Shwetha Shankar

Background

About Shwetha Shankar

Careers are jungle gyms, not ladders - Sheryl Sandberg I donned multiple hats including that of a psychologist, researcher, counsellor and teacher before I stumbled upon HR. What began as a consulting stint with an ITES company led to a full-time performance management role and culminated into a leadership role that involved managing the HR function end-to-end with a 4 member team. This chapter ended with a maternity break. My next opportunity was an HRBP role with L&T at UAE for power transmission and distribution projects in Africa. I set up and lead HR for projects in LEA region and handled performance and employee engagement initiatives for the entire Africa BU. When I moved back to Chennai from Dubai, I had the opportunity to change the lens with which I looked at HR. I joined a boutique strategic HR consulting firm which allowed me to work as an OD professional, an HR partner, a trainer, a change agent and a trusted advisor to CXOs and entrepreneurs. It also gave me the opportunity to work with companies across various industries (manufacturing, IT services, digital marketing, healthcare etc) at various growth stages (start-ups to large multinational conglomerates). This was truly an enriching experience.I then moved to the city of start-ups-Bangalore and decided to get a taste of the start-up world. I currently work with a B2B SaaS start-up and lead HR for the European on-site business (Fielddrive) and also support the Tech leadership of Hubilo. I now understand why people say that a start-up is a great place to learn at any career stage!The combination of consulting and line experiences have given me the confidence to approach and solve any HR problem. I believe that even if you don't know the solution immediately, if you own the task completely, ask the right questions, find the right sources of information, are able to find the patterns and draw on your experience and intuition, you will be able to find a solution. I am equally excited about people and process. I consider the combination of logical thinking and empathy to be my strength along with the ability to take a step back and see the larger picture. I enjoy taking on leadership roles that involve strategizing and working with teams to deliver impact.