Franklin, Tennessee, United States, May 2026 – The State Group has announced that Shilpi James has joined the organization as Vice President of Human Resources. The company stated that she will play a vital role in supporting The State Group’s legacy of integrity, stewardship, and operational excellence as the organization continues its growth across North America.
Bringing more than two decades of global HR leadership experience, Shilpi James joins The State Group following a distinguished 13-year tenure with IBM, where she held several strategic leadership roles across HR transformation, workforce operations, global mobility, compliance, and executive HR partnering. Most recently, she served as Associate Partner, HR Program Leader – IBM Consulting, leading HR strategy and operations for a workforce of more than 2,000 employees. In this role, she partnered closely with senior executives to drive workforce planning, employee engagement, leadership effectiveness, compensation alignment, and organizational performance initiatives across a complex consulting environment.
Prior to that, Shilpi held the role of Global Transformation Leader, HR at IBM, where she spearheaded global HR transformation initiatives and developed scalable workforce and succession planning frameworks supporting long-term organizational resilience and efficiency. Earlier, as HR Program Leader, UK & Ireland Operations, she led strategic HR programs focused on compliance, employee engagement, leadership development, and performance management across regional operations. She also served as Global Immigration Business Operations Leader – India / South Asia / China, helping establish IBM’s global immigration operations across key international markets while strengthening workforce mobility frameworks aligned with business expansion goals.
Before joining IBM, Shilpi James spent nearly six years with UnitedHealth Group as Associate Director – Employee Relations, APAC, where she led HR governance, organizational development, and M&A integration initiatives across ten countries in the Asia-Pacific region. She played a foundational role in helping establish UnitedHealth Group’s India operations and led multiple employee engagement, policy standardization, and HR automation initiatives during a period of rapid regional growth.
Earlier in her career, Shilpi also held HR leadership roles with Vertex and Hero ITES, where she gained experience across recruitment, employee relations, compensation and benefits, workforce planning, employee engagement, and organizational development. Over the course of her career, she has built strong expertise in strategic HR leadership, business partnering, workforce transformation, organizational scalability, and executive coaching.
About The State Group
The State Group is one of North America’s leading multi-trade industrial and specialty services contractors. Established in 1961, the company provides comprehensive electrical, mechanical, and civil services on a single-source basis. Operating across the United States and Canada, The State Group delivers construction, retrofit, maintenance, and emergency services while supporting Fortune 100 manufacturers, property managers, and industrial clients through complex engineering and infrastructure projects.
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