Director · Global Learning & Development

Building leaders,
shaping cultures,
unlocking human potential.

For more than three decades, I have helped enterprises turn people into their greatest competitive advantage — from grassroots communities in rural India to the leadership floors of global corporations.

Organisations I Have Consulted For

PwCL&TGAILDaimlerDanfoss Bharat PetroleumInfosysMaerskAmerican Express GEBechtelMARSLafargeEngineers India BlueStarJK TyresUnitechMotherson Sumi RBSHPNokiaAxis BankICICI AdeccoHTC Global Services
Shalini Nair — Director, Global Learning & Development

Director & Head of Global L&D
HTC Global Services

“I bring the value of human connection and faith in human evolution — physical, mental, emotional and spiritual — to everything I build.”

About Me

Where human values meet corporate rigor

For more than 30 years, I have worked at the intersection of people, leadership, culture and organisational transformation, helping organisations build the human capability required to execute strategy and sustain growth.

As Director – Learning & Development at HTC Global Services, I lead enterprise-wide initiatives spanning leadership development, talent management, succession readiness, assessment, organisational values, culture, coaching, developed women-leadership initiatives, knowledge management and workforce capability. Over 12+ years in this role, I have worked across organisational levels and geographies, translating business priorities into leadership and people strategies.

Today, my professional focus is increasingly on the human side of strategic execution— developing leadership pipelines, strengthening cultures that enable strategy, building future-ready human capability, and helping leaders navigate the complexity and uncertainty of a BANI world with clarity and resilience.

My approach brings together psychology, organisational development, leadership, talent, culture and participatory learning, with a strong belief that sustainable organisational performance depends on the quality of the human systems behind the strategy.

Alongside my organisational work, I am building Skill Sculpt, a leadership development platform focused on young professionals and emerging leaders, particularly women. Skill Sculpt is rooted in the belief that leadership is developed from the inside out—through confidence, self-awareness, clarity, emotional strength, purposeful action and the ability to lead self and others.

I am increasingly focused on the broader strategic questions that shape organisational resilience and sustainable performance—leadership pipeline, succession, culture, talent, workforce transformation and the human capabilities required for organisations to thrive.

I bring the perspective of someone who has worked closely with individuals at organisational level and at the grass roots—connecting strategy with people, leadership with culture, and transformation with human capability.

30+Years of experience
12+Years heading Global L&D at HTC
50+Organizations served
3National L&D awards
0Years transforming human potential
0Global enterprises & NGOs served
0+ Professionals developed
0National L&D leadership awards

Professional Journey

A career built on developing people

From grassroots NGOs to the global leadership floor — one consistent purpose.

Director & Head, Global Learning & Development

HTC Global Services Feb 2014 – Present

Joined as Senior Manager and now lead the Global L&D division of Human Performance — defining, creating and implementing leadership programs that equip the workforce with the right attitude, skills and mindset to carry the organization forward.

  • Designed and scaled the Talent Management Program (TMG) across all levels of management — a year-long journey of classroom sessions, literature, assignments, projects and presentations that builds a ready pipeline of leaders.
  • Established Assessment Centres to identify leadership potential, calibrate capability and strengthen succession readiness across management levels.
  • Launched women leadership programmes — dedicated development journeys enabling women professionals to step confidently into senior leadership roles.
  • Led Knowledge Management initiatives, curating learning assets, expert sessions and communities of practice that embed a sustained learning culture across the enterprise.
  • Refurbished the onboarding and induction experience, creating a “WOW” effect for every new joiner.
  • Spearheaded Organisational Values initiatives — value and culture-sensitization workshops aligning individual and organizational values.
  • Created Self-Renewal sessions — where attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are revisited and redefined.
  • Launched Prabodhana, a coaching-and-mentoring program fostering healthier interpersonal relationships and organizational awareness.

Trainer & Coach

LHH | Adecco Nov 2012 – Jan 2014

Delivered leadership programs for Daimler, Danfoss and Bharat Petroleum, and guided RBS, HP, Nokia and Infosys professionals through career transitions.

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Delivered leadership and soft-skills programs for Daimler (DICV), Danfoss and Bharat Petroleum; provided career-transition coaching to professionals from RBS, HP, Nokia and Infosys.

