UK
Director HR Transformation · AI-Driven HR Leader · CHRO-Track

Transforming HR into a Data-Driven, AI-Powered Business Function

Director-level HR leader with 24+ years of global experience across UAE, GCC, APAC & India — driving enterprise HR transformation, digitalization and workforce strategy at scale.

View My ImpactDownload CVConnect on LinkedIn
24+
Years HR leadership
4,000+
Employees managed
45+
Nationalities led
16
Countries (HRMS rollout)
Scroll
Executive Value Proposition

A board-level HR leader built for the AI era.

Director-track HR executive who has led people operations for 4,000+ employees across the GCC, directed enterprise HR transformation, delivered HRMS & analytics at scale, and is integrating AI across the talent lifecycle.

24+ years partnering CEOs and Boards across Real Estate Master Development, Retail (Fashion, Home & Luxury), Hospitality, F&B, Sales & Distribution, Ecommerce and IT — across UAE, GCC, Singapore, APAC and India.

A rare blend of HR strategy, business acumen and technology fluency — translating analytics, automation and AI agents into measurable workforce productivity, cost and culture outcomes.

Core Capabilities

Four strategic pillars. One integrated HR operating system.

01 — HR Transformation
  • HR Operating Model Design
  • Shared Services & Process Optimization
  • HR Governance & Compliance
  • Change Management at Scale
02 — HR Technology & AI
  • HRMS Implementation — Darwinbox, SAP, Oracle
  • AI in HR — automation, analytics, chatbots
  • Data-Driven HR Decision-Making
  • AI Agents & Workflow Automation
03 — Talent & Organization
  • Talent Strategy & Succession Planning
  • Performance & Rewards Transformation
  • Organizational Design
  • Leadership Development
04 — Business Impact
  • Workforce Productivity Improvement
  • HR Cost Optimization
  • Culture & Engagement Transformation
  • Employer Brand & EVP
Career Highlights

Outcomes — not job descriptions.

Selected, measurable results delivered across operating companies, geographies and economic cycles.

01

Top-15 Great Place to Work — UAE

Improved employer brand ranking from #47 (2022) → #17 (2023) → Top 15 (2024) at ARADA.

02

4,000+ employees across 7 GCC markets

Led HR for Home Centre (Landmark Group) across UAE, KSA, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt — 45+ nationalities.

03

Global HRMS rollout across 16 countries

Stood up RAMCO HRMS, policies and performance frameworks across GCC, Egypt, South Africa, APAC and Russia at Sharaf Retail.

04

Power BI HR analytics adopted enterprise-wide

Implemented HR MIS and Power BI dashboards enabling data-driven workforce, productivity and cost decisions.

05

AI integrated across the talent lifecycle

Embedded AI into talent acquisition, engagement, analytics and reporting — paired with Darwinbox HRMS implementation.

06

1,800 employees safeguarded through COVID-19

Designed and executed pandemic-response operating model across GCC retail and warehouse operations.

The Differentiator

AI + HR — built on 24 years of operating reality.

Bringing the discipline of enterprise HR together with the new toolkit of AI, automation and data — designed to deliver business outcomes, not just experiments.

01

AI in Talent Acquisition

Sourcing copilots, screening models and candidate experience automation.

02

AI-driven Performance

SMART KPI generation, calibration, 9-box modelling and continuous feedback.

03

HR Automation & Workflows

n8n, Zapier and RPA orchestrations across the employee lifecycle.

04

HR Chatbots & AI Agents

Always-on employee assistants for policy, payroll and case management.

05

Predictive HR Analytics

Attrition, performance and workforce-planning models on Power BI + Python.

“Currently pursuing an MSc in AI & Machine Learning to lead next-generation HR transformation.”

University of Birmingham, Dubai · 2024–2026
Professional Experience

A 24-year arc — from operator to enterprise HR architect.

