Up close and personal with an HR veteran

In this edition of Up Close and Personal, we speak with Sureash Kumar, Former General Manager of HR, B.Braun Medical.

Who is Sureash Kumar, and how would you describe him? 

The constants of my life have always been my wife, kids, family, and my love for football.

As an HR leader, what do you do each day?

It’s not any different than most: engaging key stakeholders, attending meetings, solving problems, etc. However, I’ve had the privilege to work for some great bosses who taught me that long-term success is built on daily routines that are consistent and predictable to others.

Complete this sentence. HR is…

Engaging people’s hearts and minds to achieve business results.

What’s the best part of being in HR?

The satisfaction that comes from connecting people to the business. Few functions are able to have such contributions in building both people and organisation capability. We also have the added advantage to apply our practices and skillsets across various industries.

What’s the worst part?

How volatile and fast things change these days. This means HR has to manage ambiguity, complexity in resolving people issues, and restructuring and downsizing.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

“Winning the Special Recognition award for Best Change Management Strategies at the 2017 HRM Awards, as part of UTAC’s regional HR team. We established strategic people initiatives and helped build HR capability, which supported UTAC in its transformation to become one, cohesive company”.

What would you be doing if you were not on your current career path?

As an HR leader, my passion has been in developing others and also building HR capability. In that sense, doing consulting work would be a great option for my skillsets.

I understand you’re now taking a break. Why is that so?

It’s been 26 years since I first started working. And this has been with different companies, industries, and countries. The last 10 years especially have been very hectic and challenging. I’ve been thinking of a career break for some time, and thought now would be a good time to take a breather and recharge myself. I’ve always wanted to travel, write, and also spend more time with my family.

What is your next career move?

The key to career longevity has always been about reinventing oneself by taking on different roles, trying different industries, working in diverse regions, and that’s what I will be looking for as an HR practitioner.