Gurugram, Haryana, India, April 2026 – Knauf India has announced the appointment of Pallavi Poddar as Chief Human Resources Officer, marking a significant step in strengthening its people leadership and organizational capabilities.
In her new role, Pallavi Poddar will lead the company’s HR strategy, focusing on talent transformation, leadership development, organizational effectiveness, and building a high-performance culture aligned with business growth. Her appointment reflects Knauf India’s commitment to driving people-centric transformation as it continues to expand its presence and capabilities.
Prior to joining Knauf India, Pallavi Poddar served as CHRO at Fenesta Windows, where she led enterprise-wide talent strategy and partnered closely with business leadership to drive transformation and growth. She played a key role in strengthening organizational capability through initiatives in leadership development, employee engagement, and HR process optimization.
Before that, she held the position of Regional HR Director – India, Middle East and Africa at Ingersoll Rand, where she led HR strategy across the MEIA region, driving business transformation through organizational design, talent management, and change leadership.
She also gained entrepreneurial experience as Director at ASESA Talent Partners, followed by impactful roles at Schneider Electric, where she contributed as a Senior HR Business Partner across multiple geographies, and at Nestlé, where she led capability-building initiatives for large-scale sales and marketing teams.
Earlier in her career, she worked with Saint-Gobain, where she was instrumental in talent acquisition, performance management, and setting up HR processes for new manufacturing units.
Pallavi Poddar holds an MBA in Human Resources from Symbiosis Center for Management & Human Resource Development. She has also been recognized with the HR TODAY Global Women Leader – HR Excellence Award 2026, highlighting her impact and leadership in the HR domain.
Knauf India is part of the globally renowned Knauf Group, a leading manufacturer of building materials and construction systems. With a strong focus on innovation, sustainability, and quality, the company offers a wide range of solutions across gypsum-based products and systems, contributing to modern construction and infrastructure development.
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