HRM Asia Watch List 2018: Jaspreet Kakar

As Chief HR Officer of AXA Philippines, Jaspreet Kakar is reimagining the entire suite of HR infrastructure with verve and dexterity.
By: | September 27, 2018

The HRM Asia Watch List 2018 (#hrmwatchlist), brought to you by Armstrong Craven, showcases the brightest next-generation HR leadership talent from across Southeast Asia.

 

 

Since graduating with an MBA in HR in 2003, Jaspreet Kakar has developed an impressive cadre of workforce management experience around the world.

HRM Asia Watch List

Jaspreet Kakar

Chief HR Officer, AXA Philippines

Based in: Manila

HR focus areas: Transformation and Change Management

Favourite aspect of HR: “The opportunity to unleash human potential”

Career-defining moments: Getting drafted into a global leadership development program in 2007  and accepting my current role in 2016.”

He has made the insurance industry his home for the better part of 15 years, beginning with a long stint at Prudential in India, where Kakar was earmarked for the company’s global leadership programme.

This opportunity sent him to the global headquarters in the UK, where he deep-dived into performance management, talent management, and culture change across different markets.

The multi-market work did not stop there: in 2013 – following turns in performance management and business partnership – Kakar headed over to Hong Kong to oversee talent management for AXA across Asia.

There, he successfully led efforts to establish a standard methodology of identifying and training high-potentials across seven Asian markets.

In 2016, he landed in Manila to embark on what he describes as the most challenging and fulfilling role of his career so far – that of Chief HR Officer at AXA Philippines.

“AXA has been growing rapidly, and we have had to build a strong HR infrastructure to support all aspects of this rapid growth: how we hire people, how we on-board people, how we train them, and how we manage the evolution of the company culture,” he notes.

It’s no easy mandate, but that’s exactly what keeps Kakar going. “I’ve sought out challenging assignments throughout my career,” he says.

In the future, he says he might like to serve a short stint in a business role, to expand his horizons and insights. But for the moment, Kakar is excited about the ongoing task ahead of him and his HR team.

As he explains: “Seeing our impact on the business day-to-day has kept me excited to show up every morning.”


The HRM Asia Watch List aims to showcase the up and coming generation of HR leadership talent in Southeast Asia. The list will be unveiled daily between September 27 and October 19, 2018. Check the dedicated microsite for the latest updates, follow #hrmwatchlist on social media, or see below. 

Introduction | Welcome address by Tom Mason

Profile #1: Jaspreet Kakar | Profile #2: Dianne Goette | Profile #3: Chen Fong Tuan

Profile #4: Felicia Teh | Profile #5: Monica Oudang | Profile #6: Evangeline Chua

Profile #7: Agapol Na Songkhla | Profile #8: Clayton Tan | Profile #9: Tony Tan

Profile #10: Vanessa Mercado-Maningas | Profile #11: Jahja Soenarta | Profile #12: Minn Yan

Profile #13: Rudy Afandi | Profile #14: Norazlina Idris

Profile #15: Naveen Chhabra | Profile #16: Monir Azzouzi