2025 JUDGE'S PROFILE

Ruchika Pal
Group Head – HR
Apollo Tyres
Ruchika is a seasoned HR professional with a comprehensive grasp of talent management across various regions, across the globe. With over two decades of hands-on experience, she has spent more than ten years with Mercer Consulting, where she honed her expertise in delivering strategic HR solutions to a diverse clientele. Her tenure at Mercer has equipped her with a deep understanding of the intricacies of global HR practices, enabling her to navigate complex challenges and deliver impactful results.
In her career, Ruchika has spearheaded a team of consultants and provided strategic guidance to organisations, enhancing their capabilities to source talent and knowledge on a global scale. She has helped align talent and learning strategies, employee rewards, and HR technology with broader business objectives and employee growth. During her consulting career, Ruchika has delivered on implementing HR strategies that not only address immediate talent needs but also anticipate and prepare for future market dynamics. Her consultative approach involves collaborating closely with business leaders to ensure that HR initiatives are fully aligned with organisational goals, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
Her expertise encompasses various HR specialties, such as job evaluation, organisational effectiveness, talent management, executive and broad-based compensation, performance management, succession planning, leadership competencies, performance management design and goal setting, employee engagement, learning and development, and expatriate compensation. She is also a skilled trainer, having facilitated numerous workshops.
Currently, Ruchika partners with the business to deliver on global priorities. She oversees talent management, learning and development, performance management, global rewards and mobility, HR policy formulation, and HR technology implementation in this role. Additionally, she serves as the global HR Business Partner Head for all global functions, offering counsel and support to HR Business Partners in rewards, performance management, talent development, employee engagement, learning and development, global mobility, and HR technology.
She has contributed numerous articles to respected international platforms, sharing insights on human resources, leadership, and organisational development.
View other 2025 Judges’ Profile

Anish Lalchandani
Global Head of Talent Management
A.P. Moller – Maersk

Rajaswari
Group Director, Human Resource Division
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Ruchika Pal
Group Head - HR
Apollo Tyres

Rahul Kalia
Vice President HR AMEA
Barry Callebaut

Gareth Poh
Former Regional Head of HR
C.H. Robinson

Jia Mun Loon
VP, Talent Management and Engagement
CIMB Singapore

Florence Tan
Head of Singapore HR, Global Ops
Collins Aerospace

Jonathan Joo
Regional Director of People & Culture
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore

Azrina Mansor
Head/Deputy Director APAC Talent Acquisition
GlobalFoundries Singapore

Sameen Khan
Regional HR Director (APAC/MEA)
Grey Global (WPP)

Jayaram Philkana
Group CHRO
Indorama Corporation

Allan Chong
Deputy Director of Talent Attraction and Acquisition
Nanyang Technological University Singapore

Aaron Lim
Global Director of People and Culture
International SOS

Tina Sharma
Lead, People and Culture for Asia
National Australia Bank

Woei Woei Goh
Deputy Director – Talent Acquisition
National University of Singapore

Gerard Lai
Assistant Vice President, Learning & Development
Parkway College (IHH Healthcare)

Julia Koh
Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO)
Sunningdale Tech