As people, culture, and technology come together to redefine the rules of the world of work, HR professionals like Harsha Vatnani are reshaping the modern workplace.
In this edition of our Quick 5 Interview series, we spoke with Harsha Vatnani, Director- Human Resources, LSG Sky Chefs India. She shares how values like empathy, accountability, and consistency shape her leadership, and why balancing global consistency with local cultural nuances is key to inclusivity.
She also shares how gamification is turning moments of recognition fun, and the role AI is playing in providing instant gratification, making recognition smarter and faster, but emphasizes that the human touch remains indispensable.
Here is the excerpt from the candid conversation with Harsha Vatnani, who is a global HR professional with 16+ years of overall experience across all HR verticals and across geographies. She has diversified experience in designing and implementing HR Strategy in line with the organization’s goals. With her passion for EE, Wellbeing and AI, she has been a consistent industry speaker and has many awards to her credit, including AdvantageClub.ai’s Most Admired Women Award 2025 in the Leader Category.
Read below
Q1. What values guide you as both a leader and a person? How do these align with the company culture you strive to cultivate?
A1. Wow, great question. Empathy, accountability, and consistency. Those are my three go-to values. I believe that culture isn’t built just through policies, but through daily micro behaviors. When leaders walk the talk, and especially in tough moments, values move from just the posters on the wall to practice.
Q2. What role does HR play in balancing local differences with a unified employee experience? And how do you ensure that this balance still feels fair and inclusive to employees across all regions?
A2. Well, most companies work globally, but it is important to respect the local cultures wherever you’re operating from. And HR is the bridge between context and consistency. So what we do is celebrate all local flavors, languages, festivals, and food, while ensuring that every employee feels the same respect at work. When you offer fairness and opportunity whenever you are in a workplace, inclusion begins, and people start feeling that this is a workplace that you can call your own. And that’s where it matters.
Q3. Gamification is on the rise in employee engagement strategies. What role do you see gamified rewards and recognition programs playing in ensuring a seamless employee experience?
A3. You know, whenever anybody plays a game, you play it to win, right? It’s nice to see yourself win. So gamification definitely turns recognition from a quarterly ritual or a half-yearly ritual into a daily habit. When done right, it builds community, healthy competencies, transparency, and friendly competition. Because recognition feels fun and not forced. So gamification is the way to go in terms of reward spaces.
Q4. With AI now enabling the R&R space, what’s the biggest shift in workplace culture you anticipate in the coming decade, and how are you preparing for it today?
A4. AI is already here, and we have to ride the bandwagon no matter what. What AI will help in R&R is definitely personalize and predict what motivates each employee. If you have a set of rewards that are very generic in nature, it only motivates a section of the population, but not all. And it also marks a shift from annual appreciation cycles to real-time recognition. Of course, if you do something right today, you would love to be recognized today. That’s what AI will help us do. But human touch will still matter. Right. But AI will make it smarter, faster, and fairer.
Q5. What is one legacy you hope to leave, and how do you plan to build a sustainable future for both employees and the organization?
A5. I do really hope to leave behind workplaces that are both high performing and, of course, kind. Because you have to be passionate, you have to be compassionate too. And that’s what matters. Sustainability isn’t just about longevity. It’s about how people feel while they’re building the future. If they grow, if people grow, then the organization grows as well.
Conclusion
This conversation with Harsha underscores that while AI and gamification will transform engagement, the real essence of leadership lies in kindness, fairness, and the everyday values leaders demonstrate. As organizations evolve, leaders like Harsha remind us that culture isn’t built in boardrooms; it’s created through daily actions that leave people feeling respected and recognized.
We have many more such interesting conversations lined up for you. Stay tuned!
