Rajesh Rai: Architecting a Human-Centric Future for Tech Talent

The digital engineering industry today stands at an inflection point defined by an unrelenting war for talent, the rapid disruption of AI, and the urgent need to build resilient cultures in an era of hybrid work. In this landscape, where technology alone is no longer a differentiator, visionary leadership becomes the true catalyst for change. 

Rajesh Rai, Senior Vice President and Head of HR, GlobalLogic APAC and an alumnus of the prestigious XLRI, Jamshedpur, exemplifies this vision. With a diverse career spanning IT digital transformation, ITES, human capital consulting, fashion retail, internet e-commerce, and manufacturing, Rajesh pioneers a human-centric leadership approach, leveraging AI and data to empower people, foster learning and belonging, and drive purposeful innovation for a future-ready workforce.

Having partnered with global CXOs to design and implement tailored talent strategies that drive profitability and growth, Rajesh specializes in GenAI-led talent management, culture transformation, and the evolving future of HR. A certified Gallup CliftonStrengths coach, he is deeply passionate about coaching individuals and teams to unlock their full potential.

The Architect of Culture: Forging a Leadership Path Through Diverse Experience

Rajesh Rai’s path to leadership at GlobalLogic was shaped by strategic, calculated steps that built a versatile skill set for the future of work. Starting in management consulting with Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young, he refined his ability to navigate ambiguity, solve complex problems using data, and manage large-scale challenges across various industries, laying the foundation for his innovative and culturally empathetic leadership.

These skills were tested in defining leadership roles. As a young HR Head at United Colors of Benetton across India and Southeast Asia, he drove cultural and organizational transformation. At Accenture, he mastered scale, managing HR for hundreds of thousands, and at Expedia in Singapore, he led a team of 34+ nationalities, gaining deep global exposure. This trilogy of transformative leadership, scale, and international collaboration shapes his approach today.

As a GlobalLogic leader, Rai applies his expertise to build a modern, human-centric organization, exemplified by AI-powered Career Navigator, development-focused performance processes, and the GLX learning platform. His impact extends to social initiatives like educating 10,000+ children and planting 100,000+ trees annually, shaping a culture that is Smart, Bold, and Human.

Learning the Strategic Power of ‘No’

Every professional journey has challenges, and Rajesh Rai’s was overcommitment. At one point, he took on a role that combined nearly three positions. Despite his dedication, the workload proved unmanageable, teaching him the importance of boundaries, realistic assessment, and focused excellence. 

Overcoming this challenge taught Rajesh Rai the importance of professional boundaries, realistic self-assessment, and prioritization, shaping his belief that true effectiveness comes from focused excellence rather than overextension.

A Multifaceted Strategy Built on Purpose and People

In the competitive digital engineering space, Rajesh Rai credits GlobalLogic’s edge to a personalized people strategy, especially for Gen Z talent. Rooted in hiring Smart, Bold, and Human individuals, it fosters innovation through continuous learning, career growth, and a strong sense of purpose where employees see their impact on clients, communities, and the environment.

For Rajesh, the unique differentiator is that GlobalLogic’s approach is not a checklist of isolated initiatives; instead, it is a rich, interconnected potpourri where a deep culture of care and inclusion is seamlessly enmeshed with purpose, innovation, and growth, creating a singular and powerful employee experience that is unique to GlobalLogic.

Navigating the New Talent Landscape: Five Strategic Shifts

From his experience, Rajesh Rai has observed a fundamental transformation in the talent landscape over the past five years, largely accelerated by the pandemic. He outlines the key shifts and how GlobalLogic is proactively staying ahead of them:

• The Rise of the Human-Machine Partnership: Rajesh highlights AI and technology as key to personalized employee experiences, with GlobalLogic integrating a “Human + Machine” approach into HR to craft tailored engagement strategies.
• The Redefinition of Engagement and Culture: With remote and hybrid work reshaping engagement, GlobalLogic uses creative initiatives to keep distributed talent connected to its core culture.
• The Data-Driven Talent Function: Rajesh highlights the monumental shift from intuition-based to data-based decision-making in HR. GlobalLogic uses advanced analytics to drive precise, effective, and strategic talent decisions.
• The Imperative of Applied Learning: Rajesh emphasizes continuous, application-based learning, with GlobalLogic fostering hands-on upskilling to prepare employees for real-world challenges.
• Navigating a BANI World: Rajesh notes the shift from VUCA to the more challenging BANI environment, and GlobalLogic stays ahead through clear communication, strong support, and agile alignment with its vision.

The Belongingness Advantage

While many companies speak about a people-centric culture, Rajesh Rai highlights “Belongingness” as GlobalLogic’s proprietary framework driving engagement, retention, and innovation. He argues that personalized care is not unique, but GlobalLogic’s authentic and deeply embedded execution sets it apart, delivering measurable results. 

