People Move · October 2026

Schneider Electric Elevates Anoop Hiwalay to Director – Human Resources

Schneider Electric elevates Anoop Hiwalay to Director – Human Resources, with responsibility for India's commercial business, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The appointment

Schneider Electric has elevated Anoop Hiwalay to Director – Human Resources, expanding his responsibilities across the company's commercial business in India, along with HR oversight for its operations in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Hiwalay brings around 18 years of experience in human resources, with a career spanning talent acquisition, business HR and people leadership across organisations including Schneider Electric, Jio Platforms, Ola and HSBC.

A broader HR mandate

In his new role, Hiwalay will lead HR for Schneider Electric's commercial business in India. His portfolio will cover multiple business areas, including sales, One Automation, Home Solution, Digital Energy, Power Products, execution centres and strategy.

Alongside his India responsibilities, he will also oversee HR for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, giving the role a wider regional scope.

The expanded mandate marks a significant shift from his earlier focus on talent acquisition towards a broader business-facing HR leadership role.

From Talent Acquisition to Business HR

Hiwalay joined Schneider Electric in 2022 as Director – Talent Acquisition, India and HR Leader for India One Solution.

Before joining Schneider Electric, he was associated with Jio Platforms, where he led talent acquisition for engineering, product and design functions.

Earlier, he served as Senior Director – HR at Ola and held multiple HR and talent acquisition leadership positions at HSBC, including Vice President – HR and Head of Talent Acquisition for its Global Service Centres.

Across these roles, Hiwalay has built experience in talent acquisition as well as broader HR leadership, giving him exposure to both workforce hiring and business-oriented people strategies.

Experience in large-scale talent acquisition

A major part of Anoop Hiwalay's career has been focused on building talent pipelines for large organisations.

At Schneider Electric, his talent acquisition team has been involved in hiring around 4,500 people annually, highlighting the scale of his experience in managing high-volume and strategic talent requirements.

His background in talent acquisition, combined with his experience across HR functions, provides a strong foundation for his expanded business HR responsibilities.

His new role at Schneider Electric

As Director – Human Resources, Hiwalay will work closely with Schneider Electric's commercial businesses in India while also supporting the organisation's people priorities across Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

His portfolio covers a diverse set of businesses and functions, making the role closely connected with workforce planning, talent, employee engagement and business growth.

The position falls within Schneider Electric's broader HR leadership structure under Niharika Mohan, CHRO for the Greater India Zone.

What happens next?

Hiwalay's elevation reflects the increasing role of HR leaders in working directly with business functions rather than focusing only on traditional HR responsibilities.

His move from a primarily talent acquisition-focused position to a wider business HR mandate brings together his experience in hiring, people strategy and organisational leadership.

There is some variation in publicly available reports regarding whether he will continue to oversee Greater India talent acquisition alongside his new responsibilities. HRKatha describes the move as a shift from talent acquisition to broader business HR, while The People's Board reports that he will continue to lead Greater India talent acquisition. The exact scope can therefore be clarified through an official announcement or LinkedIn update from Schneider Electric or Hiwalay.

Hire Route Take

Anoop Hiwalay's elevation highlights how talent acquisition leaders are increasingly moving into broader business HR roles.

His career at Schneider Electric, along with previous experience at Jio Platforms, Ola and HSBC, has given him exposure to both large-scale hiring and wider people management.

With responsibility for India's commercial business as well as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, his new role expands his influence across multiple markets and business functions.

Hire Route will continue tracking the latest HR appointments, leadership movements and people developments across India and global markets.