India, November 2025 — Mahesh Balasubramanian has stepped into his new role as Head of Assessment & Succession – Digital at Korn Ferry, bringing with him an accomplished career spanning leadership assessment, succession planning, digital talent solutions, HR systems, analytics, and employer branding across India and the broader APAC region. With over two decades of deep experience across global organizations including DHL Express, Aon, SHL, HireRight, and Monster, he now joins Korn Ferry to further strengthen its digital assessment capabilities and succession readiness across key markets.
Before joining Korn Ferry, Mahesh Balasubramanian served for over three years at DHL Express as Senior Lead – APAC Talent Acquisition, HR Systems & Analytics, Talent Assessments, and Employer Branding. In this role, he led talent initiatives spanning 24 countries (excluding China), driving world-class employee experiences through strategic oversight of talent acquisition, onboarding, analytics, and assessment/development centres. His work involved partnering closely with Country HR Heads to enhance leadership pipelines and talent effectiveness across a vast multi-country footprint.
Prior to DHL Express, Mahesh spent close to three years with Aon as Regional Head – Southeast Asia, Leadership Assessments & Development, splitting his contributions across Singapore and India. Here, he played a pivotal role in launching and scaling the leadership assessment business in Southeast Asia, achieving strong year-over-year revenue growth and expanding operations into Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. He built a cross-border team, implemented data-driven assessment frameworks, and elevated client retention by a significant margin—strengthening Aon’s presence in the region.
Earlier, Mahesh contributed three impactful years at SHL as Regional Director, overseeing Southern India markets including Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. His mandate spanned leadership assessments, AC/DC, succession planning, leadership coaching, and client partnerships—building SHL’s strategic footprint across the region and strengthening relationships with senior leadership stakeholders.
Before SHL, Mahesh served as India Manager at HireRight for two years, where he deepened his expertise in stakeholder management and operational leadership. Prior to HireRight, he spent over four years with Aon as Regional Director – South and East India, driving HRIS, multi-state payroll processes, stakeholder engagement, and strategic HR partnerships across key Indian markets.
At the beginning of his career, Mahesh spent six foundational years at Monster as Strategic Account Manager, where he strengthened his capabilities in client management, recruitment solutions, and industry partnerships—laying the groundwork for his later success in talent, assessments, and HR leadership across global ecosystems.
Mahesh Balasubramanian holds an MBA in Marketing from Indus Business Academy (IBA), Bangalore, which provided the academic foundation for his career in talent management, HR technology, and leadership development.
About Korn Ferry
Korn Ferry is a global consulting firm that powers performance by unlocking the potential of people and organizations. With a deep commitment to synchronizing strategy, operations, and talent, Korn Ferry accelerates performance and fuels long-term growth for the world’s most forward-thinking companies. Its integrated solutions enable organizations to build capability, inspire transformation, and drive legacy-building impact across industries worldwide.
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