P&G elevates India-born Bala Purushothaman as its global HR head

P&G, the world’s largest consumer goods company, has promoted Bala Purushothaman to global head of human resources. He will be responsible for the company’s HR operations globally, including managing the company’s global talent pipeline and developing talent leadership strategies and strategies to integrate talent across business functions.

Purushothaman joined P&G in 2011 as its vice president of human resource planning and management development. In this role, he led the creation of a new talent management system and oversaw the implementation of talent analytics capabilities across all P&G functions. Before his work at P&G, Purushothaman held leadership positions with Accenture and Capgemini India.

He will lead P&G’s global human resources organization and report directly to CEO David Taylor Jr.In his new role, Purushothaman will oversee all aspects of P&G’s HR strategy, including talent management, learning and development, employee engagement, compensation and benefits administration, and talent acquisition.

Purushothaman, who was born in Chennai, India, brings with him 20 years of experience as an HR executive in the consumer products sector. He has worked for P&G since 2008 and has served as the organization’s global head of HR since 2016.The hiring of Purushothaman marks the latest step in P&G’s drive to elevate its employees to the highest levels of leadership—and it comes at a time when the company is looking to increase its focus on diversity within its ranks.

Purushothaman has been with P&G for more than 20 years and has held various positions within the company, including director of human resources for Asia Pacific, and most recently as managing director of P&G India. He will report directly to P&G CEO Alan Gershenson.

Purushothaman said that he is excited about his new role. “It’s an amazing opportunity to shape the future of HR at P&G,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with Alan and the rest of our management team to further grow our business while maintaining our uncompromising focus on sustainability and social responsibility.”

Purushothaman has worked at P&G for more than 20 years, most recently as senior vice president of talent and succession at P&G’s North American business. He has also held positions in human resources and leadership development.

In a statement, Purushothaman said he was honored to lead P&G’s HR efforts. “I am energized by this opportunity to lead a team that continues to be one of the most diverse and inclusive organizations in the world,” he said..

Purushothaman is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience in the HR space, holding senior positions at several multinationals including Unilever and Procter & Gamble. He was most recently vice president of human resources for P&G’s brand business, where he oversaw a team of nearly 2,000 employees across four continents.

“Bala has a deep understanding of our people, their skills, and what they need to work well in our organization,” said Anna Maria Chávez, chief operating officer of P&G’s Latin America unit. “We are excited to have him join the team.”