Knauf India has appointed Pallavi Poddar as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO).
“Every transition brings with it learning, reflection, and renewed energy, and I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute, build, and grow with the team here. Looking forward to working closely with colleagues across the organisation and creating meaningful impact together,” says Pallavi Poddar.
In her new role, Poddar will be responsible for shaping the people agenda at the building materials firm, with a focus on organisational capability, talent development, and the creation of a future-ready, agile culture aligned with Knauf’s growth ambitions in India.
Poddar brings over two decades of HR leadership experience across manufacturing and industrial sectors. She was most recently CHRO at Fenesta Windows (a DCM Shriram Group company), a role she held from November 2022, where she led talent strategy across the Fenesta businesses and worked to position Fenesta as a best place to work. Prior to Fenesta, she served as Regional HR Director — India, Middle East and Africa at Ingersoll Rand for close to five years, overseeing HR strategy across a multi-geography mandate.
Her career spans globally recognised organisations, including Schneider Electric, Nestlé, and Saint-Gobain. Between 2017 and 2018, she also served as Director of her own venture, ASESA Talent Partners. She started her career at Saint-Gobain as Assistant Manager — HR in May 2004.
Poddar holds an MBA in HR from Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune. Her leadership philosophy centres on aligning people and business priorities seamlessly, building, as she puts it, “organisations grounded in trust, clarity, and accountability.” She has been recognised as one of India’s Most Agile HR Leaders in the 2025–26 HR Excellence cohort.
Knauf India is the Indian arm of Knauf Group, a Germany-headquartered global leader in building materials, with a significant presence in the construction and infrastructure segments.
