Shiv Kumar, PCC — CEO
Shiv Kumar is the Head of Human Resources at Merck India, part of a 357-year-old global science and technology enterprise. He leads the people agenda for a workforce of approximately 4,500 employees across the Life Science, Healthcare, and Electronics businesses, as well as global capability centers in India. His responsibility spans research and laboratories, manufacturing, supply chain and distribution, commercial organizations, and corporate functions across multiple legal entities. His work focuses on leadership depth, succession, workforce architecture, and the effectiveness of people systems in environments defined by scientific rigor, regulation, and scale. He works closely with senior leadership on organizational design, leadership transitions, and long-term capability building, with particular attention to decision rights, governance, and execution discipline. He practices belonging and inclusion through a lens of responsibility, balancing fairness, performance, and opportunity, and anchoring inclusion in leadership judgment rather than rhetoric. Prior to Merck, Shiv held senior HR leadership roles in large global organizations across retail, financial services, technology services, and global delivery models, including Lowe’s, Wells Fargo, and Genpact. Across these roles, he worked on enterprise HR strategy, leadership development, talent management, rewards, HR operations, and large-scale workforce transformation in complex, matrixed environments. Earlier in his career, he worked in management consulting, advising senior leaders on human capital strategy, organizational change, talent frameworks, and HR transformation. His consulting work included responsibility for delivery, long-term client relationships, practice development, thought leadership, and business development across multiple industries and geographies. Shiv holds a postgraduate qualification in HR and Learning and Development and is certified in Talent Strategy by the Wharton School. He is a PROSCI-certified change practitioner and an AON-certified Total Rewards specialist. - The views and opinions expressed in all posts are solely my own in my personal capacity. They do not represent, reflect, or purport to represent the views, positions, strategies, or policies of my employer, past or present, or any affiliated organizations. Nothing in any post should be construed as an official statement or endorsement. - I have reached the maximum number of connections allowed by LinkedIn, I request that you choose the "follow" option. - I may be unable to respond to all DMs/comments.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a strategic HR leader in the Healthcare and Life Sciences sectors.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Experience: 20 yrs 7 mos
Skills
- Strategic Hr
- Talent Management
- Hr Transformation
Career Highlights
- Expert in HR strategy and organizational change.
- Proven track record in talent management and leadership development.
- Advocate for inclusion and employee well-being.
Work Experience
Merck Group
Head of Human Resources - India Region (3 yrs 11 mos)
Lowe's India
HR Leader (Non-Tech Functions), Head - Associate Relations Group, Consultant - HR Strategy (7 mos)
Talent Acquisition Leader (2 yrs 4 mos)
HR Leader - HR Business Partnering (Technology), Head - Organizational Change Management (3 yrs 3 mos)
Wells Fargo
HR Consultant - HR Programs and Strategic Initiatives - India and Philippines (2 yrs 4 mos)
Wipro
HRBP Leader (11 mos)
Consulting Manager (Global) - Talent and Organizational Change (3 yrs 3 mos)
Genpact
HRBP Leader - A leading investment bank (1 yr 5 mos)
RR Donnelley India Outsource Private Limited
Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development and HR Business Partnering, OD (3 yrs 8 mos)
Education
Bachelors in Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum, India
PGDBA at Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning
Post Graduate Diploma in Training & Development at ICFAI, Hyderabad, India
