What defines a transformational leader in the modern context? Is it her staunch leadership acumen, her business management strategies, or her ability to shift from old to new by embracing the change and adapting to the changing times and scenarios by adopting a more humane approach? Is it her process management ability, people management skills, or transformational change management capacity?
We instantly realize that the concept is all these things and much more when we meet Dr Ankita Singh, the Senior Vice President and Global Head of HR, IT, Travel and Admin at CIGNEX and the Founder of the HR Association of India. Ankita is the sheer definition of transformational leadership genius.
Ankita conveys, “More than process, I am a people person. One can handle 70% of technical issues well if the individual values and connects well with people. Business has always been about people and their mindset than numbers and processes. I value my people; I know that I am nothing if they are not around to support me.”
At CIGNEX, Ankita has over 22 years of progressive experience in managing and leading various aspects of Human Resources spanning across high paced business domains of ITES. In addition to all HR functions, Ankita overseas other enabling functions like Administration, Travel and Resource Management.
An Avid Explorer of the Human Resource
Ankita shares, “I majored in HR, IT, and Management studies; these courses directly prepared me for the role. I started working early, at the age of 18! While attending college, I was working 36 hours a week to gain industry knowledge.”
Ankita holds a PhD in Management and is a Gold Medalist in BBA as well as MBA. She has done HR and Business Strategy related Executive Management Programmes from IIM-A, ISB Hyderabad and XLRI. She is a certified PPA (Thomas Profiling) Practitioner.
Ankita expresses, “After being in the industry for a couple of years, I further enrolled myself in strategic courses to contribute more meaningfully. Human behaviour has always fascinated me, and to use that reasonably in my work profile, I did a PhD in management. Learning will always stay a continuous process, and I believe relevant courses will always find a place.”
She has excelled in establishing innovative and competitive initiatives and institutionalizing a strong performance-driven culture at CIGNEX Datamatics, resulting in the company being certified as a ‘Great Place to Work 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.’
“As far as my HR career is concerned, I didn’t plan it. I just wanted to be a part of a people function. As I started early, I was open to exploring and settling, but my default allocation always happened to be in some department of HR. With on-the-job experience, it didn’t take long to decide that this is where I want to exist, learn and grow,” states Ankita.
Excelling in People Management
Recently, she was awarded, for the third time in a row, among Forbes India’s Top 100 Great People Manager by the study conducted by GMI India. Apart from this outstanding recognition, Ankita Singh has successfully completed one of the most prestigious certifications from Harvard Business School Online – ‘Sustainable Business Strategy.’
Ankita says, “I have been fortunate enough to be recognized by the fraternity and our industry for all my contributions. I have a great team in place, and “Top 100 people manager by GMI and FORBES” is very close to my heart as it indicates that I could take care of my people’s wellbeing and growth. It’s an honour to get listed for three consecutive years.”
Ankita’s expertise includes transformational change management and M&A initiatives. She has extensively worked in all facets of HR with a special interest in the field of leadership Development, Organizational Behavior, Culture Building and Employee Engagement.
Ankita reveals, “I believe, as a leader, your primary responsibilities are to be there when needed and enable individuals to realize their potential to enhance it further. I have always been more of a team member than a manager because, in my view, conveying and guiding alone won’t help. One needs to be part of the team to experience and know what’s happening with the profile and the individual to participate and propose the best viable solution.
In my opinion, staying authentic is the key. If a manager is true to self, work, and people, there is no reason for the team to disconnect. You get upset, disconnect for a few hours, and be too direct; they will understand and accept all if the manager has been there throughout to listen and support when there was a need. Why is one question that every manager should proactively answer for all their actions, not because they are answerable but because it’s One Team.”
Acquiring Transformational Leadership
Ankita has also been recognized on different prestigious platforms for her contribution and excellence in the field of HR and leadership. Her list of awards includes,
- Women Leader of the year Gujrat Icons 2022 by Times of India,
- Asia’s 100 Power Leaders in HR 2022
- Dr APJ Kalam National Award 2021 by Neeti Aayog,
- Global women Award 2021,
- 40 Under 40 for the year 2021,
- CHRO of the Year 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017,
- Business Person of the year 2020,
- Women Personality of the Year 2019 and 2018 by Femina,
- Most influential Corporate Personality-2019,
- Indian Business Woman of the Year 2019,
- Indian HR Champion of the year 2019,
- Women Leader of the year 2019,
- Inspiring personality of the year 2019,
- Most Influential HR Leader of the year 2019,
- Best Employee Engagement Project Designer of the Year 2019
- The 99 Women Achievers Of India Award by The Indian Achievers Club,
- The Women Leader Award presented by Ms Kiran Bedi and organized by Observnow,
- The Most Inspiring Business Women by Global Triumph Foundation
Ankita believes in driving organizational culture and values through People, not processes alone. She says, “Once you reach a particular level in the system, you already have domain experts working for you. It’s wrong to feel that you are the boss or know everything. In most cases, the functional/domain people know much more than managers, and managers should acknowledge and respect that.”
As per Ankita, there are new challenges now and then, but she knows and accepts that all her team members are great with their tactical knowledge; they need her at the strategic level to hear, participate, support and guide. She ensures that she is always around when needed, but unnecessarily she does not intervene daily to prove her existence. Ankita is open to learning new things every day from them, and so are they; they trust each other to stay genuine and authentic.
Reshaping the Present and Transforming the Future
According to Ankita, “Everything is changing! A few aspects that have remained there forever in recruitment are people with better human skills were and are preferred over others. Similarly, candidates who were good with presentation and communication found it easier to crack any interview. One who came with proper research on why this organization and how I will add value could get better attention and acceptance.
All who showcased their passion for continuous learning, adaptability, and collaboration were rated much higher than others. So, a lot has changed, but this is very evident that technical expertise is believed to be built in a few days/months, but companies prefer hiring people who are competent in soft/human skills. As the known quote goes, ‘hire for attitude, train for skill’; this trend will remain as is forever.”
