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Ashneet KaurLeadership · People · Future of Work

Scholar and educator in organisational behaviour and HRM.

Faculty in HR-OB at the Indian School of Business and Independent Director of Punjab Communications Limited. Before academia: Deloitte, McKinsey & Company, Atos and two ventures of my own.

Research
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In my words

I am a scholar and educator in Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, working at the intersection of human systems, technological change, and sustainable organization design. My teaching and research focus on building adaptive, ethically grounded workplaces by integrating behavioral insight with emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

My research examines how AI-driven systems impact employee engagement, trust, and cultural evolution, particularly in fast-growing, digitally enabled, and sustainability-focused firms. I also explore the ethical and emotional implications of algorithmic decision-making in HR, with emphasis on privacy, fairness, and well-being. These interests align with a broader commitment to fostering human-centered, high-performance work cultures.

In the classroom, I design and deliver immersive learning experiences using design thinking, rapid prototyping, cinema-based leadership education, and gamified teaching tools. My pedagogical innovations translate complex OB-HR concepts into reflective, practical learning that equips students to lead people and culture in the dynamic and technologically evolving organization.

Standing with her arms folded beside a full-height glass partition that carries her reflection, in a pale blue sari.
Now

Current roles.

April 2026 to present

Independent Director

Punjab Communications Limited (PUNCOM), Government of Punjab

  • Appointed under the Companies Act, 2013 (Section 149) and the SEBI (LODR) Regulations as an Independent Director.
  • Strategic oversight of organisational governance, compliance and performance.
  • Contributes to board-level decision-making on public sector enterprise operations and growth.

Current

Faculty, HR-OB

Indian School of Business

Education

Education and qualifications.

  • Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) logo

    June 2018 to February 2023

    PhD in Human Resource Management

    Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA)

  • Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi logo

    June 2017

    Master of Commerce

    Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi

  • Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi logo

    May 2015

    Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)

    Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi

August 2024 to August 2027

Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

Society for Human Resource Management

2025

Wharton Global Faculty Development Program

The Wharton School: a four-day intensive on creating impactful research and the art of teaching, led by Martine Haas, Lori Rosenkopf, Rahul Kapoor and Matthew Bidwell

February 2022

Doctoral Consortium on Teaching

Centre for Teaching and Learning, IIM Bangalore: effective teaching and building an impactful classroom experience

The path

Professional and academic journey.

Every role on the CV, newest first. The Atos engagement took place during the doctorate at IIM Ahmedabad (2018 to 2023).

  1. April 2026 to present · Board

    Independent Director, Punjab Communications Limited (PUNCOM), Government of Punjab

    • Appointed under the Companies Act, 2013 (Section 149) and the SEBI (LODR) Regulations as an Independent Director.
    • Strategic oversight of organisational governance, compliance and performance.
    • Contributes to board-level decision-making on public sector enterprise operations and growth.

  2. Current · Academic

    Faculty, HR-OB, Indian School of Business

  3. September to November 2025 · Visiting and guest faculty

    Visiting Faculty, University of Pécs, Hungary

    • Taught Sustainable Human Resource Management to global students.

  4. March to April 2025 · Visiting and guest faculty

    Visiting Faculty, Great Lakes Institute of Management and Research, Chennai

    • Taught Netflix and Learn: The Art of Leadership through Movies on the PGPM.

  5. April 2023 to March 2026 · Academic

    Assistant Professor, Organisation and Leadership Studies, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai

    • Taught across eight degree and executive programmes using case studies, simulation, gamification and video-based learning.
    • Customised executive programmes (MDPs) for corporates, government bodies and social-sector organisations.
    • Co-designed three electives: Netflix & Learn, Pitch to Boardroom, and Resilience and Turnaround.
    • Responsible for entrepreneurial ecosystem building through the FiNovate programme under the WISE Tech Acceleration vertical, from 2024.
    • Panellist for participant selection across PGDM, PGPM, the Fellow Programme in Management and executive programmes, from 2023.
    • Mentored first-year PGDM students in the Abhyudaya programme and evaluated the impact of their DoCC visits.
    • Led SPJIMR's video podcast series on AI and Digital Transformation.

  6. February to April 2022 · Visiting and guest faculty

    Visiting Faculty, Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management, Masters Union School of Business, Gurgaon

    • Designed a course on human resource management in new ventures and strategic human resource management.
    • Involved in enrolling the 2022 cohort.

  7. April to May 2019 · Industry

    Management Consultant, Atos Global, Paris, France and Pune, India

    • Developed a human resource retention strategy for the UK, France and India offices.
    • Interviewed more than 50 key project stakeholders.

