Over 300 HR leaders debate future-ready workplaces at Manav Rachna

At the NHRDN Mega HR Conclave 2026, one of the largest congregations of HR leaders on a university campus brought together influential voices from India's corporate landscape to examine how organisations can remain productive, adaptable and human in an age of unprecedented change. Every boardroom in India is confronting a similar set of questions. How should organisations respond to artificial intelligence? What will leadership look like when technology transforms traditional roles? How can businesses navigate changing labour frameworks while retaining the trust and confidence of their workforce? The answers rarely emerge from one sector or one organisation. They come from the collective experiences of manufacturing giants, technology enterprises, infrastructure majors and consumer businesses, each confronting different dimensions of the same transformation.Recently, these conversations found an unlikely common address: a university campus.More than 300 HR leaders from across industries converged at the Manav Rachna campus in Faridabad for the NHRDN Mega HR Conclave 2026, organised by the National HRD Network (NHRDN), Delhi & NCR Chapter, in association with the School of Leadership and Management (SLM), Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (MRIIRS).Under the theme The Future of Work, Workforce & Workplace, the gathering explored a defining question: can organisations reinvent how work gets done without losing sight of the people who do it? A Convergence of Industry and AcademiaThe diversity of the gathering reflected the breadth of the challenges confronting India's workplaces. Senior leaders from Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, Larsen & Toubro, IBM, Havells, Escorts Kubota, Varun Beverages, Tenneco, Yamaha Motors, Uno Minda, Phoenix Contact India, ANAND Group and several other organisations brought perspectives spanning automotive, engineering, technology, manufacturing, infrastructure and consumer businesses.Opening the proceedings, Vir Bharat, Secretary, NHRDN Delhi & NCR Chapter, emphasised the importance of academic excellence, professional networks, faculty development, global exposure and collaborative learning. His address positioned industry engagement as an essential component of preparing young professionals for emerging economic and workplace challenges. Dr. Deepti Dabas Hazarika, Dean, School of Leadership and Management, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies (MRIIRS), reflected on the institution's commitment to student-centric education, innovation, inclusivity and lifelong learning. She highlighted the importance of bringing academic and industry communities together to exchange knowledge and create meaningful opportunities for future professionals.The opening keynote by Salil Lal, Executive Director and Chief Human Resources Officer, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, established the context for the discussions that followed. As technology advances and employee expectations evolve, organisations face mounting pressure to reconsider traditional approaches to workforce management, leadership and organisational development.The question was no longer whether the workplace would change, but how effectively organisations could prepare for that change.When HR Moves Beyond Managing People, Who Shapes the Business?For decades, human resources was largely associated with recruitment, personnel administration, employee welfare and compliance. Today, the function is increasingly expected to influence business strategy, organisational resilience and long-term competitiveness. This evolving identity formed the basis of the first panel, Future HR Leadership, moderated by Dr. R. S. Dabas, International Trainer and Leadership Coach.The discussion brought together Manasi Das, Head – HR, Krishna Maruti Group; Dr. Monika Garg, Head, HR Centre of Excellence, Escorts Kubota; Mukesh Kumar Singh, Head – HR, Railway Business, Larsen & Toubro; Pravesh Kumar, Head – HR, Vikas Group; and Rajiv Kapoor, MD & CEO, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions.The conversation examined how HR leaders must move beyond traditional administrative responsibilities to become strategic partners in organisational growth. Leadership development, talent management, employee engagement and organisational adaptability emerged as critical priorities.As businesses operate in increasingly complex environments, successful HR leadership requires a deeper understanding of organisational objectives, the ability to anticipate capability gaps and the foresight to build cultures that encourage innovation and continuous learning.The implications extend beyond corporate leadership. For management institutions preparing the next generation of professionals, these changing expectations reinforce the need to develop leaders who understand people and business as interconnected dimensions of organisational success.AI Can Process Information. But Can It Exercise Judgment?Few developments have challenged conventional workplace assumptions as dramatically as artificial intelligence.From recruitment and workforce analytics to performance evaluation and employee engagement, AI is creating opportunities to improve efficiency and strengthen data-informed decision-making. Yet its growing adoption also raises difficult questions about accountability, accuracy and the continuing relevance of human judgment.The second panel, AI in HR, moderated by Ashish Mediratta, Chief Customer Officer, Talent Recruit Software, examined this evolving relationship between technology and people. The discussion featured Ajay Tanwar, HR Head, Tenneco Bawal Site; Charu Smita, Enterprise Transformation Leader, IBM; Lokender Kumar, GM – HR, Intech Organics Group; and Chanchal Arora, GM HR at a Europe-headquartered IT infrastructure organisation. The conversation traced HR's evolution from personnel administration to a function responsible for organisational capability, transformation and performance. It also explored changing workforce realities, including shorter employee tenures, multigenerational teams, greater workplace diversity and the shift from annual performance appraisals towards continuous performance management.A particularly important takeaway concerned the limitations of AI-enabled decision-making. While technology can support HR processes, its outputs cannot be accepted unquestioningly. Verification, cross-checking and contextual understanding remain essential.For HR professionals, the challenge is therefore not simply to adopt emerging technologies, but to develop the competencies required to remain relevant and effective in the workplace of 2030.For universities, the message is equally significant. Future-ready education cannot be limited to technological proficiency. It must also cultivate critical thinking, ethical awareness and the capacity to exercise sound judgment when technology offers an answer but not necessarily the right one.Can the Future Workplace Be Built Without Trust?While artificial intelligence dominates much of the contemporary discourse on work, industrial relations remain fundamental to the stability and productivity of organisations.The third panel, Long-Term Settlements and Industrial Relations, brought the