Arushi Arora Kathal-Designing Organisations That Scale Through People

Leaders at a Glance

An operations leader at Ooms India, Arushi Arora Kathal scales complex industrial execution by aligning people, process, and technology. She creates highly accessible, structured systems that drive long-term performance and tool adoption, enabling technical frontline teams to continuously adapt, perform, and evolve without disrupting core business operations.

Name: Arushi Arora Kathal
Designation: Chief Technology & People Officer
Company: Ooms India
Industry: Civil Engineering
Country: India

Arushi Arora Kathal-Designing Organisations That Scale Through People

Most technology transformations inside industrial organisations follow a predictable arc. Tools get selected, processes get documented, training gets scheduled, and within weeks, the new system quietly competes with the old habits it was supposed to replace.

The gap between what gets implemented and what actually gets used is where most transformation budgets quietly disappear. Arushi Arora Kathal has spent her career working inside that gap. As Chief Technology and People Officer at Ooms India, she brought a background in data science, machine learning, and organisational systems to one of the more demanding environments a technologist can work in: a technical manufacturing business where operational precision is non-negotiable, and the people who need to adopt new systems are working on the ground, not in front of laptops.

Her conviction, built across nearly a decade spanning ZS Associates, Columbia University, and now Ooms India, is that the success of any system has almost nothing to do with how sophisticated it is and everything to do with whether the people using it had a hand in building it.

In this conversation with The Portfolio Magazine, she spoke about what that belief looks like in practice.

How do you align people, processes, and technology, and what challenges arise?

Many organisations assume technology adoption fails because employees resist change. Our experience suggested otherwise. Several years ago, we invested heavily in SOPs, workflows, and structured processes, yet many of those systems struggled to survive beyond the first week. The processes were sound, but the people expected to use them played little role in their creation.

Once employees began participating in workflow design, identifying bottlenecks, and refining processes before implementation, adoption improved dramatically. Ownership replaced compliance because people could see their input reflected in the outcome. Technology became far easier to deploy once trust existed in the underlying process. Most roadblocks still arise when HR, operations, and technology operate in isolation. Sustainable systems are built when employee insight, operational reality, and technology design evolve together.

How is agentic AI reshaping HR and talent retention?

Employee expectations are changing faster than organisational structures. Delays, fragmented communication, and manual follow-ups were once accepted as normal workplace friction. Today, people are accustomed to instant responses and real-time visibility, and those expectations naturally extend into the workplace. Agentic AI is accelerating that shift by reducing friction in everyday interactions. Requests move faster, updates happen automatically, and information becomes easier to access. Employees notice those differences because responsiveness shapes their experience of the organisation. Retention increasingly reflects the quality of that experience. People want confidence that requests will not disappear, decisions will move consistently, and communication will remain transparent. AI is not replacing the human side of HR; it is raising expectations around how effectively organisations communicate and deliver on commitments.

“Ownership replaces compliance when people stop being asked to follow systems and start helping build them.”

Which HR technologies do you rely on, and how have they improved efficiency?

Technology rarely creates transformation on its own. We prefer to understand how work naturally flows before deciding which tools belong in the process. That approach led us to combine workflow-driven applications, Google Sheets, AppSheet, WhatsApp, and automated tracking systems. Individually, none of these tools is extraordinary. Their value comes from how seamlessly they support day-to-day operations.

Employees interact through familiar channels, requests remain visible, and accountability becomes easier to maintain without constant follow-up. As a result, HR spends less time coordinating activity and more time improving systems and organisational effectiveness.

What capabilities should professionals develop to stay relevant amid talent and skill gaps?

Industrial and infrastructure businesses continue searching for professionals who can navigate operational complexity and solve real-world problems, yet a growing share of talent prefers roles removed from those realities. That disconnect is creating challenges across multiple sectors.

At the same time, access to information is no longer a differentiator. AI can generate answers instantly, making knowledge increasingly accessible. Employers are placing greater value on judgment, adaptability, and the ability to apply information in context because those capabilities remain difficult to automate.

Long-term growth also requires patience. Professionals who can connect knowledge with execution, navigate ambiguity, and take ownership when conditions change will continue creating value regardless of how quickly technology evolves.

How will HR evolve in the coming years, and which skills will become essential?

As organisations grow, complexity increases. Processes multiply, communication becomes harder, and execution gradually drifts away from intent. Much of that complexity eventually surfaces through people systems, which is why HR is moving closer to the centre of business strategy.

Technology will continue improving efficiency, but efficiency alone does not solve structural problems. Clear communication, thoughtful process design, and alignment between leadership decisions and operational reality remain far more important than any platform.

Future HR leaders will need a broader perspective that combines business understanding, systems thinking, and execution awareness. Employee engagement will also be viewed differently. People become more committed when they understand decisions, see their influence reflected in everyday work, and trust the systems around them. Ownership remains one of the strongest drivers of engagement because people support what they help build.