Training Coordinator (Russia) & HR Manager (North & East India)

Adecco Oct 2010 – Oct 2012

Built Adecco Russia’s HR and training function from scratch, leading a six-person team across two business lines.

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  • Set up the HR and Training department for Adecco Russia from scratch — training matrix, calendars, organization-wide programs, and a Train-the-Trainer program to enable delivery in Russian.
  • Led a team of six managing HR across two business lines — General Staffing and Key Accounts — covering manpower planning, recruitment, talent management, incentives, appraisals and exit formalities.
  • Partnered with operations to drive performance, profitability and the embedding of Adecco’s core values.

Training Consultant

Lee Hecht Harrison (Adecco Group) Apr 2009 – Sep 2010

Designed and delivered emotional intelligence, communication and leadership programs for a blue-chip clientele including PwC, L&T, GAIL and Bechtel.

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Spearheaded content development and delivery in emotional intelligence, business communication, work-life balance, gender sensitization, team building and leadership — serving a blue-chip clientele including PwC, L&T, GAIL, Bechtel, MARS, Lafarge, Motherson Sumi and Engineers India Ltd.

Freelance Trainer-Consultant

Empanelled with Adecco, IL&FS, Bizvantage, Advait Foundation 2008 – 2009

Delivered customer-service excellence for Axis Bank, an accredited ICICI sales-management program, and personality development for engineering and MBA students.

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Delivered corporate trainings — including customer-service excellence for Axis Bank (FDOs) under IL&FS, an accredited ICICI sales management program, and personality development for B.Tech & MBA students at ABES Engineering College.

Roots — Social Sector & Community Development

Viksat · Unnati · Drishti · V.V. Giri National Labour Institute · Drishtee · The Leprosy Mission 1991 – 2008

My professional foundation: participatory training, capacity building and community organizing across Gujarat, Rajasthan and beyond.

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My professional foundation: participatory training, capacity building and community organizing across Gujarat, Rajasthan and beyond — from regenerating forests with Vikram Sarabhai’s Viksat, to organizing pan-India media-advocacy workshops for The Leprosy Mission.

Signature Work

Flagship leadership initiatives

Wooden letter blocks spelling leadership
01

Talent Management Program (TMG)

A year-long, multi-level leadership pipeline program combining classroom sessions, literature, assignments, projects and presentations — ensuring people are ready to take on new challenges and added responsibility.

02

Prabodhana — Coaching & Mentoring

An enterprise coaching-and-mentoring initiative sensitizing employees to projects, organization and one another — establishing healthier interpersonal relationships across the enterprise.

03

Self-Renewal Sessions

Intensive two-day workshops where attitudes, beliefs and behaviors are revisited — giving participants the opportunity to consciously redefine their thought processes and personal agency.

04

Onboarding & Induction Redesign

Refurbished the enterprise onboarding experience end-to-end, creating a “WOW” first impression and accelerating new-joiner productivity and belonging.

05

Value & Culture Alignment

Organization-wide workshops aligning individual values with corporate values — strengthening identity, commitment and the everyday practice of organizational culture.

06

HR & Training Function Build (Adecco Russia)

Designed and stood up an entire HR and training function in Moscow — including a Train-the-Trainer program enabling program delivery in Russian at scale.

07

Assessment Centres

Enterprise assessment centres that identify leadership potential, calibrate current capability and build a credible succession pipeline for senior roles.

08

Women Leadership Programme

Purpose-built development journeys for women professionals — sharpening presence, voice and influence so they can lead at every level of the enterprise.

09

Knowledge Management & Learning Culture

Curated knowledge assets, expert sessions and communities of practice that turn learning from an event into the everyday culture of the organization.

