Building HR strategy for a telecom company is nothing like building it for an agrochemical manufacturer. Different risks, different regulations, different employee mindsets.
Sarika Bhatt just took on the Group Head - Human Resources role at Novasol Ingredients Pvt. Ltd., and her career shows she's fluent in multiple industrial languages.
Telecom at Ishan Technologies. Agrochemicals at GSP Crop Science Ltd. Steel at VMS TMT PRIVATE LIMITED. Plastics at Texel Industries Ltd.. Electronics at Nextray Technologies. Each sector has its own rhythm. Manufacturing floors operate differently than corporate offices. Compliance frameworks shift. Safety protocols change. Talent expectations vary.
Most HR leaders build depth in one industry. Sarika built range across five.
Novasol Ingredients Pvt Limited isn't a straightforward business either. They're a 20+ year player in specialty food ingredients, exporting and distributing everything from hydro-colloids and emulsifiers to natural fibers, preservatives, and coco products. Their customers span confectionery, bakery, dairy, processed food, pharma, poultry, and cattle feed. That's not one talent strategy. That's multiple workforce ecosystems under one roof.
Her mandate? Elevate the people function across domestic and global markets. Employee relations, talent development, succession planning, org design. The foundational stuff that determines whether a company scales smoothly or breaks under growth pressure.
She's done the end-to-end HR build before. Now she's doing it for a company at the intersection of manufacturing, distribution, and export operations.
At Boardroom CXO, we're noticing more companies in niche B2B sectors prioritizing HR leaders with cross-industry experience. The challenge isn't finding someone who knows your industry. It's finding someone who can adapt frameworks across different operational contexts.
We run an invite-only CXO community with weekly networking and peer learning sessions where HR and business leaders exchange what works across sectors. Interested? DM us.
For HR leaders in manufacturing or distribution: what's the hardest part of building people systems when your workforce is spread across factories, offices, and field operations?
First published on the Boardroom CXO LinkedIn page on 9 December 2025. To correct or remove it, write to [email protected].
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