Vishwapath Shastry PVR
Head HR
Hyderabad
Summary
Accomplished HR professional with a track record of leading HR initiatives that align with business goals and foster organizational growth. Expertise in talent acquisition, employee retention, and performance management to drive strategic change. Strong focus on enhancing employee communication and engagement to support a thriving workplace culture. Adept at mentoring executive leadership to cultivate sustainable business practices.
Overview
5
5
Languages
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Head - HR
Limagrain India Private Limited
05.2013 - 11.2024
- Being first HR responsible in Bisco and now Limagrain India, built HR activity from scratch in line with Limagrain's strategy. List of few:
- As a strategic management decision, took a lead role in merger process of Atash seeds into Bisco Bio Sciences, and streamlined payroll of combined company along with transfer of EPF accounts of more than 300 employees from Delhi to Hyderabad.
- Implemented in Limagrain India, Government prescribed Minimum wage compliance with timely revisions to all labour in plant, production, and R&D farms and to staff on security services and third-party vendor rolls.
- Designed and put in place Interview evaluation forms, training feedback and other requisition forms, defined LEVEL-wise TA & DA eligibility, Company holidays etc.
- Talent Acquisition: Budgeting, attracting, and hiring highly skilled workforce from competition within seed industry via employee referrals and head hunting at all levels. Managing complete recruitment life cycle from sourcing, on-boarding to induction and retention thereby developing strong talent pool. Filled up 350 + positions in various functional roles as against specific JDs assigned. Introduced employment authorization process and Time-to-Hire tracking followed.
- Induction: Put in place a thorough 2-day induction for all new joiners enlightening them with Limagrain’s work culture, Groupe’s vision and mission, facts and figures, industrial tour, giving valuable insights (1 induction every half year). During COVID, facilitated induction via virtual mode.
- Training Support: Planning and delivering of trainings for all functions in Company and organizing programs within stipulated timelines involving experts, trainers from Agri industry. Coordinating with Limagrain Academy for delivering specific Breeder trainings for R&D, production, process & logistic teams, ensuring cost effectiveness. Delivered various team building activities to keep workforce motivation high and infusing sense of ownership in teams.
- Performance Management: Change of appraisal cycle from Indian to French fiscal implemented. Designed and implemented a simplified PMS process across functions. Educating employees about appraisal process. Responsible for fixing KRA’s, KPI’s in alignment with HOD’s and compilation of final ratings for effecting salary increments. 9 Box assessment of functions and preparing a back-up plan for the organization. Analyzing estimated market value for the positions and benchmarking salaries. 100% results achieved in PMS implementation in Limagrain India.
- Insurance Management: Initiated extensive coverage for all company’s goods like stocks, go-downs, cold storage, open marine transit, and assets against fire etc., As a staff welfare measure good coverage level to all employees for group medical benefits and term life insurance, in place.
- Anti-Harassment & Crisis Committee: Heading internal committee on Anti-sexual harassment & crisis management in Limagrain India, to effectively redress issues relating to sexual harassment, women safety, prohibition of child labour policy at all sites and in agreements, disciplinary actions, anti-sexual harassment policy, training, and awareness campaigns.
- Full-Time Equivalents Visibility and Labour Contracts: Enforcing control in timely renewals of Labour Contracts and in compelling contractors to make social contributions to EPF, ESI to all labour supplied. Monthly tracking of FTE’s and variation reporting to management teams.
- Manpower Restructuring: Based on management inputs, smoothly closed restructuring in Plant site as well as in field teams like Production & Sales, without any legal tangle and within stated timelines. Worked closely with management for overall optimization of manpower resources.
- HR Policy: Worked closely with Executive leadership in defining HR policy and delivered Limagrain India’s first Employee policy manual. Independently drafted Anti-sexual harassment policy, Car policy, Travel Imprest policy, Leave policy, Helmet policy, Mobile handset policy, Tariff reimbursement policy, Extra-mile award program, Salary advance policy, Deputation policy, Employee Referral program etc. Ownership for policy communication and implementation.
- Extra-Mile Award: Initiated Limagrain India’s first ever recognition program on half-yearly basis and rolled out communications successfully. Great feedback across all departments for recognition of talent.
- Employee Engagement: Rolled out 3 successful employee satisfaction surveys in Limagrain India. 2 surveys for overall organization and 1 specific to Research function. As an outcome conducted Mercer survey for research compensation and implemented salary corrections. Feedback analyzed and reported to BU and presented to teams.
- Attrition & Retention: Worked extensively to analyze the separation reasons from exit feedback, employee survey findings, proposed actionable for way forward for retention of good talent to India leadership team.
- New Organization LEVELs & Pay Bands: Applied scientific methodology for evaluation of each job role on key criteria and arrived at New Organization LEVELs/Grading in the Company. Also introduced the concept of Pay Bands and Compa-Ratio, thereby defining clear pay ranges for each job role and applied same pay bands for same LEVELs across all functional jobs.
- Digitalization: Implemented User friendly HR One application and streamlined monthly attendance, leave management, payroll process, employee tax computation and expense reimbursement process simplified for employees.
