At the 15th edition of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) HR Conclave, Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), delivered a powerful keynote titled Reimagining India’s Growth Story: HR as a Nation Builder. He called for bold and immediate action to transform India’s human capital as the foundation for the country’s next phase of growth.
Mr Chhatwal emphasised that HR has moved beyond a support function to become the architect of India’s future, shaping culture, capabilities and competitive advantage. He warned that India’s ambitious goal of growing from 10 trillion dollars to 30 trillion dollars depends entirely on unlocking the full potential of its people. “HR is not just a function anymore, it is the nation builder,” Chhatwal said. “India cannot realise its full potential unless its people realise theirs.”
Highlighting India’s rising global identity driven by initiatives such as Make in India, Heal in India and spiritual tourism he stressed that HR must design and lead this new narrative. He cited the example of Indian IT giants like Infosys and TCS who built a global talent pool by investing in skill-building across tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Chhatwal highlighted the urgent need to invest heavily in continuous learning and upskilling to avoid the real threat, which is not job loss but talent loss, in a competitive global environment where developed countries are actively seeking skilled Indian professionals.
He praised programs like Amazon’s 1.2-billion-dollar upskilling initiative and highlighted IHCL’s commitment, in partnership with CII, to train 100,000 people by 2030. However, he warned that India’s demographic advantage must be matched by sustained investment in skill development to prevent the real threat of talent loss, especially as developed countries actively seek skilled Indian professionals.
Calling for leadership that is bold, visionary, compassionate and technology savvy, Chhatwal said Indian leaders must combine emotional and spiritual intelligence with innovation to build future-ready organisations.
He also highlighted changing workforce expectations, noting that younger generations want purpose, growth and respect, not just jobs. He urged companies to create people-centric cultures based on trust, awareness and joy which are the core values at IHCL.
Summing up Chhatwal said “What kind of India do we want? One that grows economically and ethically that is technologically advanced yet deeply human. HR has the power and the privilege to shape this future, build workplaces where people thrive and unlock the potential of a billion dreams.”
Mr. Sanjay Behl, Chairman, CII Committee on Leadership and HR and COO and Joint President, Adani Cement, said the conclave comes at a time when business models and leadership expectations are shifting quickly. He noted that this year’s theme, The Next Horizon, reflects the movement of HR from an enabling role to a strategic engine for organisationalcompetitiveness. Mr. Behl said the two-day forum will explore three areas: leading with a future-ready lens, working with new organisational and workforce models and elevating employee experience. He said leadership is being tested, skills are becoming obsolete at a faster pace, and employees are expecting workplaces that offer meaning and growth. He added that the conclave will address four questions: how courageous leadership must evolve in volatility, how organisations can combine high performance with care, how human transformation can align with digital transformation and how companies can move from surviving to shaping the future. He also announced the launch of the national CII HR Professional Survey to identify emerging priorities for 2026.
