Meet Nitin Chandel: UKG's new Group Vice President and India Country Manager

We are pleased to introduce Nitin Chandel as the new Group Vice President and India Country Manager for UKG. With an impressive 27-year career at leading companies such as Microsoft, Visa, and BNY Mellon, Nitin brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for technology. In this interview, Nitin discusses his background, what attracted him to UKG, and his strategic plans to drive innovation and growth at UKG India. 

Welcome to UKG, Nitin! Can you tell us a little about your background and what attracted you to join UKG?

Thank you! I am delighted to be here. I am excited for the future and feel fortunate to have joined UKG at a time when the organization is geared up for strategic growth in the industry. 

I am a technologist at heart! I began my career as a Software Engineer and my passion for technology translated into my expertise in establishing Centers of Excellence, leading large-scale transformations, and building high-performance engineering teams.

UKG was a perfect fit in many ways – UKG India was poised for the next phase of its growth, the belief and conviction around the impact UKG India could have globally, HR Tech being a favorite domain that I had been looking into for some time, and the overall culture of the organization. I was impressed by everyone who talked with me during the interview process. 

What excites you the most about your new role as the Country Manager for India?

I love being a part of an evolving and growing organization. UKG is on a journey to double our revenue, and this means we need to take a different approach on how we do things. While we will continue to grow our headcount, to me the real growth is India’s impact globally. How we continually deliver more and better customer outcomes. That’s what excites me the most!

What are your top priorities for UKG in India over the next year?

The top priority for me is talent. This includes hiring top new talent, as well as nurturing and growing our existing talent base. We need to be equipped with talent that leads us into the next phase of our growth.

Setting up the right structures is as important. I have started partnering with local and global leaders to identify the right initiatives that can be driven from India. We have many pockets where we need to move from being a tactical execution arm, to a strategic location that is delivering customer outcomes. 

As the India Country Manager, I endeavor to ensure that all operations align with our global strategic vision. Breaking silos and working together as “One UKG” is our vision for FY25 and this will help us drive solutions that provide a world-class experience for our customers.

In India, I am focused on enhancing UKG’s brand and presence to attract top talent. We have a very strong culture and the sense of belonging and inclusion that U Krewers feel is what makes us a great place to work. We are looking at sustainable growth for the future and taking our India Center of Excellence to the next level.

What are some of the key challenges you anticipate, and how do you plan to address them?

Over the years, UKG has created credibility for the products we sell, the culture we have, and the values we hold. However, not enough candidates are aware of our amazing culture, incredible products, and our values around belonging, equity, and impact (BE&I), and that is exactly what we need to amplify.

Building the talent brand in India is likely to be the biggest external challenge as we focus on hiring the next generation of leaders. While this might take some time, we do have all the ingredients to be a place where everyone would want to work – high-performing teams, impactful work, and a wonderful culture that lets everyone deliver to their potential. 

Internally the focus would be on continuing to drive ownership, accountability, and empowerment to teams as they focus on delivering customer outcomes. That combined with the focus on efficiency and productivity would set us up to drive significant customer value in a much faster and agile way. We already have global initiatives on these and my focus would be to provide regional emphasis and build momentum. 

Can you share your vision for fostering a collaborative and innovative work culture at UKG India?

My leadership style is inclusive. I like to actively participate with my teams and love keeping an open-door culture. I thrive on creating a positive and energetic work environment that is both fun and productive.

Collaboration is not just a desired behavior but a fundamental aspect of any organization's operations. Creating an environment in which teams collaborate through cross-functional projects/interactions, shared goals, and openly communicate with trust and transparency is what creates a strong foundation for an innovative work culture. One UKG !

Can you share more around UKG’s focus on Belonging, Equity, and Impact (BE&I) initiatives and how are we going to enhance our diversity through external hiring and internal fulfillment.

Our BE&I efforts drive strategy, programs, and initiatives to elevate opportunity for our people, our customers, and our communities. In India, we’ve set goals around building a more equitable and representative workplace. At the beginning of 2022, we set our global goal for representation of women in our workplace at 46%. At the time we set these goals, 27% of our India team identified as women. 

Since 2022, our talent acquisition team has made excellent strides in diverse hiring — and in India, we’ve increased our representation of women in the workforce to 34%. Because of these efforts, and in large part thanks to our India Talent Acquisition team, UKG achieved the global representation goal early.

What strategies do you plan to implement to ensure that UKG continues to attract and retain top talent in India?

Our commitment to building a forward-thinking, inclusive, and exciting workplace ensures that we remain competitive and poised for continued success. We are seeking individuals who are passionate about dynamic SaaS environments and eager to join us during a period of growth and change.

To amplify our culture and what sets us apart as an employer, we have launched an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) and a career site specifically for India, creating a buzz across social media platforms and within premier academic institutions. We also host hackathons to not only attract but also evaluate and onboard the brightest minds in tech.

To broaden our reach beyond Noida and tap into the vibrant talent pools of South India and beyond, we’ve embarked on nationwide hiring drives. These personalized hiring events allow us to engage directly with shortlisted candidates, offering them a unique introduction to our innovative, R&D-focused culture. With diversity and inclusion at the core of our values, these drives are pivotal in fostering a workplace that celebrates varied perspectives, ensuring our teams are both dynamic and representative of the best talent India has to offer.

What role do you see technology and innovation playing in the future growth of UKG in India?

The world we live in is changing by the minute. AI technologies, such as machine learning, have already become widespread over the past few years. By integrating generative AI throughout our entire suite of services, we are transforming the way people access information, analyze insights, and complete critical tasks at work. At UKG, we invest in innovation that serves our customers, our employees and our community. While these are global initiatives, we will double down on these initiatives in India.

Lastly, what message would you like to share as you embark on this new journey?

Our India Centre of Excellence is the largest global centre outside of the U.S. I see huge potential in the talent pool we have and the technology driven customer impact we can create. Customer centricity is the secret ingredient of any successful organization and that is our focus for the future at UKG. We are One Team, One UKG and together we can reach the sky!

Want to join our dynamic team of more than 3,000 U Krewers in India? Learn more.