JSW Steel has announced the appointment of Sandiep Batra as President and Chief Human Resources Officer – Steel Corporate, a move that underscores the company’s intent to build a more agile, capability-driven and future-focused workforce. His appointment, effective 18 November 2025, comes at a time when India’s steel sector is undergoing significant technological, digital, and talent restructuring to support global expansion and green steel initiatives.
Batra brings close to three decades of diversified HR leadership across aviation, digital services, telecom, retail, manufacturing, quality systems, and defense. Senior industry executives note that this appointment signals JSW Steel’s ambition to accelerate organisational transformation, embed stronger talent systems, and integrate workforce strategy with long-term capacity expansion.
Before joining JSW Steel, Batra served as CHRO at Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, where he oversaw people strategy for eight airports and multiple joint ventures. His tenure included major digital HR rollouts, workforce modernization efforts, and cultural alignment across asset-heavy and customer-centric operations. Prior to this, he held leadership roles at Landmark Group, Vodafone Idea Limited, Vodafone, Bharti Teletech, Cendant Corporation, and Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd. Across these assignments, he led several organisation-level interventions, including large-scale HR transformations, post-merger integrations, succession frameworks and leadership capability building.
Batra’s corporate career began after six years with the Indian Army, where he served as a commissioned officer responsible for operational management and the welfare of nearly 700 soldiers. This military grounding has often been cited by colleagues as a defining factor in his disciplined, systems-oriented leadership approach.
His experience spans multiple business environments, including global matrix structures, multi-location talent operations, and technology-enabled HR processes. He has been associated with transformational programs such as the Vodafone-Idea merger, operating model redesigns, and enterprise-wide cultural change initiatives. These roles have allowed him to build expertise in areas such as business partnering, talent development, M&A-related HR planning, and organisation effectiveness.
An alumnus of the University of Delhi and IIM Calcutta, Batra is recognised for blending strategic HR thinking with a people-first approach. At JSW Steel, he is expected to lead capability building across steel operations, strengthen leadership pipelines, bolster digital HR systems, and support the company’s broader growth blueprint across domestic and global markets.
Industry watchers view this appointment as part of JSW Steel’s wider shift toward building a high-performance workforce equipped for new-age manufacturing, sustainability mandates, and global competitiveness. With India’s steel consumption and capacity expansion on the rise, the company’s HR strategy is expected to play a pivotal role in driving operational excellence and preparing for the next phase of growth.
