Anupriya Awasthi - Most Inspiring Women Leaders 2025

Leader at a Glance

Anupriya Awasthi is a people-first HR leader who blends analytical precision with authentic empathy to align people, purpose, and performance. A graduate of XLRI, she has shaped culture at SpiceJet, driven excellence at ONICRA, and led transformative initiatives across the aerospace and technology sectors.

Name: Anupriya Awasthi
Designation: Head of Human Resources
Industry: IT Services and Consulting
Country: India

Anupriya Awasthi - Most Inspiring Women Leaders 2025

There’s a moment in every leader’s journey when vision meets vulnerability, when decisions are guided by heart, not handbooks. For Anupriya Awasthi, that moment arrived during a time of organisational turbulence early in her career. As uncertainty rippled across teams, she realised her true role was not just to manage change but to humanise it. “People don’t resist change,” she reflects, “they resist being changed without being heard.”

From shaping culture at SpiceJet to driving process excellence at ONICRA, leading key projects at Capgemini, and influencing transformation within the aerospace sector, Anupriya has consistently aligned people, purpose, and performance. Armed with a strong foundation from XLRI, she combines analytical precision with authentic empathy, turning HR into both a science and an art. Her journey is a story of resilience, reimagination, and redefining success in the meaningful growth of people and culture.

In a candid conversation, she shared her story with The Portfolio Magazine.

What’s one big lesson from your career that taught you how to turn challenges into wins for both people and companies?

One of the biggest lessons my career has taught me is that challenges are not roadblocks, they’re opportunities to realign people, purpose, and performance. Whether it was leading transformations at SpiceJet, driving process excellence at ONICRA, or navigating the evolving aerospace ecosystem, I’ve learned that sustainable wins come when you treat people as partners in the journey, not passengers.

Every challenge, from cultural shifts to business realignments, becomes manageable when you listen deeply, communicate transparently, and empower teams to co-create solutions. Turning resistance into readiness and ambiguity into action has been the cornerstone of my leadership approach. That mindset strengthens organisational resilience and unlocks individual potential because when people grow, the company wins.

Looking back from your days at XLRI to your journey so far, what’s one defining moment that still warms your heart and deepens your love for building great teams?

The moment that truly warms my heart is seeing a team I once nurtured lead with confidence, empathy, and purpose, far beyond my direct influence. One defining experience was during a major organisational transformation when we had to rebuild trust, redefine roles, and reimagine our culture from the ground up.

It wasn’t easy, but watching those who once feared change become champions of it, designing new processes, mentoring others, and celebrating collective success, was deeply fulfilling. It reaffirmed my belief that HR isn’t about managing people; it’s about enabling possibilities. When you lead with authenticity, empower with trust, and align growth with meaning, you don’t just build teams, you build legacies. That’s what fuels my passion every single day.

What major hurdle did you overcome that helped you keep growing in your career? And what tough HR challenge in aviation or aerospace helped you turn things around?

One of the biggest hurdles I’ve overcome was staying anchored in purpose during uncertainty. In aviation and aerospace, volatility is constant, often colliding with business turbulence, rapid technological shifts, and people’s anxieties. I learned that true leadership means being calm in the storm, guiding teams with clarity, compassion, and conviction even when the path is unclear.

A defining challenge arose during a major restructuring, when morale was low and productivity had declined. Instead of treating it as a compliance task, we turned it into a people-centric transformation, opening communication channels, redefining growth pathways, and co-creating transparent goals through the Balanced Scorecard. What began as uncertainty evolved into a cultural reset, reaffirming that HR’s true power lies in empathy and purpose.

As a leader, how would you close India’s talent gaps? What’s one big gap in India’s hiring landscape today, and how can it be fixed?

I believe closing India’s talent gaps begins with inclusion, not as a slogan, but as a sustained strategy. My own journey, including the scholarship I earned early on, taught me that talent exists everywhere; what’s often missing is access and opportunity.

To bridge that gap, organisations must invest in structured skilling pipelines from Tier II and Tier III cities, create apprenticeship-led entry programmes, and empower women and first-generation professionals through mentorship and sponsorship, beyond just training. When potential meets access, excellence follows.

A significant gap in India’s hiring landscape is the overemphasis on experience over capability. We hire for what people have done, not what they can do. Fixing this means shifting to potential-based models, challenging gender biases, and building cultures where diverse talent truly thrives.

Who inspired your HR passion and what’s one lesson from them you share with young professionals?

My passion for HR was shaped by observing leaders who led with both intellect and heart, and one such person is Ms Pallavi Tyagi, EVP and Global HR Head at Capgemini. Although my stint at Capgemini was brief, I had been following her journey since my early days in HR. Her ability to balance business acumen with genuine empathy for people left a lasting impression.

One piece of wisdom from her that I often share is: “HR is not about managing people; it’s about enabling them to thrive.” That simple truth has guided me through every transformation I’ve led. Strategies evolve and systems change, but what truly drives success is the human connection, the courage to listen, the humility to learn, and the passion to help others grow.

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