Polycab India Limited has appointed Swapnakant Samal as Vice President – Talent Acquisition, strengthening its leadership team as the company accelerates its growth and expansion plans. Samal joins Polycab after a 19-month stint at Waaree Group, where he played a key role in driving leadership hiring and strengthening talent processes during a high-growth phase for the renewable energy major.
Announcing the move, Samal said, “After a meaningful 19 months stint at Waaree Group, I’m moving on to my next role with Polycab India Limited as VP – Talent Acquisition. At Waaree, I had the opportunity to work closely with business promoters to drive leadership hiring enabling growth during a high-momentum phase for the organisation. Polycab, an Indian organisation with trusted brands, deep market presence, and a clear focus on sustainable growth, I look forward to contributing to its talent acquisition agenda as the company continues to scale.”
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At Waaree Group, Samal served as Head – Talent and Organisation Processes, where he led strategic hiring initiatives, strengthened recruitment governance, and worked closely with senior leadership to support business expansion across multiple verticals.
Before joining Waaree, Samal spent over nine years at Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) as Head – Corporate Functions Hiring, Policy, Process & Digitisation, Talent Acquisition Group. In this role, he led recruitment for a wide spectrum of corporate functions including finance, legal, compliance, procurement, IT, HR, and corporate services for the hydrocarbon business. Alongside leadership and project hiring for critical business initiatives, he also spearheaded recruitment policy development, digitisation of talent platforms, governance, compliance, budgeting, and recruitment audits, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and candidate experience.
Earlier in his career, Samal served as Head – Human Resources at Khaitan & Co, managing end-to-end HR operations for over 500 professionals across major Indian cities. He also held senior HR leadership roles at Shinsei Asset Management India, where he partnered with global leadership to establish the firm’s asset management business in India.
Known for his deep expertise in strategic and executive hiring, Samal has led leadership recruitment across renewable energy, cleantech, recycling, and energy sectors, working closely with boards, founders, and chairman’s offices to build high-impact leadership teams. He has also implemented one of India’s largest AI-led recruitment platforms at a leading private oil and gas conglomerate.
An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and a doctoral scholar in Employer Branding, Samal blends research-driven insights with technology-led talent strategies to build future-ready organisations. He is also actively involved in mentoring young professionals and contributes regularly to leadership forums as a speaker and advisor.
