HROSTRUM NEWSDESK | July 2025 – Leadership Spotlight: R Mahalakshmi has been appointed as Global CHRO of Apollo Tyres, marking a significant milestone in the company’s strategic human capital development initiatives. This appointment reflects Apollo Tyres’ commitment to strengthening its global HR capabilities and advancing organizational excellence across its international operations..
Rich Experience & Previous Appointments
R Mahalakshmi before being appointed as Global Chief Human Resources Officer, she has had a distinguished career of nearly 30 years. bringing vast and diverse HR leadership experience spanning India, Africa, the UK, and Southeast Asia. Before joining Apollo Tyres, she spent almost a decade at Mondelēz International, most recently as Head HR South East Asia, where she led HR strategy across six markets and ten factories, and earlier as Head HR India, driving cultural transformation and talent strategy. Her prior assignments include impactful leadership roles at Airtel, such as Senior Vice President & Global Head of Talent overseeing HR across 20 countries, Global Head Rewards and Organisation Effectiveness, and Vice President & Head Group OD, where she was deeply involved in the M&A journey of Airtel’s expansion into Africa, including post-merger integration and large-scale organisation design. She also led HR for Ranbaxy Laboratories’ Global R&D, worked as General Manager HR at Ballarpur Industries, and earlier in her career built her consulting foundation at EY, Arthur Andersen, and Hewitt Associates, specialising in people strategy, organisational design, and business process transformation.
About Apollo Tyres Limited
Established in 1972 and headquartered in Gurugram, India, Apollo Tyres has evolved into a globally recognized tire manufacturing company. The organization operates manufacturing facilities across India and Europe, serving diverse market segments through its innovation-driven product portfolio and commitment to sustainability initiatives. The company’s strategic focus on high-performance tire solutions and global market expansion creates a dynamic environment for HR leadership and organizational development.
Strategic Implications of the Appointment
The appointment of R Mahalakshmi as Global CHRO signals Apollo Tyres’ strategic intent to enhance global HR capabilities and standardize best practices across international operations, strengthen organizational culture and employee engagement initiatives, advance talent development and succession planning frameworks, and support the company’s continued global expansion and market penetration strategies. Her proven expertise in mergers and acquisitions, coupled with her experience in managing diverse, multi-country operations, positions her to contribute significantly to Apollo Tyres’ growth trajectory and organizational excellence objectives.
On behalf of Hrostrum.com, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to R Mahalakshmi on being named Global CHRO at Apollo Tyres. We wish her great success in steering the company’s people strategy and shaping a truly global and inclusive workplace for the future.
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