Expertise

Capabilities that move organizations

Leadership & Talent

  • Leadership Development & Pipeline Building
  • Talent Management Programs
  • Coaching & Mentoring
  • Career Transition Coaching
  • Succession Readiness

Organization & Culture

  • Organizational Development
  • Culture & Values Alignment
  • Onboarding & Induction Design
  • Employee Engagement & Retention
  • Change Management

Learning Design

  • Learning Strategy & Architecture
  • Curriculum & Content Development
  • Training of Trainers (ToT)
  • Facilitation & Storytelling
  • Soft Skills & Behavioral Training

HR Leadership

  • HR Function Set-up (Greenfield)
  • Manpower Planning & Recruitment
  • Performance & Appraisal Systems
  • HR Policy Implementation
  • People Operations (North & East India)

Recognition

Awards & accolades

2024

“The Great Indian L&D Leaders”

L&D Vision & Innovations Summit · Transformance · February 2024

Shalini Nair receiving the Great Indian L&D Leaders award
2023

“Top 20 L&D Visionary Leaders”

9th L&D Vision & Innovations Summit & Awards · March 2023

Shalini Nair honoured among Top 20 L&D Visionary Leaders
2022

“L&D Innovation in Leadership Development Program”

7th L&D Vision & Innovations Summit & Awards (won by HTC Global Services) · December 2022

L&D Innovation in Leadership Development Program award, 2022

Featured in PeopleMatters

LinkedIn post celebrating a national L&D leadership recognition
LinkedIn post celebrating an L&D award achievement

bedrock

People before programs — where it all began

My first fifteen years were spent in the social sector — where I learned that genuine development always starts with people and participation.

Viksat · Vikram Sarabhai

Forest regeneration through tripartite cooperation of NGOs, the forest department and local villagers. Formed women’s organizations to protect forests and co-create participatory management rules in Sabarkantha and Mehsana, Gujarat.

Unnati · Participatory Training

Built capacity of grassroots organizations across Gujarat and Rajasthan — developing participatory training methodology and Training of Trainers (TCBT), and studying Panchayati Raj implementation and women’s empowerment in Beawar, Rajasthan.

The Leprosy Mission

Led capacity building for project staff from managers to field volunteers; organized theme-based workshops for other NGOs and single-handedly delivered a pan-India “Media Advocacy for Health” workshop.

Drishti · Media for Empowerment

Contributed to the script of “Tu Zinda Hai” — a film documenting the heroic struggle of women workers of Ekta Parishad for tribal land and forest rights in Bastar and Rajnandgaon.

V.V. Giri National Labour Institute

Organized training for Labour Adjudicators (“Making Adjudication Effective”) and Liaison Officers (“Implementation of Reservation Policy”) at this autonomous government body on labour laws.

Drishtee Foundation

Led a team of trainer-professionals using “Training as a Strategy” to achieve organizational goals in ICT-enabled rural development.

Education & Credentials

A foundation in psychology & human development

Masters in Psychology

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

2023

MSW — Urban & Rural Community Development

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai

1991

BA (Honours) Psychology

Indraprastha College, Delhi University

1989

Certifications

Certificates & credentials

Formal certifications that complement three decades of practice — in coaching, leadership development and human wellbeing.

Career Coaching Certification

Professional career & career-transition coaching credential, comprising:

Ascend — Leadership Development, HTC Global Services Advanced Achieve — Advanced Leadership, HTC Global Services

Organizational Development Certificate

International Institute of Organizational Development · 2010

Counselling Certification

Chennai Counsellors Foundation · 2018

Certified Natural Healer — Reiki Master

Reiki Master certification in natural healing

Also a certified Storyteller, Counselor, Life Skills Coach, and a trained Heartfulness Meditation Trainer with the Heartfulness Institute.

Thought Leadership

Insights & articles

Reflections on learning, leadership and the human side of work — organized into two streams: professional perspectives on L&D, and personal musings.

Learning & Leadership

A young plant growing in sunlight, symbolizing growth

Still Waiting to Be Nominated?

A session scheduled for two hours of collective learning — two people showed up. Sixteen did not. Why isn’t learning a priority, and what would McKinsey’s 3-Horizon model say about how we grow?

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L&D in Organizations: What Should the Focus Be?

Is leadership a skill to be built or an attitude to be nurtured? A reflection on education, heart, mind and evolution — and what L&D should really be developing.

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Su una nota più leggera! — On a lighter note

Cherry blossoms in full bloom, symbolizing serenity

The Independence Day Fiasco

A call to feel another’s pain — on disconnectedness, contracted thinking, and why we must call out the wrongs when we see them.

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Blossoms — Off the Cuff!

An ode to Chennai — a city that respects women — and the liberating feeling of walking its streets without being stared at.

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Here I Am Again — Off the Cuff! (Part 2)

The Chennai Chronicles continue — observations on kindness, straightforwardness, and the Rajni phenomenon.

