Ankur Sawhney is the Group People & Culture Director for 7-Eleven at DFI Retail Group, overseeing the people strategy for 7-Eleven operations across China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore. With over 15 years of HR leadership experience, he has led organisational design, culture transformation, and change management initiatives, building high-performance teams and driving business impact.

Earlier in his career, he spent over a decade at Procter & Gamble, holding multiple HR leadership roles, including Director of HR for Supply Chain in Vietnam, where he managed a workforce of over 1,600 employees across Southeast Asia.

In this episode, Ankur shares his journey from engineering to HR leadership across multiple countries and companies, including Procter & Gamble. Delve into the priorities for modern HR, such as talent management, career breaks, and the interplay between organizational culture and technological advancements. Get insights into how retail and FMCG industries differ in employee management and learn about the skills necessary for future-proofing businesses.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:57 Ankur's Career Journey in HR

04:34 The Value of Career Breaks

07:21 Key People Priorities in Retail

09:32 Building and Sustaining Company Culture

17:06 Future Skills and Differences between Retail and FMCG

23:51 The Ideal Workplace of the Future

31:25 Rapid Fire Questions and Conclusions

Resources

[Free] Get this episode key insights here: https://blog.engagerocket.co/the-hr-impact-show/driving-cultural-change-and-engagement-in-retail-ankur-sawhney

Connect with Ankur Sawhney: linkedin.com/in/ankur-sawhney-0a35628

Connect with Dorothy Yiu: linkedin.com/in/dorothy-yiu

Youtube: youtube.com/@TheHRImpactShow

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-hr-impact-show

Thank you for tuning into The HR Impact Show. Don't forget to hit Subscribe! If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share with your friends.

Are you hungry for more? Join our HR Impact Community for monthly insights from global HR leaders and event invites: https://www.engagerocket.co/hrimpact

About The HR Impact Show

Join top global people leaders for honest conversations about how to build and transform high-performing cultures.

Hear from CHROs and HR experts from global and world-renowned organisations as they share their top people analytics tips, leadership journeys, lessons and challenges while navigating the complexities of transformation and the multi-generational and diverse cultures in Asia.

Hosted by Dorothy Yiu, EngageRocket's CEO & Co-founder and Fung Tai, EngageRocket's VP of Customer Success.

Norbert Modla is the Vice President of Human Resources for Greater Asia at Becton Dickinson (BD), a leading global medical device company. With a career spanning the U.S., Europe, and Asia, he has led HR transformation, M&A, and digital innovation initiatives across diverse industries. He also spent over 8 years in consulting, driving large-scale change initiatives. Norbert's passion lies in developing high-functioning organizations and fostering talent, drawing parallels to putting together a winning sports team.

Join Dorothy Yiu in conversation with Norbert Modla, VP of HR for Greater Asia at Becton Dickinson, as they discuss redefining performance and potential in HR. Norbert shares his journey from economist to HR leader and how BD’s “fit for role” framework aligns talent with strategy. They dive into how AI enhances talent development and how BD’s innovative onboarding connects employees with the company’s impactful work. Gain insights into managing change, fostering agility, and creating a high-performing, future-ready workforce.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:01 Welcome to the HR Impact Show

01:23 Guest Introduction: Norbert Modla

01:56 Norbert's Journey into HR

02:56 The Importance of Deep Involvement in HR

03:57 Challenges in HR Transformation

04:42 Managing Change and Talent Development

07:35 Scaling HR Practices with AI

08:09 Cascading Company Vision to Ground Level

22:26 Adapting HR Strategies Across Cultures

27:09 Future of the Workplace

33:58 Rapid Fire Questions and Conclusion

Resources

[Free] Get this episode key insights here: https://blog.engagerocket.co/the-hr-impact-show/fit-for-role-norbert-modla

Connect with Norbert Modla: linkedin.com/in/norbert-modla-2a372913

Connect with Dorothy Yiu: linkedin.com/in/dorothy-yiu

Youtube: youtube.com/@TheHRImpactShow

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-hr-impact-show

Thank you for tuning into The HR Impact Show. Don't forget to hit Subscribe! If you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-Star Review and share with your friends.

Are you hungry for more? Join our HR Impact Community for monthly insights from global HR leaders and event invites: https://www.engagerocket.co/hrimpact

About The HR Impact Show

Join top global people leaders for honest conversations about how to build and transform high-performing cultures.

Hear from CHROs and HR experts from global and world-renowned organisations as they share their top people analytics tips, leadership journeys, lessons and challenges while navigating the complexities of transformation and the multi-generational and diverse cultures in Asia.

Hosted by Dorothy Yiu, EngageRocket's CEO & Co-founder and Fung Tai, EngageRocket's VP of Customer Success.

Benjamin Festin is the Vice President of Human Resources at SP Group, with nearly 20 years of HR leadership across diverse industries. He has led talent strategy, organisational design, and change management initiatives, driving workforce transformation and business impact. Previously, he held key HR leadership roles at Dairy Farm Group and Mediacorp, leading executive development and culture transformation. Earlier in his career, he specialised in change management and human capital advisory at Accenture and Ernst & Young, supporting organisations across Asia-Pacific.

Join Fung, VP of Customer Success at EngageRocket, in this insightful episode of the HR Impact Show featuring Benjamin Festin, Vice President of Human Resources at SP Group. Discover how to foster engagement, lead transformative change, and build future-ready teams leveraging data. Ben shares his journey in HR across diverse organizations and reveals practical strategies for embedding future thinking, agility, and technology in the workplace. Learn about SP Group's initiatives, including leadership competency refreshes and technical skill enhancements, and dive into the role of AI and predictive analytics in HR.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:38 Welcome to the HR Impact Show

01:02 Guest Introduction: Benjamin Festin

01:46 Benjamin's Career Highlights

02:51 Leadership Competency Changes

04:28 Engagement and Difficult Conversations

08:19 Building a Supportive Work Environment

12:42 Future-Proofing the Workforce

20:48 Embracing Technology and AI

24:23 The Ideal Workplace of the Future

31:01 Rapid Fire Questions with Benjamin Festin

Resources

[Free] Get this episode key insights here: https://blog.engagerocket.co/the-hr-impact-show/debunking-hr-myths-embracing-change-benjamin-festin

Connect with Benjamin Festin: linkedin.com/in/benjamin-festin-ihrp-sp-a4761a70

Connect with Fung Tai: linkedin.com/in/fungtai1801

Youtube: youtube.com/@TheHRImpactShow

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-hr-impact-show

Thank you for tuning into The HR Impact Show. Don't...