  1. Jun 2025 – Present

    Lead HR Digital Transformation

    ARADA Developments · Dubai, UAE

    Real Estate Master Developer · Hospitality · F&B · Wellness

  2. Sept 2022 – May 2025

    Head — Talent Engagement & Performance

    ARADA Developments · Dubai, UAE

    850+ employees across 1,300+ group workforce. GPTW Top-15 UAE.

  3. Jan 2022 – Aug 2022

    HR Business Strategy Consultant

    Ecommerce Startup · UAE & India

    Business and people turnaround; strategy, processes, compliance.

  4. Feb 2016 – Dec 2021

    Senior Manager — HR

    Home Centre, Landmark Group · Dubai, UAE & Riyadh, KSA

    4,000 employees · 7 GCC markets · 45+ nationalities · Oracle ERP.

  5. Mar 2015 – Jan 2016

    CHRO

    Sharaf Retail · Dubai, UAE

    AED 1B turnover, 2,500 employees. RAMCO HRMS across 16 countries.

  6. Mar 2011 – Mar 2015

    Sr. Manager — Lead HR Business Partner

    Raymond Apparel Ltd. · Mumbai, India

    $200M business, 250+ stores, 2,500+ retail staff.

  7. May 2009 – Jan 2011

    Head HR

    BMI, Murjani Group · Mumbai, India

    GUCCI, Bottega Veneta, Jimmy Choo, Calvin Klein, French Connection.

  8. Aug 2005 – Apr 2009

    Head HR & Operations

    BreadTalk · India, Singapore, Malaysia

    Set up India business; international F&B exposure.

  9. 2002 – 2005

    Early career

    Dell Computers · Ybrant Lycos

    QA Specialist; HR Manager.

Technology Stack

The toolkit behind modern, AI-augmented HR.

HR Platforms
  • Darwinbox HRMS
  • Oracle HCM
  • SAP SuccessFactors
  • RAMCO HRMS
Data & Analytics
  • Power BI
  • SQL
  • Python
  • HR Dashboards
AI & Automation
  • OpenAI GPT
  • AWS AI Services
  • n8n.io
  • Zapier
Emerging Capability
  • AI Agents
  • RPA Workflows
  • HR Chatbots
  • Predictive Models
Education & Certifications

A continuously upgraded foundation.

Education

MSc — AI & Machine Learning (ongoing)
University of Birmingham, Dubai · 2024–2026
Full-time MBA — Human Resources
Osmania University, Hyderabad · 2000–2002

Certifications

GPHR Certified
HRCI · SHRM
HRMP Certified
HRCI · SHRM
FCIPD (Level 7) & SHRM-SCP
In progress
Data Science & AI for Managers
IIM Kozhikode (ongoing)
Applied AI & Machine Learning
IIT Madras (ongoing)
AI Strategy, Governance & Ethical AI
Udacity
Managing Talent & Leadership Pipeline
IIM Ahmedabad
Performance & Competency Developer
CAMI, USA
International Training Skills
City & Guilds, UK
OPQ32r Psychometrics
SHL
Thought Leadership

The future of HR is AI-driven, data-led and experience-focused.

I

AI will redefine workforce productivity.

The next productivity frontier sits at the intersection of human judgement and AI-augmented work — and HR owns the operating model.

II

HR moves from operations to strategy.

As automation absorbs transactional work, HR’s mandate becomes capability, culture and capital allocation against talent.

III

Data drives every people decision.

Hiring, performance, pay and succession converge into one analytical surface — explainable, governed and board-ready.

IV

Experience is the new EVP.

Employee experience — designed like a consumer product — becomes the durable differentiator for global employers.

Get in touch

Open to CHRO, VP & Head of HR Transformation mandates — globally.

Email
contactuday@gmail.com
uday@contactuday.com
WhatsApp
+971 50 102 6800
Chat directly →
Location
Dubai, UAE
UAE Golden Visa · Global mandates
LinkedIn
Connect →
/in/uday-kiran-kandarpa-651887a3

Let’s build the next generation of HR — together.

Download Full CV →