You can’t achieve profit without people, and you can’t retain people without profit: KA Narayan, President – HR, Raymond

When <a id=” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/124059218.cms” height=”442″ href=”http://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tag/raymond” keywordseo=”Raymond” loading=”eager” source=”keywords” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” type=”Denny” weightage=”100″ width=”590″>Raymond baton was getting handed over to Gautam Singhania, the company had a strong vision to transform the group and make it far more professional than in the past. The businesses were also organised very differently at that time.

For KA Narayan, President – HR, Raymond, who had already spent 19 years at Wockhardt as Global Head for HR, the opportunity to move into a conglomerate was both new and exciting.

“It’s been a great ride so far. I’ve completed 18 years, so you can imagine how excited and committed I’ve been during this journey and the contribution I’ve tried to make,” he says.

Narayan’s interest in HR began during his student days. India was going through a volatile industrial relations phase, with the textile strike led by Dr Datta Samant and the railway strike by George Fernandes.

“Every company those days had some kind of IR (Industrial Relations) situation, often leading to violence, even murders. That drew my attention. I was actually confused – should I become a lawyer or an HR professional? I completed my law degree but also pursued a post-grad in Personnel Management,” says Narayan.

That’s how the dual background shaped his early career and journey till date.

At Wockhardt, Narayan worked as both General Counsel and Global HR Head, handling acquisitions, building factories and hospitals, and scaling up the business.

Narayan says that at Raymond, the challenge was different, transforming a legacy brand into a modern workplace.

“Here the scale was bigger. At one plant itself, there could be 8,000 to 10,000 people. Today, we manage 35,000 to 40,000 employees across 35 factories. That’s the big difference, the scale and complexity,” he adds.

Having spent nearly two decades at Wockhardt and a similar time frame with Raymond, Narayan firmly believes that tenure matters.

“You can climb the ladder by switching jobs. But how much substance are you really creating? To truly contribute to an organisation’s transformation, you need tenure. Long tenures help build credibility and deeper business understanding,” Narayan adds.

Although his designation at Raymond remained President – HR, Narayan describes his growth as internal.

“I learned how different promoters think, how to manage complex, multi-sector businesses, and how to understand what motivates people at different levels. That allowed me to provide more informed HR advice,” mentions Narayan.

Having spent nearly four decades in the profession, he has seen employee expectations change. When he started, people valued stability and long-term careers.

Today’s Gen Y and Gen Z want flexibility, purpose, work-life balance, quick growth and good pay. Loyalty is no longer the key driver!

His law degree has been an advantage in handling unions, labour issues and M&A deals.

At Raymond, he also had to steer culture change by revamping performance management, linking rewards to performance, and introducing “Joy at Work” initiatives.

One of the toughest moments came early on, when he led the closure of Raymond’s first plant in Thane.

“Letting go of workmen and staff who had been part of the journey for decades wasn’t easy. But we did it with dignity, and many said they felt respected. That goodwill meant a lot,” he says.

Being one of the senior most HR leaders in the industry, Narayan says that securing a seat in the boardroom requires following things from an HR perspective:

1. An intimate understanding of business and geopolitical impact.
2. Digital literacy to navigate disruption.
3. Strategic thinking, combined with strong execution.

Besides this, for Narayan, some lessons have stayed throughout. He advises not to take anything for granted, as past success is no guarantee of future success, and the need to continuously evolve.

Secondly, hiring, too, taught him humility.

“People can have fantastic resumes and track records, but they may not fit your culture. You do your best, but it’s still a gamble,” he adds.

For young HR professionals, Narayan’s advice is to not chase only the glamorous parts of HR. The basic idea should be to understand human psychology, business context, stakeholder management and environment, as future HR leaders must be holistic.

And when it comes to balancing people and profit, he is clear: They’re not opposites, they’re interlinked!

“You can’t achieve profit without people, and you can’t retain people without profit,” Narayan concluded.