Harjeet Khanduja (born on January 16, 1975) is an Indian author, poet and speaker known for his work in the field of human resources .[1][2][3] He currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Reliance Jio, a leading telecommunications company in India.[4][5][3][6][7]
Khanduja was born on January 16, 1975, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India to his father, Sardar Kalyan Singh, a poet and professor in Bareilly College and his mother, Nirmal Kaur Khanjadu, a doctor and a social activist. He studied at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, where he completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Technology in 1996.[8] During his time at IIT Roorke, he founded "Watch Out," the campus press, and contributed to the establishment of the FRP Lab. In 2005, Khanduja completed an MBA at Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Sciences. In 2013, he attended INSEAD for further studies in management.[4][5][3]
Khanduja began his career at Tata Motors, with a role in the implementation of the Kaizen methodology aimed at continuous improvement.[1][3] After eight years, he transitioned to Nicholas Piramal, where he focused on HR digital transformation initiatives.[1][2][4][5][3]
Following his tenure at Nicholas Piramal, Khanduja joined Reliance Retail. In 2009, he joined the Conjoin Group (now Atos).[1][2][4][3]
Since 2012, Khanduja has been with Reliance Jio, overseeing HR operations.[1][3]
In addition to his career, Khanduja served as a jury member for prestigious awards, including ET India’s 40 under 40, Emerging HR Leader, HR 40 under 40, and the TA Pai Young HR Leader Award.
Khanduja speaks at national and international HR conferences and has delivered several TEDx talks. He has spoken at various IIMs and IITs on topics of HR, leadership, technology, decision-making, and entrepreneurship. He has been listed among the top 10 speakers in India by Speak In.[1][3][9][10]
Khanduja has a background in poetry, particularly in the genre of "Hasya Kavita" (humorous poetry). He first performed on television in 1997 on Door darshan and won the poetry game show "Hansgola." Khanduja has contributed to several Hindi poetry anthologies and has performed at multiple "Hasya Kavi Sammelans." In 2001, he was awarded the title "Hasya Samrat" (King of Comedy).[1][4][5][3]
He has also been featured on SAB TV's "Wah Wah, Kya Baat Hai!" and has contributed to the Hindi poetry website Anubhuti. In 2020, he was honored with the Vishwa Hindi Jyoti Bhushan Samman.[3][1]
Khanduja has authored seven books focused on HR, leadership, and business strategy. His notable works include Employee Retention Mastermind, Employee Management Mastermind, Nothing About Business, Hiring Mastermind, How Leaders Decide, The Storytelling Leader and Other Stories, and Leaders Decisions and Biases.[1][4][3]
He regularly contributes to HR magazines such as People Matters, Business Manager, and Human Capital, where he writes columns like "The H with HR" and "Alag Hai." He was also featured in Heroes Amongst Us, a book by Dr. Amit Nagpal, which celebrates individuals who have achieved remarkable success in their fields.[1][2][3]
Star of Industry AwardsIn 1996 he was awarded the Thomson Medal at IIT Roorkee.
In 2012, he received the HR Leadership Award at the Asia HRD Congress.
In 2016, he earned the LinkedIn Power Profile recognition, which he also achieved again in 2018.
In 2017, was honored as one of the Most Innovative HR Tech Leaders globally by the World HRD Congress and received the Pride of the Nation Award for Best CHROs of India by Asia One
In 2019, he was listed among the Top 10 Speakers of India by Speak In and ranked among the Top 25 HR Influencers in India by 40 under 40.
In 2021, he was named The Next Big Creator and listed among the 100 global thought leaders by people Hum.
In 2022, Khanduja was recognized as an HR Influencer and one of the Top 200 biggest voices in Leadership. [1][14][15][16]
