Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, July 2025 – Kumar Anshu has joined Essar Group as Vice President – Human Resources, marking a significant professional milestone alongside a personal one—his relocation to Mumbai. In his new role, Kumar will be heading Talent Management across the Group, shaping leadership development, workforce planning, and HR transformation initiatives aligned with Essar’s renewed focus on green energy and sustainable business practices.
Prior to this, Kumar Anshu served as Human Resources Director at upGrad, where he was responsible for leading HR for the consumer business. He played a pivotal role in driving HR and business transformation initiatives, focusing on organizational design and strategic people practices within the fast-growing edtech ecosystem.
Before upGrad, he was associated with OLX Group for over two years. In his most recent role there, he was Global Head – Organisation Effectiveness & Workforce Planning, where he led transformation initiatives across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. His earlier stint within OLX included leading HR Projects and Workforce Planning globally for OLX Autos, with deep involvement in headcount budgeting, productivity KPIs, and competency frameworks.
Kumar also had an impactful tenure with Ernst & Young Global Consulting Services as Senior Manager – People Advisory Services, where he spearheaded projects in organizational design, change management, and large-scale government and public sector transformation initiatives across India, the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia. His multifaceted roles included setting up HR policies, creating e-learning content strategies, and managing national-level change programs.
Earlier in his career, Kumar Anshu spent nearly nine years with Siemens, where he held several HR leadership roles including Chief Manager – Human Resources, HR Business Partner, and Workforce Planning Professional. His work ranged from strategic workforce planning across global markets to driving change management and productivity improvement in India and Germany.
He began his professional journey at Wipro Technologies as a Project Engineer, and later pursued his post-graduate education in HR from XLRI Jamshedpur, further equipping him with a strong foundation in people strategy and leadership.
About Essar Group
Essar is a global investment firm with a legacy of over five decades in building and transforming assets across core sectors such as Energy, Infrastructure, Metals & Mining, Technology, and Retail. Operating in eight countries, Essar has a revenue base of US$15 billion and employs more than 7,000 professionals. The Group is actively transitioning to a clean energy ecosystem with significant investments in hydrogen, green mobility, and green steel.
Its CSR arm, Essar Foundation, continues to make a nationwide impact in areas including education, healthcare, environment, women empowerment, and livelihood generation.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work