The People Woman

The numbers are absolutely mindboggling. Today, Infosys Technologies alone
employs 32,178 people and the figure shoots up to 36,750 if one includes
subsidiaries (read Progen). In FY 2004-05, 14,13,018 job applications were
received across the Infosys group of companies, that's over a lakh
applications processed every month, and 19,080 offers were made.

As head of HR at Infy, Hema Ravichander has set new benchmarks in HR
practices. The sheer volume of recruitments alone validates the statement. And
it was not just recruitments that the lady handled at Infosys. As senior VP and
group head of HRD, she has been responsible for learning and development,
compensation, employee relations, managing diversity, even visas and work
permits. And of course, it was history of sorts when Infosys announced ESOPs,
the first company in India Inc. to do so.

The IIM-Ahmedabad alum was with Mico Bosch and was doubling up as a freelance
HR consultant when she met NR Narayana Murthy. It was Murthy's vision
"belief in creating and sharing wealth" that drew her to join Infosys
in 1992-then just a Rs 5 crore company with 250 employees. After nearly 13
years of association with Infosys (she took two years off between 1996 and 1998
to spend more time with her children Nikhil and Aditi, then four and eight years
old repectively). Murthy's vision continues to motivate her. Says Ravichandar,
"I should be able to provide the same level of excellence to every
stakeholder."

Fame and success has been synonymous with Hema Ravichandar. In 2005 alone,
she has received three awards for her contribution to HR. Her inspiration? Her
great grandmother, the consort of the Maharaja of Kochi: "She was a great
administrator, a strong believer in the Welfare State concept and a true partner
in implementing progressive reforms and measures for women and the weaker
sections of society."

In FY 2005-06, Infosys plans to add another 12,600 employees to its existing
workforce. However, Ravichandar may not be around this time to drive things. The
lady is preparing herself for a role beyond Infosys. Incidentally, the last time
she left Infosys, the company made sure that it got her back on board. Can
Infosys do without Hema Ravichandar? She laughs and replies, "Today Infosys
has a robust HR metrics system in place and a strong HR team to support the
company." Ravichandar strongly believes that she has a pan-industry role to
play at this stage of her career. The challenges are immense, but she remains
unfazed. Success to her is a combination of self-discipline, multi-tasking and
offering quality to her stakeholders. As long as she gets this combination
right, there's no stopping her.