Under Rajesh Rai’s leadership, belonging is central to every employee interaction, creating an inclusive ecosystem where employees and their families feel valued beyond work. This deep connection fosters natural high performance, reflected in engagement scores 10–12 points above industry benchmarks and significantly higher retention, proving authentic care as a powerful competitive advantage.

Internal Investment, External Impact: Validating a Leadership Philosophy

Rajesh firmly believes that a company’s internal people strategy is the ultimate blueprint for its external client success. For him, the most powerful validation of GlobalLogic’s “Tech-First + People-First” approach is how investments in employee development directly translate into superior innovation for clients.

A prime example of Rajesh Rai’s leadership philosophy is GlobalLogic’s annual Talent Summit, where high-potential middle managers are identified and groomed for critical roles, strengthening a pipeline of homegrown leaders rooted in the company’s culture of care and innovation. This internal focus on nurturing talent also fuels external client success, with Generative AI standing out as a key achievement. 

Operating as an “AI-First” company for over three years, GlobalLogic has developed platforms like VelocityAI & Agentic AI capabilities & solutions that enable clients to embed scalable, secure, and human-centric AI, exemplifying how the synergy between talent development and client impact defines Rai’s leadership.

From Listening to Leading: How Feedback Shapes GlobalLogic

For GlobalLogic, the practice of actively soliciting and acting upon feedback is not a periodic initiative but a fundamental cultural tenet, a philosophy passionately embodied by Rajesh Rai that directly fuels its evolution. This deep commitment to listening is the proven catalyst behind many of its most impactful innovations. 

At GlobalLogic, a culture of co-creation drives both internal and external innovation. Flagship programs like the digital learning platform (GLX), AI-powered Career Navigator, and progressive performance management were shaped by employee insights via initiatives like the GlobalLogic Citizens’ Club and ambassador network, leading to inclusive policies, enhanced benefits, and sustainability efforts saving billions of litres of water. Externally, platforms like VelocityAI are crafted from client feedback to address real-world challenges, reflecting leadership’s belief that every voice matters in shaping meaningful innovations, policies, and experiences.

Championing Trust, Compliance, and Employee Well-being at Scale

When asked how GlobalLogic ensures data privacy, compliance, and employee well-being at scale, the company emphasizes that, as part of the Hitachi Group, trust and ethics are not just values but operational cornerstones.

• On data privacy and compliance, GlobalLogic, backed by Hitachi’s governance framework, ensures data privacy and compliance through privacy-by-design practices, regular audits, secure engineering, and mandatory employee training.
• On employee well-being, the company prioritizes holistic support through its Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for confidential guidance, and its partnership with Thrive Global, helping managers build mental, physical, and emotional resilience with science-backed microsteps.
• These initiatives are part of a broader Employee Wellness Strategy that fosters an inclusive and thriving workplace, further reinforced by gender-neutral benefit policies that support employees’ holistic well-being.

In essence, GlobalLogic demonstrates how cutting-edge innovation is balanced with uncompromising integrity, ensuring that data privacy, compliance, and employee well-being are consistently championed at scale.

Strategic Expansion: Building the Future Through Acquisitions, Alliances, and Innovation

GlobalLogic strengthens its leadership in digital product engineering through acquisitions, tech partnerships, and investment in future-ready talent globally

Some recent acquisitions driving growth are –

• Mobiveil (Dec 2023): Enhanced embedded software, ASIC, and system-level engineering with Centers of Excellence in the US and India.

• Katzion (Dec 2023): Expanded automotive mobility offerings and opened new markets in Australia, APAC, the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia.

• Sidero (July 2023): Strengthened cloud-native software development and Communications expertise in Ireland.

• Hexacta (Jan 2023): Added strong Latin American talent in software development, UX, and data engineering.

• Fortech (Nov 2022): Expanded into Romania with one of its largest independent digital engineering firms.

Strategic Technology Moves

• Achieved AWS Premier Tier Partner (May 2025) with 600+ certified engineers across Cloud, Automotive, FinServ, and DevOps.

• Launched VelocityAI, a scalable AI platform for automated testing, streamlined DevOps, and cost reduction.

• Investing in GenAI, quantum computing, and the metaverse to drive innovation-led growth.

• Partnering with India-based GCCs to scale mission-critical digital engineering.

• Expanding through a hub-and-spoke model into Tier II/III cities like Mahbubnagar, focusing on GenAI, data, and GIS solutions.

Future-Ready Workforce

• Built 13 digital academies across Data, DevOps, Blockchain, Leadership, and more.

