Introduction
Shruti Kashyap is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and the Head of IT for South Asia at Unilever. She is a leader who believes in taking risks, challenging the status quo and learning from every experience. She is also a mother, a runner, a cyclist, and a reader who adds a touch of humour to everything she does.
Early life
Shruti Kashyap was born and brought up in Delhi. Her father was in the government service and did multiple stints across the Revenue Department, Vigilance, etc. Her mother retired as a professor of economics at Delhi University. Shruti was always into her books and excelled in academics. She was disciplined, focused and balanced her studies with extracurricular activities. She completed her schooling from Bal Bharti Public School in Delhi.
Education
Education: BTech, IGIT, Delhi; MBA, NITIE, Mumbai
Shruti followed the herd mentality of pursuing engineering or medicine as a career option. She did her BTech from IGIT in Delhi and later completed her MBA from NITIE in Mumbai. She was offered a job as an intern at HUL and decided to join the company as a management trainee. She was impressed by the legacy, culture, and values of the company and its mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.
Professional Career
Shruti has been with HUL for over 15 years and has experimented with different roles across sales technology, digital marketing, IT strategy, business partnering, and IT leadership. She has led several projects and initiatives that have created an impact on the business, the customers, and society. Some of her notable achievements are:
Leading the HUL-GSK merger, India’s largest FMCG merger, which involved integrating two large organisations with different cultures, systems, and processes.
Launching the Shikhar app, a one-stop shop for all retailers that enabled them to place orders, track stocks, access offers and discounts, during the pandemic-induced lockdowns.
Designing marketing strategies for HUL brands using mobile radio channels to create content for the vernacular markets. This campaign won the Cannes Gold Lion Award, which was a first for Unilever in the mobile category.
Driving a culture of diversity and inclusion within the organisation and beyond through programs such as Women in Cloud, Women in Tech, LGBTQ+ Ally Network and Accessibility Champions.
Shruti became the CIO of HUL in 2019 after being rejected for the same role two years earlier when she applied for post-maternity leave. This rejection shook her but also made her question herself and prepare better for the next opportunity. She is now responsible for the overall IT presence and business in India and South Asia.
Career turning point: Being rejected for the HUL CIO role when I applied post maternity leave. It shook me, made me question myself, and then led to one of the most fulfilling experiences of my career – the GSK HUL merger.
Achievements
Shruti has received several accolades and recognition for her work and leadership. Some of them are:
- Featured in YourStory’s ‘HER Leadership’ series that captures success stories of India’s top enterprise business leaders.
- Awarded as one of the ‘Most Influential Women Leaders’ by ET CIO in 2020.
- Recognised as one of the ‘Top 100 CIOs’ by IDG India in 2019.
- Honoured as one of the ‘Women Super Achievers’ by the World HRD Congress in 2018.
- ET Forty Under 40, 2023
Lifestyle and Hobbies
Shruti is a fitness enthusiast who loves running and cycling. She participates in marathons and triathlons regularly. She also enjoys reading books on history, biographies, and business. She is married and has two children who keep her busy and happy. She describes herself as a “wannabe superwoman” who tries to balance her personal and professional life with grace and humour.
Success Mantra
Success to me: Making yourself dispensable. Once you set a vision, a technology, or a team, it enables you to move on to the next challenge and create your next success.
Shruti defines success as making yourself dispensable. Once you set a vision, a technology, or a team, it enables you to move on to the next challenge and create your next success. She also believes that being a mother makes her a better leader as it teaches her empathy, patience, and resilience. Some of the best advice she ever got are:
- A career is a marathon, not a 100-metre sprint.
- Take risks and acknowledge that risks can go either way.
- Don’t let organisational structures come in the way of earning a great experience.
- Put experience over everything else.
The best advice I ever got: A career is a marathon, not a 100-metre sprint, and being a mother will only make you a better leader.
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