URVI THAKKAR
Hyderabad
Summary
As an Associate People Partner at Novartis, I partner with the Quality and People & Organization (P&O) functions, supporting 800+ employees. I advise senior leaders on aligning people strategy with business priorities, using HR analytics and workforce insights to drive informed decision-making and organizational effectiveness.
I lead and enable talent management, succession planning, and leadership development initiatives to build a sustainable, future-ready leadership pipeline. With experience across compensation benchmarking, employee development, and process optimization, I focus on elevating employee experience and strengthening leader capability. I am driven by enabling organizational transformation through scalable, data-led people practices that help teams perform and thrive in fast-paced, evolving environments.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate People Partner | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
Hyderabad
05.2023 - Current
- Act as a strategic People Partner to senior leaders across Quality and People & Organization (P&O) functions, supporting a population of 800+ employees in a highly regulated, matrixed environment.
- Partner with business leaders to translate functional strategies into people and workforce plans, enabling organizational effectiveness, role clarity, and sustainable capability building.
- Drive talent management and performance processes, including goal setting, performance reviews, talent discussions, and development planning to strengthen leadership readiness.
- Lead the formalization of succession planning for critical roles, identifying high-potential talent and supporting long-term leadership pipeline sustainability.
- Leverage HR analytics and workforce insights to inform leadership decisions on headcount planning, attrition trends, diversity metrics, and organizational risks.
- Advise leaders on employee relations matters, ensuring timely resolution, fair outcomes, and adherence to local labor laws and internal governance standards.
- Partner with HR Centers of Excellence (Talent, Rewards, Payroll, Mobility, IT) to deliver a seamless, end-to-end employee experience across the lifecycle.
- Support compensation benchmarking and reward discussions, providing data-backed inputs to enable competitive and equitable outcomes.
- Strengthen manager capability through coaching, challenge, and guidance—equipping leaders to build engaged, inclusive, and high-performing teams.
- Champion employee engagement and experience initiatives, embedding feedback mechanisms and driving continuous improvement actions.
- Recognized for influencing without authority, navigating ambiguity, and delivering people priorities at pace in a fast-evolving business landscape.
Project Manager | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. (via Manpower)
Hyderabad
01.2023 - 05.2023
- Built a senior leadership HR dashboard providing real-time visibility into headcount, diversity, onboarding, and attrition metrics.
- Led 200+ exit interviews with female associates, uncovering key onboarding and engagement gaps and influencing HR policy and experience improvements.
Senior HR Analyst | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. (via Manpower)
Hyderabad
04.2022 - 12.2022
- Facilitated onboarding programs and coordinated cross-functional logistics, documentation, HR systems, and employee mobility.
- Built onboarding feedback loops through surveys and pulse checks, translating insights into actionable improvements.
- Maintained accurate HRIS data to ensure compliant onboarding and seamless payroll integration.
- Delivered monthly payroll inputs for interns and third-party hires, minimizing delays and escalations.
- Partnered with insurance providers to resolve benefits queries, improving new-hire onboarding satisfaction.
HR Analyst | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
Hyderabad
02.2018 - 03.2022
- Delivered end-to-end onboarding coordination, ensuring seamless Day 1 readiness across systems, workspace, and IT access.
- Supported enterprise-wide HR initiatives including town halls, career weeks, and onboarding events to boost engagement and belonging.
- Supported execution of the Accelerated Women Leadership Program (AWLP), contributing to talent pipeline development through project tracking and insight dashboards.
Education
MCA -
Masters in Computer Applications
01.2013
BCA -
Bachelors in Computer Applications
01.2010
Online certification course - Administrative Human Resources
SHRM
Skills
- Strategic People Business Partnering
- Talent & Succession Management
- Employee Experience & Engagement
- HR Analytics & Rewards Strategy
- Change Management & Stakeholder Influence
Hobbies and Interests
- Actor / Theatre artist (Acted in plays, ads and short films)
- Fitness enthusiast
- Travelling
- Playing Badminton
- Swimming
Accomplishments
Played a key role in the implementation and stabilization of Workday, supporting system adoption, data accuracy, and process alignment across people lifecycle touchpoints.
Timeline
Associate People Partner | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
05.2023 - Current
Project Manager | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. (via Manpower)
01.2023 - 05.2023
Senior HR Analyst | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd. (via Manpower)
04.2022 - 12.2022
HR Analyst | People & Organization
Novartis Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
02.2018 - 03.2022
MCA -
Masters in Computer Applications
BCA -
Bachelors in Computer Applications
Online certification course - Administrative Human Resources
SHRM