HRM Asia Watch List 2018: Jaspreet Kakar
- Yamini Chinnuswamy
- Topics: News, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Watch List 2018

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