CEO Insights Magazine

The values of an enterprise are an extension of the belief system that an organization has and people align with the organization for the core values as well as the purpose it fulfils”. This is the ideology of Vijay Pandey, who is currently positioned as the President – HR of Amalgam Steel & Power. “Ensuring that the right values are associated to uphold the organizational ideology, the people process brings together the ideology and the core values to align the people with the organization at all levels”, highlights Vijay to underline the sub processes of the people process by the virtue of his year-long experience in this domain. Starting his career with integrated steel plant in training function, Vijay later moved on to Total quality Management cell. After becoming Head of HR at earlier stage of career, Vijay not only managed a multi-location & diverse workforce, but also led the HR function in various manufacturing companies before joining Amalgam as President HR.

Below is an excerpt of Vijay’s interview with CEO Insights.

How would you define Amalgam Steel & Power Limited as an organization and its position in the market?
A joint venture between Atha & Misra Group, Amalgam Steel is a leading manufacturer of Iron Ore Pellet,
Billet, Sponge Iron, and Structural Rolled Products. The company has witnessed a remarkable turnaround within a very short span of time in the form of acquisition of two renowned manufacturing setups namely Top worth Steels & Power Private Limited and Crest Steel & Power Private Limited in the state of Chhattisgarh. Driven by the growing demand for steel products for power & telecommunication, construction, and heavy industry sectors in the country, the company has a multistage expansion plan both upstream and downstream.

What were the initial challenges that taught you some crucial lessons of HR functions?
The world looks different today. In

just the last 5-10 years, the speed, and more impressively, the scale of change is remarkable. To adapt to these changes and remain relevant, organizations need to be more agile, and the cornerstone to agile organizations is people. In today’s organizations, HR is not only starting to have a stronger voice when discussing corporate strategy, but is also becoming a discipline focused on transformation, beyond transactions.

With the changing industry dynamics, what role should an HR professional play to ensure overall growth of the organization and its resources?
As people demand a better work/life balance, companies need to think about nurturing the whole individual. This can often lead to career mapping, flex time programs, and cross-functional education. Not only do people seek new work experiences, but they no longer work in one job for life because top talent seeks diversity and growth.

As HR professionals, we need to comprehend these novel dynamics and carve strategies that retain and develop talent. But HR can’t do it alone. With all this change, communication channels have multiplied, responses are faster, and people are now prone to more choices. Successfully executing an engaging employee experience, from new talent to developing new leaders, requires involvement digital and physical experiences blend at the user level. So, facility managers, IT, and HR must collaborate to create spaces that give talented workers the inspiration to show-up and a reason to stay.

Another challenge is managing an increasing multigenerational workforce. Organisations need to walk a fine line between creating opportunities for young employees to advance while also ensuring veterans, whose skills are needed in tight labour markets, feel included.

What has been the success mantra that constantly helps you arrive at positive outcomes?
I believe in the ‘Keeping it Simple’ principle. Without the usage of jargon words, I try to communicate in people’s language with utmost

sincerity and transparency. Embracing change, attracting topmost talents, and managing high expectations of the employees were a few challenges in the initial days that gradually got faded in the process of dealing and earning experiences out of them.

As a HR leader, how do you consolidate strategies with overall business objectives?
Creating an environment to maintain a balance between workforce and management is something that a HR professional has to master. In this process, policy making is a key factor that engages both the management and employees. HR plays the role of strategic communicator in terms of preserving transparency, bridging the gaps between the two and bringing in a win-win situation. Above all, when it comes to employees’ satisfaction the factors like individual growth, acknowledgement against result, encouragement to make them perform better come to the fore without which happiness quotient cannot be realized.

Based on your strong professional experience, what advice would you give to the upcoming leaders in the HR industry?
Employees are the sources of all developmental activities in an organisation. They ought to be acknowledged for their performance. Too much discipline and officiousness not only impede the natural skill of exploration and openness, but also slow down the process of receptivity. HR Professionals should ensure that the organization is employee-centric where management considers the workforce as the prime assets and nurtures them in every possible way to make use of their potential to the fullest for organisational growth.

Vijay Pandey, President - HR, Amalgam Steel & Power
After earning his Graduation and Post Graduation Degree from the prestigious Banaras Hindu University(BHU), Vijay later went ahead to pursue Global Advance Management Program from ISB Hyderabad and Kellogg’s School of Management, Chicago. In a span of 25 years, Vijay has worked with numerous leading companies in the manufacturing Sector and earned several awards and accolades in his name.

Awards & Recognition:
Top 101 HR in the country by ET & World HRD Congress, Top 10 Best HR Leaders-2020 by CEO Insights Magazine, HR Excellence Award 2019, HRD India Award 2021 as CHRO of the year