Five Minutes With: Apollo Tyres' new Chief Human Resources Officer

Martha Desmond joined Apollo Tyres in 2014 and is a member of their executive team. She reveals the challenges of an aggressive growth plan.

What do you think is the key to being a good Head of HR?

It is essential to understand the business and create an HR agenda which enables the company to meet its short and long-term strategy. In addition, as the HR Head, I believe it is vital to have your finger on the pulse of the company and hence it is imperative to make time to interact with people at all levels in the organisation. This is important so HR can avoid making decisions or developing policies while sitting in isolation in the Head Office. Finally, you need to lead by example and role model the company values through your approach for everyday business challenges.