New Delhi : The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the world’s largest association devoted to human resource management, today commenced the three day annual conference and exposition. With SHRMIAC and SHRMTECH coming together for the virtual conference, 170+ eminent global speakers and visionaries across the world will address every subject that needs HR’s attention today and latest technology solutions for all work related debacle and concerns including the new normal in workplace management will be showcased at the conference.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Together Towards Tomorrow”. The conference will witness 75+ exciting knowledge Sessions which will highlight future trends, best practices etc. the attendees will experience Interactive and Engaging learning in the conference. The conference was inaugurated by Achal Khanna, CEO – SHRM India & Business Head – APAC & MENA with her welcome address.

Some of the eminent speakers who contributed at the event today were, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, President & CEO, SHRM;  “Tiger” Tyagarajan, CEO, Genpact; Dr. Sanjiv Goenka, Chairman, RP Sanjiv Goenka Group; Rohit Thakur, CHRO, Paytm; Shanti Ekambaram, Group President – Consumer Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Co.; Gaurav Lahiri, Partner – Leader, Human Capital Consulting, Deloitte; Shweta Mehrotra, CHRO, Citi South Asia; Vispala Reddy, Head HR – Indian Subcontinent, Philips.

Speaking about the conference, Achal Khanna, CEO – SHRM India & Business Head – APAC & MENA, said, “We are delighted to share that we are celebrating 15 years in India and Asia pacific. We have built revolutionary strategies for our stakeholders for creating better work places for better world. Now is the time to celebrate all those victories, big changes, and unwavering efforts towards building better workplaces. Now is the time to move together towards tomorrow. The past 10 months has presented us with a decade’s worth of experience and has given us the confidence to take on challenges for years to come. We are seeing a changed mindset where HR leaders have become innovators and that has already led to workers reaching across workplaces and breaking down barriers and help others to walk through the global crisis. The beauty of virtual conferences is that we can get the most entertaining, relevant speakers from across the world to take us on a tour of what the future of work can be. For the next three days, we have a line-up of  eminent speakers and industry stalwarts to lead us through how to accelerate the HR-innovation that has been unleashed and understanding how customers wants and needs will change post pandemic. With 85% of organisations looking at remote work for the long term, cybersecurity is on the bottom-line and we have leading ethical experts who will help us understand the vulnerabilities and challenges organisations will face. It is a pleasure for SHRM to bring to you such a distinguish line-up of experts and industry leaders in this years edition of the annual conference.’’

In the opening keynote session, Shaping tomorrow’s workplace; the new world of work, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President & CEO, SHRM; Tiger Tyagarajann, CEO, Genpact and Piyush Mehta, CHRO, Genpact  discussed the New World of Work and shared insights on what the key measures of success will be for Organisations, Leaders and Employees while Shaping Tomorrow’s Workplaces.

In another  inspirational session, ‘living our values: a call to action for Diversity’, inclusive and belonging, Shanti Ekambaram, Group President – Consumer Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank, discussed the concepts, techniques and available resources that have proved effective in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Sukhjit Pasricha, President & Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Kotak Mahindra Bank said, “Delighted to be associated with Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), which offers professionals a platform to discuss issues relevant to HR fraternity. Employees are the soul of any organisation. It is important for the HR professionals to identify problems early, be quick in resolving issues and importantly, be torch bearers of employee wellbeing programmes. This summit is a good knowledge exchange platform that aids HR professionals to attune with the HR industry best practices.

The day ended with big debate: ‘Diversity and inclusion: A mindset or a metric’, wherein the panellists discussed the concept of D&I (diversity and inclusion) how it goes beyond gender, geography, and the LGBTQ community; how diversity without inclusion is worthless than when two are combined and how the state of diversity and inclusion in the workplace is still far from ideal and if D&I is a Boon or Bane.

Some of the other exciting sessions of the day were:

• Planning for the Unexpected; Lessons Learnt and Way Ahead
• Women in tech; Transforming history to her-story
• Succeeding with remote teams: the new rules of effectively managing people
• Addressing skill changes in the new normal
• Stronger together: embracing technology with purpose, passion and urgency