Aakanksha Varude

Co-Founder

Mumbai, India13 yrs 3 mos experience

Key Highlights

Over 12 years of HR experience driving talent management.
Co-founder of a game design studio promoting Indian heritage.
Expert in aligning HR strategy with business objectives.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Human Resources and Game Design professional with a focus on talent management and creative industry engagement.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Human Capital ManagementResource ManagementProject ManagementGame TestingTalent ManagementEmployee EngagementHuman Resource Planning

Other Skills

Business StrategyCustomer Relationship Management (CRM)Data AnalysisMicrosoft OfficeRequirements AnalysisSalesTeam BuildingTeam ManagementVisual Basic

About

With over 12 years of experience as a HR professional, I've developed deep expertise in talent management, organizational development, change management and employee engagement. At iRage, I bring a strategic mindset and people-first approach to drive business success through human capital. Beyond my corporate journey, I'm passionate about nurturing India's vibrant game design community. As the co-founder of an independent game design studio Opod Play, we've created a platform that showcases the extraordinary talent of Indian game designers and developers. The intersection of my HR background and game studio leadership has given me an opportunity to to connect with fellow HR professionals, and talented board game industry enthusiasts. I'm always eager to connect with anyone interested in fostering India's creative talent pool.

Experience

Irage

Lead - People & Culture

Jul 2024 – Present · 1 yr 8 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India · On-site

HR Strategy: Aligning HR Strategy with Business Objectives.
HR Operations: Working on operational improvement initiatives and implement HR Solutions.
Work environment and culture engagement: Driving engagement and culture development initiatives in the organization.
Conflict Resolution: Handling employee grievances.
Branding: Creating Brand including EVP and social media interventions

Human Capital ManagementResource ManagementCustomer Relationship Management (CRM)

Opod play

Co-Owner

Mar 2024 – Present · 2 yrs · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India · Remote

As the co-founder of this boutique game design studio, I pour my after-hours into reimagining classic Indian board games for modern players.
Our mission? To partner with local artisans, game designers, and fellow gaming enthusiasts to create board games that not only entertain but also preserve and celebrate India's gaming heritage.
Each game we develop is a labour of love, crafted during evening brainstorming sessions and weekend design sprints as we balance our full-time commitments with this passionate side venture.

Project ManagementGame TestingSalesBusiness Strategy

Opod audio

Human Capability Leader

Apr 2022 – Mar 2024 · 1 yr 11 mos · India

1. Defining the overall strategy from launch to scale
2. Attracting, retaining, and developing talent
3. Creating value through content not just in English but in 8 Indian languages
4. Owning the operational budget and managing burn rate
5. Establishing credibility through collaborations and networking

Project ManagementBusiness StrategyEmployee EngagementTalent ManagementData Analysis

Gep worldwide

2 roles

Senior Manager - Resource Management

Jul 2019 – Mar 2022 · 2 yrs 8 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

1. Perform resource planning and deployment for Global Delivery
2. Work closely with function leads to forecast staffing needs and build succession plans
3. Coach and develop employees to increase retention rates through employee career-pathing
4. Maintain metrics and create PMO dashboards on resource staffing, demand supply gap, client satisfaction and margin allocations

Human Resource PlanningData AnalysisEmployee EngagementVisual Basic

Assistant Manager - Talent Management

Mar 2016 – Apr 2019 · 3 yrs 1 mo · Mumbai Area, India

1. Provide support to identify business challenges & use data analysis to help influence changes to operations & processes
2. Create and maintain relevant HR metrics, reporting & predictive analytics
3. Representative to key surveys supporting the HR function such as Employee Satisfaction, Great Places to Work (GPTW)
4. Design & execute the performance appraisal process with the leadership team globally
5. Responsible for project coordination & management of HRMS while facilitating efficient operations to meet current & future HR needs

Bosch automotive electronics india private limited

Management Trainee

Jan 2015 – Dec 2015 · 11 mos · Bengaluru Area, India

1. Implemented strategic and CIP (Continuous Improvement Process) projects for Logistics
2. Strengthening supply chain processes & systems for consistent, superior customer service at least cost and inventory
3. Defined supplier stocking policy for optimum inventory, and faster cash-to-cash cycle
4. Designed application interfaces and inducted new applicants in the project
5. Developed team's capability to be an agile partner for profitable growth (focused, flexible, fast)
6. Managing SLA’s for PCB testing procedures, logistics & warehousing operations
7. Developed Visual Basic Programs (macros based advanced excel tools)

Kpit

Senior Software Engineer

Nov 2010 – Jun 2013 · 2 yrs 7 mos · Pune

1. Experience in C Programming for Code Analysis and Debugging
2. Experience in Manual Test Cases development and Analysis based on Requirements
3. Development of Automation tools using Python
4. Experience in building & managing automated data process to ensure easy analysis
5. Experience in Training a team of 25 to impart customer identification and customer experience definition
6. Maintenance of Lotus Notes and Tortoise Server based repositories