Meet Dr. Ankita Singh, the Senior Vice President and Global Head of HR at CIGNEX, a global company that offers solutions, services, and platforms on open source, cloud, and automation technologies. Since 2000 the company has been delivering enterprise-class solutions that can be built using leading platforms and can be integrated with existing systems to achieve unparalleled results.
Dr. Ankita has been a part of the group for the last 17 years. As a Senior Vice President and Global Head of HR and other business-enabling functions, she is responsible for enabling business through people, processes, practices, and passion.
She holds a Ph.D. in Management and is a gold medalist in BBA and MBA. Ankita has completed HR and Business Strategy-related Executive Management Programs from IIM-A, XLRI, and ISB-Hyderabad. She also holds the “Sustainable Business Strategy” certification from the Harvard Business Online School.
Thanks to her continuous endeavor as an HR leader, Forbes India and Great Manager Insitute has recognized Dr. Ankita as one of the Top 100 People Manager in India for three consecutive years, 2019, 2020, and 2021. She has also been recognized as one of the Top 40 Change Management Gurus 2022, Outstanding Women Leader of the year 2022, Outstanding Contribution to Social innovation 2022, Women Leader of the year in 2021, Asia’s 100 Power Leader in HR 2022, India Prime top 100 women Icon 2021, Most Progressive HR Leader 2021, 40 Under 40 for the year 2021.
Dr. Ankita has excelled in establishing various new competitive and innovative initiatives, which has helped CIGNEX Datamatics to be certified as a great place to work for three consecutive years, starting from 2017-18 to 2019-20.
Enabling Betterment of the Society
More than the process, Dr. Ankita is a people person. She feels that one can handle seventy percent of their technical issues if the individual values connect well with the people. The world of business has always been about people and their mindset rather than numbers and processes.
She says, “I value my people; I know that I am nothing if they are not around to support me. Once you reach a particular level in the system, you already have domain experts working for you. It’s wrong to feel that you are the boss or know everything.”
With over twenty-two years of experience in managing and leading various human resources departments, Dr. Ankita has become a well-known figure in the HR industry. She primarily works in leadership development, organizational behavior, culture building, and employee engagement.
Previously She was associated with organizations like Sahara India, Zensar, Hexaware, Datamatics, and Convergys.
Dr. Ankita is also a founder of the HR Association of India, which is a community of leading HR professionals that contributes to the betterment of Human Resources and society.
Recruitment is Changing
Dr. Ankita feels that a few aspects of recruitment have remained forever; people with better human skills were and are preferred over others. One who came prepared with proper research often gets better attention and acceptance. Similarly, candidates with better presentation and communication skills often found it easier to crack an interview. Those who showcased their hunger for learning, adaptability, and collaboration were rated much higher than others.
While a lot has changed, it is still very evident that people believe that technical expertise can be built in a few days/months. However, companies still prefer hiring people who are good at soft skills. As the quote goes, “Hire for attitude, train for skill.”
Living Life with Compassion
Being a single mother and the only female executive member in the company Dr. Ankita Singh lives her life with compassion. She considers herself fortunate to have great support from her family, friends, colleagues, and others. They were all there when she needed them, which has helped her manage obstacles and focus on relevant issues.
She considers her mother to be her true inspiration and mentor. Dr. Ankita Singh feels a true mentor is someone, who listens to you, understands you, and is there for you to support and care but would never take away your ability to act, think, and own.
She always told Dr. Ankita, “Interdependency is important as we are part of society but don’t disremember independence. We need to coexist in the defined system, but the self-core should be strong enough to survive alone if needed.”