  8. December 2017 to March 2018 · Visiting and guest faculty

    Guest Faculty, Financial Accounting (B.Com), Bharti College, University of Delhi

    • Taught how to evaluate the financial health of companies from their reported financial statements.
    • Organised career counselling sessions for more than 100 students.

  9. February 2016 to May 2018 · Industry

    Research Analyst, McKinsey & Company, Gurgaon

    • Worked with the Strategy Analytics team on strategy and corporate management.
    • Organised knowledge sessions for executives, experts and partners.

  10. July 2015 to February 2016 · Industry

    Analyst and Internal Auditor, Deloitte USI, Gurgaon

    • Audit work for US clients; organised team sessions and managed team coordination.

  11. July 2013 to July 2015 · Entrepreneurship

    Founder and Co-founder, Digital Start-ups, College Ki Knowledge; Start-up Pal

    • Founded College Ki Knowledge, a digital start-up handling student affairs and daily events.
    • Co-founded Start-up Pal, curating the supply and demand of local sports complexes.
    • Organised digital workshops, events and interviews; designed start-up strategy and ran HR practices.
Consulting

Corporate consulting engagements.

Listed on the CV without dates.

  • ICAI: Systems-based consulting

    Chartered accountancy body. Analysed the key areas of process and leadership improvement in the existing structure of the organisation.

  • Bosch India: Strategic consulting

    Electronics. Analysed strategic improvements to the organisation’s processes toward becoming a “learning organisation”, and developed systems for enhancing diversity and inclusion across verticals.

  • HURL: Management consulting

    Fertiliser. Analysed areas of leadership improvement using interviews and questionnaires. The results on HRM systems were appreciated and accepted by the client organisation.
Advisory work
Research interests

Research interests.

Five themes drawn from the research statement and the published record.

Recognition

Awards and recognition.

  • Best Paper Award, Human Resource Division, Academy of Management, 2023

    “Employee Agility in New Ventures: Investigating the Role of Work Engagement and Trust in Founder in cross-cultural Settings”. Top ten per cent in the division, 83rd Annual Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts.

  • Best Paper Award, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India Biennial Conference, 2023

    “Entrepreneurial Freedom to Work and Quality Listening of Founders: Role of Learning Goal Orientation in Start-up Firms”. One of the top three of 118 entrepreneurship contributions.

  • Best Paper Award, Human Resource Division, Anusandhan RDAIS, 2025

    “When going green turns grey: The ethical implications of abusive supervision in hospitality workplaces”. Best paper in the HR and general management division.
Contributions

Other academic contributions.

Editorial, review and track chair roles

  • Editor-in-Chief, NewsBlast, Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Division, May and September 2025 issues.
  • Member of the Early Career Review Board, Employee Relations: The International Journal, from February 2025.
  • Track Chair, HR/OB area, 3rd Annual Winter Conference on Sustainable Business (WCSB 2024), Great Lakes Institute of Management, Gurgaon, December 2024.
  • Member and reviewer, Academy of Management, Human Resource Management and Entrepreneurship Divisions.
  • Reviewer for international and national journals and conferences.
  • Case reviewer for IIM Bangalore, IIM Raipur and Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies.

Institution building

  • FiNovate Entrepreneurship Program, SPJIMR (2024 onwards): entrepreneurial ecosystem building under the WISE Tech Acceleration vertical.
  • Selection of participants across programmes (2023 onwards): panellist for PGDM, PGPM (one-year MBA), the Fellow Program in Management and executive programmes.
  • University service at IIM Ahmedabad: PhD Representative to the Executive Committee, and Lab Representative.
  • Leads SPJIMR's video podcast series on AI and Digital Transformation, featuring top executives and exploring change management and capability development.

Teaching, conferences and invited talks are on the teaching and academic engagement page.

Writing

Writing for practitioners.

8 articles in outlets including Forbes India, ET-HRWorld, People Matters, CXO Today and Business Manager.

5,900+

Downloads

Partnerships and Resourcefulness: A Venture's Ultimate Growth Hack

More than 5,900 downloads and close to 2,822 site views as of September 2025 — the most-read of more than thirty articles published there since March 2024.

In the room

In the room.

Standing beside the floor-standing signage for the 86th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management in Philadelphia, wearing a conference lanyard.
86th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Philadelphia, August 2026
Presenting beside a large screen at the front of a conference room to an audience seated in rows, several of them taking notes.
Presenting to a conference audience
Standing with a full student cohort crowded together on the tiered steps of a lecture theatre, the lectern and its monitor in the foreground.
With a cohort in a lecture theatre
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