• Strengthened by GLX (GlobalLogic Learning Experience) and Career Navigator for personalized learning and career growth.

• A deep culture of continuous learning, next-gen innovation, and purpose powers the growth of both the company and its employees. 

Together, these moves reinforce GlobalLogic’s vision to scale innovation, expand global reach, and prepare a workforce for the future.

Awards and recognitions

GlobalLogic’s people-first, tech-driven strategy is validated by awards in talent, engineering, culture, and sustainability.

Here are some of the awards and recognitions:

• In 2025, GlobalLogic globally was recognized with the ATD BEST Award and named a Leader in all four quadrants of the ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Engineering Services.
  
• In 2024, the company was honored as a Top Company for Exceptional Employee Experiences by ETHRWorld, received the Hitachi Innovation Award for Career Navigator

• In 2024, GlobalLogic won the prestigious Resilience Award at the Volvo Cars Supplier Expo.
  
• Also in 2024, GlobalLogic was positioned as a Leader in Software Engineering and a Major Contender in Quality Engineering (QE) by the Everest Group, achieved the AWS Migration Competency Ranking, and earned the EcoVadis Sustainability Silver Ranking.
  
• In 2023, the organization was recognized among the Top 25 Great Places to Work in ITeS/IT, the Top 40 for Cultural Wellness, and the Top 100 Great Places to Work Across India.
  
• That same year, it also won the BCG-Times Group Industry Crusader Award for DEI and was awarded the AWS Migration Competency from Microsoft.
  
• In 2022, GlobalLogic was named a Leader in ISG Provider Lens – Digital Engineering Services, ranked as a Leader in Zinnov Zones ER&D, and secured the #15 position in Everest Group’s Engineering Services Top 50.

Previous Media Features and Thought Leadership

Over the years, GlobalLogic leaders have been consistently featured across reputed HR and business platforms, sharing insights on technology, innovation, and people practices. 

Here are some of the notable mentions:

GlobalLogic Leaders

Arun Pisapati

Autocar Professional – Sep 15, 2024 – India and APAC Will Drive Our Future Growth

Sanjeev Azad

PC Quest – May, 2025 – When Old Meets Bold

Srini Shankar and Piyush Jha joint coverage

Business Standard – Aug 21, 2024 – GlobalLogic to up India staff headcount to 20K from 15K by 2026-end

Rajesh Rai

• People Matters (6th Jan 2025) – TechHR Pulse Mumbai: Transforming L&D through digital innovation
• ETHRWorld (18th Dec 2024) – GenAI for productivity learning grows by 859%: Report
• ETHRWorld (18th Dec 2024) – HR leaders navigate internal adoption of GenAI amid privacy concerns
• People Matters (3rd Dec 2024) – Bridging the inclusion gap for persons with disabilities
• People Matters (10th Oct 2024) – Is mental health finally a priority in Indian workplaces?
• TechGig (9th Oct 2024) – World Mental Health Day: Hybrid work, a flexible future or a mental trap for professionals?
• ETHRWorld (24th Sep 2024) – ET Studio Panel Discussion with Coursera on workplace learning
• People Matters (15th Aug 2024) – The freedom to thrive at work
• The Economic Times (3rd Aug 2024) – India Inc rolls out benefits for employees’ parents, in-laws
• People Matters (5th June 2024) – World Environment Day: How companies are embracing sustainable practices
• ET Studios – HR Connect – Tech-driven HR insights with Shantanu Dhar and Rajesh Rai

An Open Letter to Emerging HR Leaders in Tech and Talent

Dear Emerging HR Leaders,

HR today is not just a support function; it is a strategic driver of business impact. Your credibility will come from shaping talent in ways that directly influence performance and growth.

At the heart of every organization are its people. Understand their skills, where they create the most value, and where they need support. By doing so, you don’t just manage talent, you unlock potential.

Invest in the core. Build stronger skills for tomorrow and help your people grow into better professionals. At the same time, remember that HR holds sensitive information, manages it with absolute integrity, and is “whiter than white.”

Finally, don’t let processes limit you. HR offers immense space for creativity and innovation; use it to design experiences that leave a lasting legacy.

The future of work is unfolding now, and as HR leaders, you are its architects. Lead with empathy, strategy, and courage, and you will shape not just businesses, but lives.

With belief in your journey,
Rajesh Rai

Senior Vice President and Head of HR, GlobalLogic APAC

Key Takeaways:

1. People-Centric Leadership in a Tech-First World.

2. Building Culture Through Belongingness.

3. Strategic Talent Development as a Business Driver.

4. Learning the Power of Focused Excellence.

5. Navigating a Changing Talent Landscape with Innovation.

6.  Purpose Beyond Business Metrics.