Unveiling Excellence: Manjuri Sinha's Illuminating Journey in HR Leadership

Great leaders inspire greatness in others. - Lolly Daskal

The role of leaders in shaping organizations and nurturing talent is paramount. One such visionary leader who stands as a beacon of inspiration is Manjuri Sinha, the Global Director of Talent Success & DEI at OLX. As the HR realm continues to redefine itself, leaders like Manjuri not only embrace the challenges but also champion the transformations, making a lasting impact on the industry.

Manjuri Sinha's professional journey is a testament to unwavering dedication and dynamic leadership in the field of Human Resources. With an unquenchable drive for excellence, she has ascended the ranks across various industries, leaving an indelible mark at every step. Her journey began as a Management trainee in HR at Mahindra & Mahindra, where she laid the foundation of her passion for nurturing talent and fostering growth. As her journey evolved, she soared to greater heights, transforming organizations with her strategic acumen and visionary approach. From her role as Corporate HR at Tata Business Support Services to her tenure as Assistant Manager - HR Business Partner at Mphasis, she consistently championed performance management, engagement, and talent development, reshaping the HR landscape. 

The unwavering commitment to betterment 

Stepping into global leadership roles, Manjuri's impact expanded across continents, from her tenure as Global Head of Talent Acquisition (Technology) at OLX to her current position as Global Director of Talent Success and DEI at the same organization. Her contributions to creating an inclusive work culture and seamless employee experiences have been nothing short of remarkable. Manjuri's journey exemplifies an unflagging commitment to people, growth, and innovation, painting a vibrant portrait of a trailblazer who continues to illuminate the path of success with boundless energy and optimism. Her journey evolved into a whirlwind of accomplishments that reshaped HR in various industries.

Her pursuit of excellence is not just restricted to her professional sphere, she orients herself from her time off work as well. She loves to travel, meet with people from different cultures, and learn about the history of different places. Because of this, she has also motivated me to pick up roles where she can travel and have a global footprint.

“My personal mission is to ensure HR and Talent get their due recognition and respect in the industry. I hope I can inspire more HR professionals to speak up, share knowledge, and best practices openly, come up, and build communities of talent.“

Mastering the balancing act of taking a stand

Manjuri's rise was accompanied by her resounding impact as the Corporate HR at Tata Business Support Services and the Assistant Manager - HR Business Partner at Mphasis. Her consistent advocacy for performance management, engagement, and talent development underscored her commitment to nurturing human capital. It's this commitment that led her to her role as the Global Head of Talent Acquisition (Technology) at OLX, where she further solidified her reputation as a transformative leader. 

She assesses her candidates based on their functional competencies for the role and their leadership behaviors. Talent mobility is a fact, and she believes that factoring in frequent job changes is not an objective way of assessing candidates. She welcomes change and understands that rather than judging candidates, who made their choices on the basis of what worked best for them, She looks at the positives of each candidate. She has also taken great strides for the betterment of her career. 

She cultivated the habit of taking a strong stand very early in life Just after her MBA, she joined a renowned Autos manufacturing company as an HR Management Trainee. She was fresh out of college, excited as ever, and ready for onboarding. The first month in the corporate office in Mumbai was great, but suddenly, devoid of any reason, she was moved to another location. The work culture was not optimal, and she raised concerns with senior leadership, but there was no action taken. Given the circumstances, she decided to quit and move on. Looking back, she was happy that she stood by her values and didn't compromise. This is one decision, according to her, that really shaped her career. 

In many ways, throughout her career, she balances the act of standing up for herself and staying adaptive to overcome obstacles and reach where she stands today. Even while choosing her specialization during her MBA, most of her colleagues focused on the easiest placement, hence, they took up Finance or Marketing. Manjuri, on the other hand, wanted to make a real impact at the core of a company, and hence intentionally chose HR. And this mindset persisted throughout the course of her career. 

"I take immense pride in the fact that I moved across a continent, to a new country, a new continent, new language yet was able to achieve the success I have in the last 9 years of being in the EU – be it scaling Europe's most successful fashion tech company, building and scaling a global organization like OLX, being recognized as a thought leader in the Talent and HR space. Super Proud of this." 

Laying the Foundation for a Reimagined Future

Manjuri's narrative is not just about personal achievements; it's about shaping the HR community's future. Her zeal for nurturing the talent landscape and championing diversity and inclusion sets her apart as a true visionary. Her methods are innovative, leveraging tools like the Augmented writing tool DataPeople for inclusive job descriptions and engaging in diversity sourcing jams. Her dedication to addressing challenges head-on is evident in her insights into the future of talent acquisition

Speaking of the current challenges in the talent landscape altogether, to her, it seems like an Orwellian world with three major challenges. First, with the focus on profitability, talent leaders will need to fuel higher productivity by increasing engagement and retention. Staff cost pressures will continue to keep the margins high, and hence talent leaders will need to get innovative, to upskill and grow talent from within. Secondly, Manjuri foresees challenges in the area of niche and hard-to-find talent. With layoffs in mass numbers by big tech companies, there is an erosion of trust. She questions how a bootstrapped recruiting team will meet the upcoming talent demands of the organization. And the third challenge she outlines is the largest challenge according to her.

“The big question all talent leaders will be faced with is, will our current HR/talent operating model be Fit for the future? The simple answer is no, we will have to break the inherent silos in talent teams today and make them more end user-centric, akin to the candidate."

Manjuri's journey, marked by trailblazing accomplishments and an unyielding spirit, serves as a guiding light for aspiring HR professionals. Here's her advice for future thought leaders:

"I would say have patience, gather experience, and get your hands dirty in different fields of HR. The width of exposure matters. Careers in HR are usually curvy and not like a ladder. Invest in yourself by learning, building your network, and definitely focusing on building an authentic personal brand." 

As the HR landscape continues to evolve, leaders like Manjuri Sinha remind us that optimism and high energy can pave the way for transformative changes. Just as she has illuminated the path of success, her legacy in the HR community will continue to inspire generations to come, fostering a culture of excellence, growth, and inclusivity.