- Safety Visits & Management Reporting: Minimum of 2 Safety audits conducted and reported to management each year in Plant & Farm sites, with clear inputs for improvements to avoid “Dangerous Acts” & “Dangerous Conditions” at workplace. Responsible for HR budgeting, LTP, Group CSR Social Data reporting, tracking of monthly Attrition reports, Full-Time Equivalent (Temporary Employees) reports, HR audit submissions etc.
- CSR Initiatives: Limagrain India’s first ever CSR project of “Rest Rooms & Podium”, in Yadaram Govt. primary school accomplished within allocated budgets. Clean Day initiatives driven in the Company.
- Limagrain Spirit: Responsible for drafting monthly Newsletter of the Company contributing various articles of Editorial, news from Group and Limagrain India, New Joinee info, best practices, events, recognition, and agenda enthusing corporate spirit and communication.
Manager - Business Administration
ELJAY Group
01.2009 - 04.2013
- Successfully head Retail & Distribution operations with utmost Sales record and ensuring each retail store transform as a profit centre. 3 centres’ managed.
- Planning & executing marketing tie-ups with ENT specialists, Hospital industry in line with overall business strategy.
- Responsible for Hiring of Health care professionals like Audiologists, Speech therapists & also for inventory planning, budgeting & stocking in each of Eljay Hearing centers.
- Counseling clients & programming fully computerized Digital Hearing Aids to individual specific Audiogram requirements.
Manager - HR & Admin
VIT University
10.2007 - 12.2008
- Recruitment & Selection: Manpower planning and identification of vacancies, releasing advertisements, short-listing of candidates through tests & conducting interviews, issuing of offer/appointments.
- Induction: Conducting induction programmes and feedback.
- Job Description: Finalising job descriptions for positions including responsibilities, authority, job specification and attributes.
- Performance Management: Assisted senior management in fixing KRA’s, KPl’s for goals, preparation of annual performance appraisal forms and implementing the same.
- Training & Development: Implementing system comprising of identification and analyzing training needs, preparation and co-ordination of training programmes and evaluation of its effectiveness.
- Ensuring compliances under various University regulations.
Senior Officer - HR & Admin
Suguna Poultry Farm Ltd.
10.2006 - 09.2007
- Responsible for acquiring new talent.
- Manpower review in line with strategies at Unit level.
- Provide inputs on performance rewards, increments, role change & promotions.
- Employee counseling & grievance handling.
- Complete handling of leave, attendance, payroll & exit interviews.
Consultant – Recruitments
Alchemist HR Services Pvt. Ltd.
05.2004 - 09.2006
- Handled team of 2 junior executives.
- Resourcing: Independent charge of handling the requirements & final short-listing of CV’s. Planning, co-ordinating & executing head hunting process. Handling thorough referral checks to ensure quality aspect of the candidature. Responsible for maintaining entire database and upgrading the same on regular basis.
- Selection & Interviews: Responsible for the complete recruitment cycle from identifying the prospecting candidates to placing him/her at the client’s location. Accessing the candidate in depth knowledge of his work exposure. Arranging interviews with the panel of the clients. Following up with prospective candidates till they complete final rounds of interview. Consulting and convincing, candidates if not interested in taking up the offer. Experienced in using various methods to attract talent like head hunting, cyber sourcing, walk-ins, advertisements, campus recruitment’s etc.
- Client Interaction: Co-ordinating with clients for handling requirements and providing feedback regularly. Meeting clients at regular intervals to ensure smooth working relationships and enhancing business opportunities.
Resource Executive
CareerS
09.2001 - 04.2004
- Client Co-ordination: Was responsible for client communications, scheduling interviews of short-listed candidates, follow-ups, and requirement reviews.
- Targetted approach as a headhunter for closing the positions within stipulated timelines.
Legal Assistant
HK Legal Associates
02.1999 - 08.2001
- Lead the promotions of Intellectual Property Rights related services.
- Creating awareness among the business entities about the relevance of trademarks, copy rights, design and patent registrations to augment their business.
- Enrollment: AP/3076/1999 – Bar Council of the State of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.
Education
MHRM - Human Resources Management
Pondicherry University
Christ College, Bengaluru 12-2003
LL.B. - Law
Osmania University
Pendekanti Law College10-1998
Skills
Global HR Exposure
Talent Acquisition
Onboarding, Induction & Retention
Learning & Development
Employee Engagement
Recognition & Rewards
Policy Making & Implementation
Grievances & Disciplinary
Safety & Welfare
CSR, Spirit & Communications
Personal Details
- Father’s Name: Late. P. Venkateshwarlu
- DOB: 26.07.1975
- Marital Status: Married
- Passport: Y3822561 (Valid till 26/06/2034)
Timeline
Head - HR
Limagrain India Private Limited
05.2013 - 11.2024
Manager - Business Administration
ELJAY Group
01.2009 - 04.2013
Manager - HR & Admin
VIT University
10.2007 - 12.2008
Senior Officer - HR & Admin
Suguna Poultry Farm Ltd.
10.2006 - 09.2007
Consultant – Recruitments
Alchemist HR Services Pvt. Ltd.
05.2004 - 09.2006
Resource Executive
CareerS
09.2001 - 04.2004
Legal Assistant
HK Legal Associates
02.1999 - 08.2001
MHRM - Human Resources Management
Pondicherry University
LL.B. - Law
Osmania University