Karishma Manchanda CDP, CDT — CEO
With over 17 years of HR leadership across high-growth and global environments, I specialize in building people strategies that translate business ambition into scalable organizational capability, leadership readiness, and high-performance cultures. Currently serving as Assistant Vice President – Human Capital & Strategic Initiatives (Head -HR)) at Vertex Group, I work closely with the Founder and CXO leadership to drive Vertex 2.0 — the company’s next phase of hyper-growth and enterprise transformation. My role focuses on translating business strategy into enterprise capability frameworks, leadership pipelines, and future-ready people systems. I provide strategic leadership across People Success, People Experience, Learning & Organizational Development, Organizational Effectiveness, People Excellence, Talent Acquisition, Culture & Inclusion, Talent Management, and Quality & Audit, while strengthening corporate governance and people operating models for the Vertex Group of Companies. A key focus is building the capability required to scale the organization from ~1,000 to 7,000+ employees over the next three years, ensuring leadership, systems, and culture evolve alongside business growth. Previously at Newgen Software, I led Corporate HR, driving transformation across Talent Management, Inclusion & Belonging, and Employee Experience during a pivotal growth phase where revenue scaled 10X (₹168 Cr → ₹1400 Cr) and the workforce expanded 4X (1,100 → 4,000+) across 4 global subsidiaries and operations in 106+ countries. Business Impact Highlights 🚀 +145% per capita productivity increase (₹11L → ₹27L) through performance-linked career frameworks 📉 Attrition controlled under 15% in high-turnover units through internal mobility & engagement design 🌟 Glassdoor rating improved from 2.4 → 3.4, reflecting a measurable culture shift 👩💼 +12% increase in women in leadership via mentorship and succession frameworks 📈 Engagement scores improved from 54% → 90.8% YoY through employee listening & trust-based people programs 🧾 Zero audit non-compliances, ensuring governance maturity across CMMI, ISMS, ISO, BRSR, & ESG frameworks At Expedia Group, I further strengthened culture and leadership capability through DEI, coaching & employee experience initiatives to shape India’s multi-year DEI roadmap and deliver leadership coaching programs Earlier in career, I worked with HCL Technologies as an HR Business Partner. I also served as Site HR with Serco Global Services, managing end-to-end employee lifecycle operations, employee relations, and engagement
Stackforce AI infers this person is a strategic HR leader specializing in diversity and inclusion within high-growth environments.
Location: Gurugram, Haryana, India
Experience: 16 yrs 3 mos
Skills
- Strategic Human Resources Leadership
- Organizational Management
- Coaching
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Talent Management
- Talent Acquisition
Career Highlights
- Led HR transformation during 10X revenue growth.
- Improved employee engagement scores from 54% to 90.8%.
- Implemented DEI initiatives resulting in 40% growth in visibility.
Work Experience
Vertex Group
Associate Vice President – Human Capital Transformation & Strategic Initiatives (HR Head) (1 mo)
Self-employed
Founder & Lead Coach (8 mos)
Expedia Group
People & Culture Leader – Employee Experience & Enablement, India Region (1 yr 1 mo)
Newgen Software
Senior Global Diversity and Inclusion Manager (Global D&I Lead) (11 mos)
HR Manager ( Diversity & Inclusion, POSH, Organizational Development and Engagement) (3 yrs)
Deputy Manager Human Resources (Talent Management and Transformation) (3 yrs)
Assistant Manager Human Resources (Talent Management, Transformation, HR Operations) (1 yr 11 mos)
Senior Executive Human Resources (HR Business Partner, POSH, Processes & Policies) (2 yrs 5 mos)
Serco Global Services
Human Resources Team Lead (11 mos)
HCL Technologies
HR Business Partner (1 yr 5 mos)
Planman Consulting India P Limited
Trainee (10 mos)
Education
Postgraduate Degree at XLRI Delhi-NCR
Master of Business Administration - MBA at IMI Delhi
PG Diploma at The ICFAI University, Tripura
Master of Business Administration - MBA at Indian Institute of Planning and Management
Bachelor of Technology - BTech at Maharishi Dayanand University Rohtak
at Summer Fields School