Amrita Bhaumik
Former Vice President, CHRO
Valvoline Global Operations
Episode 331
Architecting Opportunity: Intentional HR Transforms Women's Leadership Journey
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJanuary 27, 2025 · 10:52
Thesis
“Effective HR leadership, particularly for women and women of color, transforms challenges into opportunities through intentional strategy, building inclusive ecosystems, taking calculated risks, continuous learning, and proactive self-advocacy and mentorship.”
Show notes
In this episode of the Built by People podcast, host Dave talks with Amrita Bhaumik, a seasoned HR leader with over two decades of experience. Amrita shares her insights on navigating a career in HR, her experiences in male-dominated industries, and her strategies for creating inclusive work environments. The discussion includes her journey from India to the United States, the importance of mentorship and networking for women leaders, and the evolving role of technology and AI in HR. Sponsored by Previ, the episode highlights actionable advice for organizations aiming to support and develop women leaders. 00:16 Sponsor Message from Previ 00:44 Guest Introduction: Amrita's Career Journey 02:35 Creating Career Pathways for Women in Male-Dominated Industries 04:13 Challenges and Opportunities for Women of Color in Leadership 05:49 Personal Turning Points in Leadership 06:56 Advice for Supporting and Developing Women Leaders 08:27 Leveraging Mentorship and Networking for Career Growth 09:44 Parting Advice and Future of HR 10:42 Conclusion and Thank You
What you'll take away
- 1Organizations must be intentional about creating diverse and inclusive work environments, building an 'enabling ecosystem' with strategic processes, policies, and mentoring.
- 2Women in leadership, especially women of color, have a responsibility to act as role models, take ownership of their careers, and become advocates and mentors for others.
- 3Taking calculated risks, such as international career transitions, can be significant turning points for leadership growth and applying diverse perspectives.
- 4Effective support for women leaders requires specific metrics, holding all leaders accountable, celebrating progress, and adapting strategies based on community-specific data on 'broken rungs.'
- 5Individuals seeking leadership roles, particularly women, should actively ask for opportunities, be intentional about networking, understand the importance of 'PIE' (Performance, Image, Exposure), and embrace learning agility.
What most organizations get wrong
- •Amrita Bhaumik views the specific challenges faced as a woman of color in C-suite roles as 'opportunities versus challenges,' advocating for a mindset shift.
In Amrita's words
“What I like to say is that it's been an interesting mix of having the opportunity to be a very strategic leader, worked with very talented business leaders and a very talented global HR team. To navigate the role of being a strategic leader to implement people, organization, talent, and culture strategies, but at the same time also having the opportunity to work across the world and be a very hands-on leader.”
This highlights her balanced approach to leadership, combining strategic vision with practical implementation across global contexts.
“What I have been blessed with and what I've experienced is firstly, I've had very good mentors and leaders who've been very intentional about the fact that we do need to set up a diverse and inclusive work environment.”
Emphasizes the critical role of intentional leadership and mentorship in fostering diversity.
“I think frankly, I've seen them as opportunities versus challenges.”
A notable contrarian take on how to view the difficulties inherent in C-suite roles, especially for women of color.
“I think a big turning point is the ability to take a risk. And it's, and I do not say that lightly.”
Highlights the importance of courage and stepping outside one's comfort zone for career advancement.
“There's one concept which I hold very dear to my heart, and I call that PIE, which is performance, image, and exposure. Your performance, of course, speaks for you and the results you're achieving, but image and exposure are so important. How do you show up and who speaks about you when you're not in the room? Who's advocating for you?”
Provides a memorable framework for career navigation that goes beyond just achieving results.
“I feel HR has the unique ability to be that architect who can play between both the human psychology as well as technology. So I would encourage all HR leaders to embrace that challenge and try and get at the forefront of it.”
Positions HR as a crucial, forward-thinking function at the intersection of human and technological progress.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Organizations struggle to attract and retain diverse talent, particularly women, into historically male-dominated industries.
- •Companies often lack an intentional, ecosystem-based approach to fostering inclusive environments and clear career pathways for women.
- •A 'broken rung' exists in many career ladders, where women may enter the workforce but struggle to advance to leadership positions, necessitating deeper data analysis beyond initial diversity metrics.
- •Women may inadvertently self-negotiate or hesitate to proactively seek out mentorship, networking, and leadership opportunities, hindering their career progression.
- •Leaders need clear metrics and accountability to effectively drive and sustain progress in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave Zirin shares a little bit about his career in HR
Top HR Executives
What strategies have organizations implemented to create meaningful career pathways for women
What strategies have organizations implemented to create meaningful career pathways for women?
As part of the 7% of women of color in C-suite roles
Challenges faced by women in C-suite
Can you share a personal story about a turning point or decision that was instrumental in leadership
What's a Turning Point in Your Career?
What advice would you give to organizations looking to support and develop women leaders more effectively
How to support and develop women leaders
Amrita has some parting advice for women leaders in HR
Wonders of HR: Amrita Gupta
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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