Rita Verma

About Rita Verma

I am a transformation‑focused People, Culture, and Diversity & Inclusion leader with over two decades of experience building agile, inclusive, and high‑performing organizations. My work centers on enabling leadership teams to continuously evolve, while aligning people strategies closely with business growth and transformation agendas.I have led end‑to‑end Leadership Development, Culture Building, and D&I strategies across complex and diverse workforces, with a strong emphasis on agility, inclusion, and sustained performance. I partner closely with senior leadership and CEOs to shape organizational culture, support large‑scale change, and drive long‑term capability building.I am globally recognized as an Influential HR and D&I Woman Leader, with a strong track record of driving growth and development across organizations. A key part of my work involves coaching and mentoring women leaders across sectors, designing and leading leadership coaching initiatives that support both personal and professional advancement.I have had the privilege of working with some of the best strategic and creative minds in India, helping shape talent ecosystems that balance innovation, performance, and humanity.Currently, as part of Omnicom Media(OM)—a leading global media network with data at its core—I partner with the Group CEO to drive the organization’s culture, vision, growth, and major group transitions. Omnicom Media comprises the full‑service media networks OMD and PHD, along with several specialty media communications companies, offering unmatched scale, capability, and innovation across media platforms.I have in the past lead the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion agenda\'s and have spearheaded key initiatives, including:Omniwomen – advancing women into senior leadership rolesOPEN Pride – fostering LGBT+ inclusion within the workplace and broader communityFraming and implementing gender‑neutral policiesMaking the organization one of the first agencies to extend medical insurance coverage to same‑sex partners and live‑in couples, reinforcing equal opportunity and non‑discriminationI actively participate in global HR and leadership forums, contributing to thought leadership and transformation across the HR community, and continue to mentor and coach many successful women leaders.Outside work, I am a passionate traveler, deeply interested in experiencing different cultures and observing how people collaborate and lead across diverse contexts.

Experience

1. Chief Talent Officer

   Omnicom Media India

   May 2024 — Present · Mumbai, IN

   A transformation leader in Human Resoruces. My role it to handle our diverse workforce and the development activities around our people to optimise the continuous growth of our amazing talent. Aligning an evolving people strategy with our business strategy to drive transformative change in support of our company growth goals. Im the culture and strategic leader for our unique workforce.I have 22 plus years of experience in Talent Development and Culture Building. I am a certified Life Coach, which helps bring empathy and humanity to our leaders in the organisation. A part of many HR and leadership forums and contribute successfully to bring in the drive and transformation in the HR community. am a mentor and coach to many successful woman leaders.

Education

• Indian High school

   X - CBSE, Entire school

  1980 — 1993

• GN Khalsa college

  HSC, physics, chemistry, biology and maths

  1994 — 1995

• Welingkar Institute of Management

  Master's degree, Human Resources Development

  2002 — 2005

• International Coaching federation

  Life Coach

  2019 — 2020

• St. Xavier's College

  Bachelor's degree, Chemistry

  1998 — 2000

Skills

• Human Resources
• Personnel Management
• Sphr
• Recruiting
• HR Consulting
• Performance Management
• Hris
• HR Policies
• Talent Management
• Capability Development
• Project Management
• Employee Relations
• Organizational Behavior
• Performance Appraisal
• Leadership
• Employee Benefits
• Team Management
• Organizational Development
• Outplacement
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Engagement