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Me & Magical Moments

On finally discovering her own free spirit, laughing at the absurd, and welcoming “darling zindagi” instead of the past.

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The Bad Times and the Good

From world-weariness to a man waving at a bus driver — reflections on where we are headed, and the kindness that still shows up.

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Testimonials

What leaders say about working together

“Shalini is a gifted mentor, instructor and exceptional person. She knows a variety of creative methods and ensures you learn what you need to and feel completely comfortable, even when you’re making mistakes. She is always encouraging and positive. With her program on Leadership and her teaching methodologies, I completely transformed my qualities from introvert to extrovert. Shalini is an asset to any organization she is in.”
Dinesh Krishnan Senior Manager, HTC Global Services
“Shalini has a congenial personality, both in the classroom with participants as well as outside. Her deep understanding of the subject at hand and her committed involvement is visible in her programme delivery. She is a great person to be around with, creates a relaxed environment around her, listens to concerns and customizes her approach accordingly. Her interpersonal skills are excellent so that you can naturally trust her and she becomes a friend at work.”
Anubha Agarwal Head of Recruitment & Manpower Planning, Training & Development and Employee Welfare, Engineers India Limited
“Shalini Nair has the mind of a Trainer and heart of an Org Behaviour person while at the same time she has great ability to demonstrate finest skills of a highly conditioned professional in the field. She is a learner by nature which makes her one of the best in what she does. On the other hand, she is a detail-oriented manager which makes her efficient and effective in her role for the project or the team she is a part of.”
Swapna Mishra Core Team Member, Drishtee
“Shalini is an exceptional human being at work; she relates to people instantly, understands them very quickly and communicates effectively. We have jointly facilitated a couple of workshops; I am amazed to see her understanding of different industries and different roles in corporate. She has been very innovative in delivering her part of the workshop and great in giving feedback to me as a true professional. Her endless energy and focus towards program objectives makes her a class apart. I would love to do many more workshops with her and always look for her constructive feedback for my improvement.”
Satish Kumar Bizvantage Training & Consulting Company
“Shalini is a genuine and kind person who assisted me in becoming a better version of myself. She has been known to me for nearly three years and has assisted me in many professional areas as well as taught me about leadership skills. It has been a pleasure to be managed by her for all these years. I consider myself fortunate to have such an excellent mentor.”
Rahul Unnikrishnan Project & Product Leader, TCS
“Shalini is a brilliant and magical Trainer I have come across; there’s so much to take away from her sessions which can change you instantly. Highly skilled, energetic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable — she makes every concept easy to understand! Attended the women’s program for a short duration conducted by Shalini; this course was extremely useful. Really good content I can put to use right away that will increase productivity as well as quality output, both professionally and personally. Looking forward to attending more sessions!”
Nirup Kaveramma NLP Practitioner, Table Space
“Through this program, I have developed a deeper understanding of professionalism and women’s empowerment, both of which are essential for long-term personal and organizational growth. Based on these learnings, I plan to incorporate maintaining clear, respectful, and effective communication with colleagues and stakeholders.”
Tejaswi Gadiraju HTC Global Services
“Being in the moment — the session was really wonderful and helpful. In today’s busy world, we often have many thoughts running in our minds because of different tasks and distractions. This session helped us slow down, think clearly, and find simple ways to handle our thoughts. It’s a good beginning for a long and meaningful journey ahead!”
Mohan HTC Global Services
“I love coming to your training programs and attending them is always a joy. I look forward to each session knowing it will leave me enriched and motivated. Thank you for being such a guiding force and for investing your time and energy in shaping us into more confident, empathetic, and effective individuals. Your contribution makes a lasting difference, and I deeply appreciate all that you do.”
Anoop Mahawar Senior Manager, HTC Global Services
“I wanted to take a moment to share my feedback on the recent training sessions on Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback, Art of Delegation and Decision Making. Your sessions are always very interesting and highly educational. This session was no exception — the content was engaging, insightful, and highly relevant to our day-to-day interactions. The way you explained concepts with practical examples made it easy to understand and apply. Thank you for all the effort you put into designing and delivering such valuable sessions. I truly appreciate it and look forward to attending more of your trainings.”
Indrayanee Sudhakar Senior Manager, HTC Global Services

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