unique positioning by bringing together 80+ senior leaders from India’s leading GCCs, global firms, and talent platforms to address a crucial question: What does future-ready talent look like in an AI-driven economy?

Ajay Shah, President of upGrad Rekrut and co-founder of Rekrut India, emphasized in his opening remarks: It’s about building organizations that are agile, responsible, and human-centered.

Resilience and Growth: Voya India’s Transformation Story

Sharada Nandakumar, CEO of Voya India, shared her company’s inspiring journey scaling from 900 to over 3,000 employees within five years, despite launching amid the pandemic. She attributed success not to resilience as a strategy, but as an outcome stemming from shared vision and belief.

Voya transitioned from a conventional back-office operation into an innovation partner recognized by NASSCOM for impactful talent development — a testament to evolving workforce dynamics in India’s growing digital economy.

AI as an Amplifier of Human Potential, Not a Threat

The fireside chat with Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder & Chairperson of upGrad, broke the stigma around AI disruption. Disruption is not new. It’s how we respond that defines us. AI presents a moment of reinvention, not fear, he stated confidently.

Rency Mathew, Managing Director at Sabre, reframed AI as an amplifier — reducing repetitive tasks and enabling teams to focus on strategic, value-driven work. She highlighted how recruitment now prioritizes adaptability alongside traditional skills.

Sreedevi Hegde, Managing Director of Vervent and session moderator, summarized the cultural challenges AI introduces: There’s a dual challenge — those afraid of AI, and those fearing it compromises originality. The path forward is to embrace, enjoy, and grow with AI.

India at the Crossroads of Talent and AI: Panel Insights

The panel discussion delved into both opportunity and urgency surrounding AI’s role in transforming talent acquisition and management.

• Dennis Wilfred, Director of Talent Acquisition at Guidewire Software, noted that AI enables recruiters to focus more on candidate engagement than mere sourcing but cautioned against the challenge of AI-enhanced resumes requiring deeper assessments.
• Anupama Subramanian, Head of HR India at WTW, highlighted the importance of fostering a culture of experimentation—creating safe environments where learning from failure is encouraged.
• Kripa Krishnamoorthy, SVP at Synchrony, pointed to the often-overestimated short-term changes and underestimated long-term impacts of AI, showcasing Synchrony’s internal AI innovation, Synchrony GPT, and emphasizing job redesign for meaningful skilling.
• Daryl Pinto, India Head of Talent Acquisition at Microsoft, stressed the ongoing importance of human elements in recruitment, noting, We still hire on gut and intuition, despite AI’s growing influence.
• Vaishnavi Kudige, APAC Capability Centre Head at a global brand, reflected on India’s evolving global role—not just as a cost advantage but as a leader, questioning, Are we ready to walk the talk?

This panel underscored a vital message: AI goes beyond process reinvention—it is reshaping how India defines and leads talent strategies on the global stage.

Carelon’s Success: Scaling India’s Talent Footprint with AI and Leadership

Pawan Sachdeva, Senior Managing Director and Technology Head for India at Carelon Global Solutions, shared his extensive experience scaling Carelon from 1,800 to 18,000 employees across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Gurgaon. The transformation from vendor outpost to strategic portfolio hub reflects the fast pace of capability center growth in India.

His leadership focused on three pillars critical for AI-driven success:
• Integrated organizational structures
• Empowered local leadership
• Deep domain talent, especially in data and AI

Driving the Future of Hiring: Human Judgment Meets AI

As the event wrapped, Husain Tinwala, President of upGrad Rekrut, reinforced that while AI transforms hiring, human judgment and adaptability remain paramount. He shared, I don’t hire based on resumes. I hire based on adaptability and willingness to learn. AI demands responsibility; we’re its advocates, not just users.

The collective takeaway was clear: AI is reshaping what talent means rather than replacing talent itself. India’s growing focus on skills over CVs signals a strategic advantage in the global AI workforce era.

What’s Next? Elevate Expands to Hyderabad

Following the success of Bengaluru’s edition, upGrad Rekrut is set to continue the Elevate summit in Hyderabad, targeting regional GCCs and mid-to-large IT enterprises. The focus remains on actionable conversations around future-ready talent, AI-driven workforce strategies, and outcome-linked hiring practices — bolstering India’s position as an innovation and talent powerhouse.

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