Early on, I imbibed a ‘nothing is impossible’ philosophy

From the very beginning, I felt that building relationships with people is my greatest strength and I knew I wanted to be at the forefront of driving positive change in their lives. This led me to choose my profession. From creating HR systems to creating culture changes, it’s been an enriching and learning-filled impactful 20 years.

Over the years, failure and growth came hand-in-hand, yet, with unwavering clarity of purpose, I have always risen stronger, embracing each challenge as an opportunity to learn. I’ve remained steadfast in pursuing my goals, constantly evolving in the face of any obstacle.

Supported by progressive parents, I developed a ‘Nothing is impossible’ philosophy early on in my life. This not only fueled my pursuit of success but also served as a pillar of resilience – as a result I found myself at ease with the idea of ‘change being the only constant’.

Early on in my career, I undertook an assignment in the UK, but soon realised the limitations of the role and moved back to India. This was a momentary setback that turned to be the springboard to my career! I have deliberately changed my job/ role every three years to expand my skillset, explore diverse industries, and gain valuable experiences. My diverse experiences have been instrumental to me effectively leading the regional people function including a team of over 60 people across 11 countries within Ericsson.

My early successes include setting up the shared services centre to building and growing the HR organisation, implementing benchmark HR practices and processes. At Ericsson we have successfully realigned the businesses, brought in transformative practices, implemented effective strategies to further the cause of employee development and instituted strong ethics and D&I principles. All this while creating value for the business and our customers. I owe this success to a spirited team and my quest to learn and stay curious.

I encourage all professionals to stay curious and never lose the child in them. ‘Question the status quo and follow your passion to carve the road to your dreams’ – I have found these words to ring true. Every time and in every situation!

Priyanka Anand is VP & HR head for South East Asia, Oceania & India at Ericsson