conversation closer to the realities of large industrial workforces, where employee relationships, representation, negotiation and organisational stability remain enduring priorities.Moderated by Harbhajan Singh, Chief Strategy & HR, XLRI Delhi, the panel featured Bhuwnesh Singh Chauhan, VP – HR, Havells India; Dharm Rakshit, Head HR, Hero MotoCorp; Dhirender Singh, GM – ER & GA, Yamaha Motors India; Pradeep Kumar, Plant Lead ER, Escorts Kubota; and Rucher Mehta, Domain HR Head, Uno Minda.The subject offered an important counterpoint to technology-led discussions about the future of work. Organisations may automate operations, introduce sophisticated workforce systems and transform business models, but productive industrial relationships continue to depend on human understanding. Long-term settlements and industrial relations require organisations to consider employee expectations, institutional mechanisms and the practical realities of managing diverse workforces.In an era where business transformation is often measured through technological advancement, the enduring challenge is to ensure that operational progress does not come at the expense of organisational trust.As Labour Frameworks Evolve, Are Organisations Prepared?The changing world of work also demands closer attention to the regulatory frameworks governing employment. The fourth panel, New Labour Code, addressed an important dimension of India's evolving employment landscape, placing labour-related developments within the broader conversation about workforce transformation.Moderated by Rakesh Kumar, Group CHRO (VP–HR), Radnik Exports, the panel brought together Prabhat Mani Pandey, VP – Corporate HR & IR, Varun Beverages; Prashant Srivastava; Satish Sharma, AGM – People & Organization, Phoenix Contact India; and Yatendra Jain, Group HR (COE – Direct Workforce), ANAND Group.The subject carries considerable significance for organisations balancing workforce requirements, regulatory responsibilities and changing employment practices. Labour-related reforms do not operate in isolation from business strategy. They intersect with workforce planning, employee relations, organisational structures and the responsibilities of employers.For future HR leaders, navigating this environment will require more than an understanding of talent management or technology. Regulatory awareness, stakeholder engagement and the ability to balance organisational and employee interests will remain essential professional capabilities.India's Demographic Dividend: Opportunity or Unfulfilled Potential?Bringing the deliberations into a larger national perspective, Prem Singh, Past National President, NHRDN, and Group CHRO, JK Organisation, delivered the valedictory keynote on the evolving role of human resources in a rapidly changing business environment.His address connected technological transformation with India's demographic advantage, emerging industries and ambitions for economic growth.India's young workforce represents an enormous opportunity. However, demographic strength alone cannot guarantee economic competitiveness. The ability to develop relevant capabilities, adapt to new technologies and sustain continuous learning will determine how effectively this potential translates into organisational and national progress.Addressing concerns around AI-driven job displacement, he highlighted that technological advancement may automate certain tasks while simultaneously creating new opportunities. Digital competencies and effective human–AI collaboration will become increasingly important, but so will organisational agility, critical thinking, resilience, emotional well-being and responsible technology adoption.The larger message was that the organisations best positioned for the future will be those capable of reinventing themselves while placing people at the centre of transformation.The Network Effect: What Happens When Industry Comes to Campus?Beyond the individual conversations, perhaps the most significant aspect of the NHRDN Mega HR Conclave was the setting in which they unfolded. More than 300 HR leaders, representing some of India's most influential organisations, gathered not at a corporate headquarters or conventional industry venue, but at a university. That distinction matters.Industry–academia collaboration is frequently discussed in terms of placements, internships, guest lectures and curriculum development. These engagements remain valuable, but they represent only one dimension of the relationship.When a university becomes a meeting ground for senior corporate leadership, the possibilities extend further.Faculty gain exposure to contemporary organisational challenges and practitioner perspectives. Students encounter the realities of the industries they aspire to enter. Academic institutions gain opportunities to examine whether the knowledge and capabilities they develop remain aligned with the evolving expectations of employers. Equally importantly, industry gains a platform to engage with emerging talent and the institutions shaping its future workforce.Dr. Arnab Chakraborty, Director, School of Leadership & Management, highlighted how the changing demands of the workplace call for management education to evolve beyond conventional frameworks and engage more closely with contemporary industry realities. He expressed gratitude to Team NHRDN for collaborating with Manav Rachna School of Leadership and Management. A special mention was made for Mr. Bhagat Singh, Manager, NHRDN Delhi & NCR Chapter and contribution of the Faridabad Palwal Zonal Team.For Manav Rachna, the conclave demonstrated the potential of a campus to function as more than a centre of academic instruction. Its association with NHRDN created a space for conversations that connected business experience, academic thinking and the preparation of future professionals. The participation of Mr. Rajiv Kapoor, MD & CEO, MREI, an industry stalwart with over 40 years of corporate leadership experience, and Prof. (Dr.) Sanjay Srivastava, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, MRIIRS, an accomplished academic leader, alongside senior corporate HR leaders, underscored Manav Rachna’s role as an active contributor to the dialogue, extending beyond its role as host.The gathering did not offer a single blueprint for the future of work. Instead, it demonstrated why such a blueprint cannot emerge from one organisation, industry or discipline alone.The future workplace will be shaped by decisions about technology, talent, leadership, regulation and human relationships. Each will influence the others, demanding collaboration across conventional boundaries.Disclaimer - The material, content, and/or information contained within this impact feature are published strictly for advertorial purposes. T.V. Today Network Limited hereby disclaims any and all responsibility, representation, or endorsement with respect to the accuracy, reliability, or quality of the products and/or services featured or promoted herein. Viewers or consumers are strongly advised to conduct their own due diligence and make independent inquiries before relying on or making any decisions based on the information or claims presented in the impact feature. Any reliance placed on such content is strictly at the individual’s own discretion and risk.- Ends