Sakshi Education
Sameer Wadhawan, vice president - human resource and services, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, has been associated with the company for a year-and-a-half. He is also the senior strategic business partner for Coca- Cola India and South West Asia region.
What is your annual company turnover?
The Coca-Cola Company is the largest beverage company in the world with a turnover of more than $35 billion. Coca-Cola in India is the country’s leading beverage company with a suite of products ranging from carbonated soft drinks to juices and water, with a turnover of R1000 crore in annual sales.
How many employees do you have?
The Coca-Cola system (company plus bottling partners) in India employs more than 25,000 people directly.
What is the average age of your workforce?
35 years.
How many vacancies do you have, on average, every month?
On an average there are 2-3 vacancies that open up every month. In operations, these numbers can be higher.
What job vacancies do you find difficult to fill?
The two areas of environment sustainability and food regulation are relatively difficult to fill. We find it tough to find the right talent in general management and franchise leadership roles.
Your ideal employee in three words…
One who is passionate, has high integrity, and has leadership skills.
What academic qualification do you look for in your middle managers?
Master’s degree in business management for general management roles and master’s or graduate degree for specialised roles.
What is your preferred method of finding new employees?
Head hunters, internal search.
How many years has your oldest employee served?
18 years.
What’s your attrition rate?
Our attrition rates are lower than the benchmark for the industry.
What time do you start and finish business?
We start our day at 8.30am and finish at 5pm. We also provide the option of flexiworking depending upon employee requirements.
How many women do you employ?
25% of our workforce is women.
What is your retention strategy?
As an organisation we have a well-defined career path for our employees, we encourage cross-geography movement and talent development. There is emphasis on creating an inclusive and fun work environment.
Do you have any innovative employment policies?
We have a lot of innovative policies for our employees. To encourage healthy active living among our employees and their families, we have a policy to take up 50% of the cost of sporting equipment, gym membership, health equipment etc, both for the employee and their families. This is over and above the gym and sporting facilities that we provide in the office.
What is the current hiring trend in your industry?
There are huge opportunities for people in franchise management and account management areas. Also, the dynamics in the retail industry is changing. This means that there are plenty of opportunities for good talent.
About Sameer Wadhawan:
Prior to working at Coca- Cola, he was heading the HR services for Nokia Siemens Network Limited and worked there for almost three years.
Wadhawan was associated with Cadence Design Systems for over six years and during his stint with them, he was responsible for leading and provisioning of strategic HR support in the region (India).
He has also worked as a HR business partner with Hewlett Packard for close to five years for their key business units in India – printer and imaging and personal systems – employing over 400 employees with a turnover of $350 million. He ensured HR service delivery to businesses through HR central services team and functional experts.
Wadhawan passed out from XLRI, Jamshedpur, in 1985 after specialising in MBA, human resources.
Source: Shine Jobs
What is your annual company turnover?
The Coca-Cola Company is the largest beverage company in the world with a turnover of more than $35 billion. Coca-Cola in India is the country’s leading beverage company with a suite of products ranging from carbonated soft drinks to juices and water, with a turnover of R1000 crore in annual sales.
How many employees do you have?
The Coca-Cola system (company plus bottling partners) in India employs more than 25,000 people directly.
What is the average age of your workforce?
35 years.
How many vacancies do you have, on average, every month?
On an average there are 2-3 vacancies that open up every month. In operations, these numbers can be higher.
What job vacancies do you find difficult to fill?
The two areas of environment sustainability and food regulation are relatively difficult to fill. We find it tough to find the right talent in general management and franchise leadership roles.
Your ideal employee in three words…
One who is passionate, has high integrity, and has leadership skills.
What academic qualification do you look for in your middle managers?
Master’s degree in business management for general management roles and master’s or graduate degree for specialised roles.
What is your preferred method of finding new employees?
Head hunters, internal search.
How many years has your oldest employee served?
18 years.
What’s your attrition rate?
Our attrition rates are lower than the benchmark for the industry.
What time do you start and finish business?
We start our day at 8.30am and finish at 5pm. We also provide the option of flexiworking depending upon employee requirements.
How many women do you employ?
25% of our workforce is women.
What is your retention strategy?
As an organisation we have a well-defined career path for our employees, we encourage cross-geography movement and talent development. There is emphasis on creating an inclusive and fun work environment.
Do you have any innovative employment policies?
We have a lot of innovative policies for our employees. To encourage healthy active living among our employees and their families, we have a policy to take up 50% of the cost of sporting equipment, gym membership, health equipment etc, both for the employee and their families. This is over and above the gym and sporting facilities that we provide in the office.
What is the current hiring trend in your industry?
There are huge opportunities for people in franchise management and account management areas. Also, the dynamics in the retail industry is changing. This means that there are plenty of opportunities for good talent.
About Sameer Wadhawan:
Prior to working at Coca- Cola, he was heading the HR services for Nokia Siemens Network Limited and worked there for almost three years.
Wadhawan was associated with Cadence Design Systems for over six years and during his stint with them, he was responsible for leading and provisioning of strategic HR support in the region (India).
He has also worked as a HR business partner with Hewlett Packard for close to five years for their key business units in India – printer and imaging and personal systems – employing over 400 employees with a turnover of $350 million. He ensured HR service delivery to businesses through HR central services team and functional experts.
Wadhawan passed out from XLRI, Jamshedpur, in 1985 after specialising in MBA, human resources.
Source: Shine Jobs
Published date : 29 Dec 2011 08:19PM
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