SKF India Announces Bhavna Panigrahi as Its New CHRO

SKF India Ltd (Automotive) has announced the appointment of Bhavna Panigrahi as its Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). In her new role, she will lead the company’s people and organizational strategy, working closely with the leadership team to support business priorities, enable long-term growth, and strengthen a culture centered on inclusion, performance, and innovation.

As CHRO, Bhavna will oversee key areas including talent management, leadership development, HR operations, industrial relations, organizational effectiveness, and culture building. She will be responsible for aligning human capital initiatives with business objectives to ensure the organization remains agile and prepared to respond to evolving market and technology demands, with a continued focus on performance and continuous learning.

Bhavna shared:
“Calm leadership and inclusive innovation unlock creativity and resilience. As SKF India enters its next phase of growth, I am committed to building people strategies that are closely aligned with business goals, strengthen leadership capability, and foster an inclusive environment where individuals and teams can thrive. At SKF, we move people further and I look forward to contributing to sustainable value creation for people, business, and society.”

Bhavna’s Career Highlights

Bhavna brings over 18 years of experience in human resources, having worked with several leading organizations. She joined SKF India in 2022 as HR Head – Technology Development and later took on the role of Head HR for the Automotive business. In these roles, she led initiatives across people experience, talent acquisition, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), contributing to improved organizational outcomes and business performance.

The appointment reflects SKF India’s focus on strengthening people leadership as a key driver of progress in the automotive manufacturing sector. By emphasizing talent development, inclusion, and leadership capability, the company aims to build an organization equipped to navigate industry changes, support innovation, and deliver sustained value to customers, employees, and communities.