As organisations across India and Asia Pacific undergo rapid digital transformation, HR leaders are facing critical questions: How can we drive tech fluency across the enterprise? What are the common pitfalls in HR digitization efforts? And most importantly, how do we retain our human touch while adopting automation and AI?

In an insightful conversation as part of the People Matters' Success Navigator: The SHRPA Leadership Interview series Manjul Talak, CHRO at Piramal Enterprises Limited, shares how the company is navigating these shifts—and what other HR leaders can learn from their journey.


Building a Tech-First Culture

 

Piramal Enterprises' journey into the retail lending space five years ago was the catalyst for embedding a tech-first culture. This foundation, according to Manjul, enabled teams across tech, product, and data to work with agility and digital fluency as core behaviors. But with the advent of generative AI and continuous disruption, the focus is to become AI native with a focus on building and leveraging these capabilities early on. For Manjul, this transformation is driven by real-world AI applications, continuous upskilling, and structured sensitization programs—not just theory.


The other key aspect of the tech first culture is to support innovation and ensure it is happening from the ground up. AI solutions are developed in-house, following a minimum viable product (MVP) approach. Initiatives like hackathons with academic institutions and rapid prototyping enable the company to solve real problems with agility. Whether it's designing nudges for incentive achievements or optimizing hiring through behavioral analytics, Manjul emphasizes that AI is not about scale alone—it's about relevance and usability.


Change Management: Enabling Implementation

Manjul acknowledges that dissatisfaction around digital transformation in HR is common, and attributes this to the absence of three critical factors: a structured change framework, a compelling mindset shift, and a robust execution mechanism. Without these, even the best tech initiatives can falter. He emphasizes that transformation should start with a strong buy-in from all stakeholders—rooted in a clear and compelling business need.



Key Highlights:

  • AI-Native Ambition: To become an AI-led organisations need to focus on hands-on training, real-world applications, and internal innovation.
  • Root Cause of Transformation Challenges: Absence of mindset, framework, and execution mechanisms contribute to dissatisfaction among HR leaders.
  • In-House Innovation: Use of MVPs, hackathons, and academic partnerships help fast-track scalable AI solutions.
  • Evolving HR Capabilities: HR must blend people science, analytics, and business understanding to drive results.
  • Balancing Tech and Empathy: Despite digital advances, HR must retain a humancentric approach to remain impactful.