Why “Independent” is not simply a designation — it is a discipline of judgment. Corporate governance is often easiest to recognise when something goes wrong. A financial irregularity appears. A related-party transaction attracts scrutiny. A major acquisition fails to deliver the expected value. A whistleblower raises concerns. A regulatory investigation begins. A succession plan suddenly proves inadequate. By then, the questions are usually familiar: Who knew? Who approved it

For years, companies have told stakeholders that their supply chains are responsible. They have supplier codes of conduct. They conduct audits. They ask vendors to sign compliance declarations. They publish sustainability commitments. They report ESG progress. And yet one uncomfortable question remains: How much does a company actually know about what is happening beyond its direct suppliers? That question is becoming increasingly important for CEOs, CXOs and Boards. The glob

When AI agents become part of how work gets done, HR can no longer govern only people. The CHRO must help redesign work, workforce, leadership and accountability. For decades, Human Resources has been called the steward of human capital. We built talent strategies. We designed organisations. We hired people, developed leaders, managed performance, shaped culture and planned workforces. But what happens when the workforce itself begins to include something that isn't human? AI

The economy is growing. But the workforce equation is changing. India has just delivered a headline that deserves attention. Real GDP grew 7.8% year-on-year in Q1 FY2026–27. Real GVA grew 8.2%. Gross fixed capital formation grew 11.9%. Private final consumption expenditure grew 7.1%, while exports grew 12.0%. Those are encouraging numbers for businesses. But as an HR leader, I don't think the most important question is: “How much will India grow?” The more interesting questio

Why the next generation of Global Capability Centres will be won by capability design — not headcount By Sharmilaa Thakur | CHRO | People & Culture Transformation Leader | Future of Work & AI Workforce Advocate | GSSC GCC Transformation Expert | There was a time when the GCC conversation was largely about one question: How many people can we hire, how quickly can we hire them, and at what cost? I have lived through that era. And I have built in it. At Cincom, I helped establi

By Sharmila Thakur— Global HR Transformation & Future of Work Leader Introduction: The Inflection Point for Talent Strategy Organizations today stand at a profound inflection point. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a tool to automate tasks — it’s an intelligent collaborator reshaping how organizations attract, assess, and engage talent — not as a passing technological phase, but as a structural shift redefining the future of human capital itself. For HR leaders, this