Welspun Living Elevates Rakhi Shukla as DGM & Business HR Head for Domestic Home Textile and Flooring Business

Welspun Living has elevated Rakhi Shukla to Deputy General Manager – Business HR Head for its Domestic Home Textile & Flooring Business, expanding her leadership mandate across one of the company’s key business verticals.

The appointment marks a significant step in Shukla’s journey with Welspun and reflects the organisation’s focus on developing leadership talent from within. With more than 17 years of experience across human resources, talent acquisition and organisational development, she will now take on a broader role connecting people strategy with business priorities.

From Sales HR to Business Leadership

Shukla joined Welspun in February 2024 as Lead Sales HRBP. During her tenure, her responsibilities expanded across multiple areas of HR, including Sales HR, Enabling HR, Employee Experience & Culture and Talent Acquisition.

She subsequently took on the role of Interim Head HR for the Domestic Home Textile & Flooring Business, giving her an opportunity to lead the people function through a period of transition.

Her elevation to the permanent leadership position follows this experience and represents a natural progression in her career within Welspun.

A Broader People Strategy Mandate

As Business HR Head, Shukla will be responsible for driving people priorities aligned with the growth and operational requirements of the Domestic Home Textile & Flooring Business.

Her experience across HR business partnering, talent acquisition, organisational effectiveness and leadership development positions her to work closely with business leadership on areas such as:

• Organisational capability building
• Talent acquisition and workforce planning
• Leadership development
• Employee engagement and experience
• Performance and talent management
• HR business partnering
• Culture and organisational effectiveness

The expanded mandate comes at a time when HR functions are increasingly expected to operate as strategic business partners rather than solely as support functions.

Nearly Seven Years with Lactalis Group

Before joining Welspun, Shukla spent nearly seven years with Lactalis Group, where she progressed into the role of Senior Manager – Commercial/Sales HRBP & Talent Acquisition.

Her experience there included commercial HR partnering, talent acquisition, talent management and leadership development, giving her exposure to both business-facing HR and broader people initiatives.

Earlier in her career, she worked with Bajaj Processpack and in-tech Group India, where she developed experience across talent development, workforce planning, employee engagement, performance management and leadership capability building.

Building Leadership Through Internal Mobility

Shukla’s career progression at Welspun highlights a broader trend in corporate HR: organisations are increasingly investing in internal mobility and developing leaders through diverse business experiences.

Rather than moving directly into a senior mandate, HR leaders often build their leadership profile by taking on progressively wider responsibilities, working across functions and demonstrating their ability to translate people initiatives into business outcomes.

Shukla’s journey at Welspun—from Sales HR business partnering to cross-functional HR responsibilities and interim business leadership—reflects this approach.

Focus on People and Business Growth

In her new role, Shukla is expected to focus on strengthening organisational capabilities while aligning the people agenda with the business’s growth objectives.

Her appointment also comes with extensive experience in stakeholder management, talent strategy and leadership development, areas that are increasingly critical as organisations navigate changing workforce expectations and evolving business models.

She holds an MBA in Human Resources from GLA University and a B.Sc. from Kanpur University.

With her expanded mandate, Shukla’s latest elevation marks another milestone in her HR leadership journey and reinforces Welspun Living’s focus on building capable leaders who understand both people and business priorities.