Joined as Management Trainee, Natwar Kadel is now Hyundai Motor India's Vertical Head

Time of India

19-06-2025

Hyundai Motor India
has appointed Dr
Natwar Kadel
as Associate Vice President and
Vertical Head - Human Resources
, HR Strategy and People Strategy.
Kadel's journey with
Hyundai
began in 2007 when he joined the company as a Management Trainee in Chennai. Within a year, he was promoted to Assistant Manager - Human Resources in 2008.
Over the past 16 years, Kadel has grown within the organisation, and has now transitioned in his new role of leading the HR division in India. Prior to this role, he was the Head of HR, HRD Strategy, Corporate HR and People Strategy at Hyundai Motor India.
In his new role, Kadel will report to Youngmyung Park, Vice President and Function Head - People Strategy, Hyundai Motor India.
'My key roles and responsibilities will be to drive global-standard HR practices, leading talent acquisition, talent experience, talent development, talent management and talent sustainability areas, guiding compensation and benefits strategies, and managing leadership development initiatives. It also includes timely execution of major HR projects while fostering a culture of agility, innovation and inclusivity to support Hyundai Motor India's long-term growth and achievement of business goals,' Kadel told ETHRWorld.
The journey
Speaking about his journey and the principles, Kadel shared that a deep belief in ownership with accountability has been central to his growth as he never viewed his role as just a job, but as a stewardship of the business and its people. This mindset enabled him to take on bold, enterprise-wide challenges.
Kadel further said that building a culture rooted in trust and empathy has always been a priority, especially during critical periods such as labour scenarios or the pandemic. 'I've held firm to build a culture of trust and empathy - fostering collaboration, independent thinking and inclusive leadership, especially during moments of labour scenarios, or the pandemic,' he added.
And the third priority for Kadel has been a passion for reinvention. 'I've consistently looked at every challenge as an opportunity to reimagine systems, whether it was revamping talent architecture, decentralizing leadership, or championing workforce innovation,' he said.
At Hyundai Motor India, Kadel led certain HR initiatives that aligned talent strategy with business agility.
A cornerstone was architecting the Role-Based Organisation (RBO), streamlining roles and simplifying the structure - accelerating decision-making and enhancing workforce flexibility.
To build future-ready leadership, LEAD Academy was launched, fostering strategic, inclusive and human-centred leaders. Trailblazer and Young Talent Programme (NEXT) were few other initiatives led by him as a part of Hyundai's talent strategy.
With experience in Employee Relations (ER), Kadel's aim was to ensure 100 percent policy compliance and fostering industrial harmony.
Having risen from the grassroots level, Kadel's leadership style is shaped by his journey. He said it holds a strong respect for every role within the organisation and that he believes in the power of listening.
According to Kadel, understanding the true pulse of the business and the language of its people is key to recognizing challenges early and driving collective focus. His transition from a Management Trainee to a strategic leader across diverse domains has given him both perspective and humility.
Top strategic priorities
As the new Vertical Head - Human Resources, Kadel said that his key priorities revolve around building a future-ready, people-centric organisation.
He explained, 'First, I am focused on strengthening our Employee Value Proposition (EVP) - not just to attract top talent, but to deeply engage and retain them.'
'Today's workforce, especially Gen Z, looks for purpose, growth, authenticity and a culture they can connect with. Our EVP must reflect these evolving aspirations by offering meaningful work, continuous learning, wellbeing support and a strong sense of belonging,' he said.
Second, Kadel is committed to fostering a sustainable high-performance culture - one that empowers teams, drives innovation, and ensures every employee understands how their contributions connect to the broader business goals. Creating such a culture is key to long-term success.
Third, leadership development and robust succession planning remain critical. As Hyundai prepares for future growth and disruption, having a strong internal leadership pipeline is non-negotiable as per Kadel.
'I believe in identifying high-potential talent early, investing in their development, and equipping them to lead through change with confidence,' he added.
Further, Kadel highlighted that as the automotive industry undergoes rapid transformations driven by EVs, AI, and sustainability imperatives, new skills, mindsets and capabilities will define future success.
For this, Hyundai is proactively preparing its workforce to lead the transition. The company is investing significantly in building future-ready talent through high-aspiration programmes like TrailblazHer (Women Leadership Development Programme) and ARISE (Core Talent Programme) which focus on nurturing leadership potential and driving innovation.
In addition, the company is upskilling its employees in emerging competencies, as a smart mobility solutions provider in the truest sense.
Employee strategies
Kadel shared that for the shopfloor employees, cascading values like tenacity, agility and resilience from leadership requires deliberate alignment between belief, behaviour and business rhythm.
For this, Hyundai started role-modelling these behaviours at the top - through decision-making, communication and accountability structures. Then, the company embedded them into everyday systems: performance reviews, learning journeys, townhalls, and manager capability programmes.
At the shopfloor level, it's about simplifying the narrative, celebrating on-ground heroes who live these values, and ensuring supervisors act as cultural conduits.
Kadel concludes that in 2025, the ideal Hyundai Motor India employee will be both, a brand ambassador and a values champion - someone who not only represents the company externally, but also lives and breathes the Hyundai Way internally.