Vivek Nath
25+
Years across technology & people consulting
4
Markets worked across – India, SE Asia, US, South Africa
2016–17
Hogan certification
HRBx
Founder & leadership advisor
From technology consulting to leadership advisory
1999 — 2010
Technology
Vivek began his career with ITC Infotech in 1999, working as a project and solutions professional in the company’s emerging Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) practice. His work involved implementing and consulting on PTC-based PLM solutions for clients including Omron, Pricol, Bose and Nike.
Vivek spent six years in Japan, United States, and South Africa on client assignments focused primarily on manufacturing, trucks, and aerospace industries.
From 2005 to 2008, he was with Syntel, where he helped build its PLM practice from the ground up including implementation, consulting, solution work and client engagement. This included an extensive engagement with Denel Aerospace in South Africa. These years gave him something that would later become central to his work in executive search: firsthand experience of how technology, business strategy, clients, teams and execution come together inside an organisation.
2010
The move
Moving into executive search
In 2010, Vivek moved from technology consulting into people consulting with Mercuri Urval, and later Aon Hewitt His work covered both executive search and leadership assessment, working with organisations to identify leaders and evaluate their suitability for critical roles.
The transition brought together two sides of his experience: understanding the business and technology context in which leaders operate, and understanding the people decisions that determine whether organisations can execute their plans.
He subsequently deepened his expertise in leadership assessment through Hogan certification in 2016–17. Over the years, his work has expanded across executive hiring, leadership assessment, CEO advisory and people consulting, with particular exposure to startups, growth companies, technology businesses and Indian promoter-led organisations.
2021
Building HRBx
Vivek founded HRBx in 2021 with a simple premise: senior hiring and people decisions should be treated as business decisions, not simply HR processes. HRBx works with companies across executive search, leadership hiring, fractional HR leadership, talent branding and people consulting.
Vivek’s role sits at the intersection of these areas, particularly where a company is making a consequential leadership decision: hiring a CXO, building a leadership team, assessing an existing leader, or preparing an organisation for its next stage of growth.
Will this leader work in this particular business, at this particular stage, with these particular stakeholders?
Where Vivek advises
01
Executive Search
Senior and C-suite searches for founders, promoters and leadership teams, spanning technology, product, engineering, sales, marketing, HR and business leadership.
02
Leadership Assessment
Understanding the capabilities, potential and development needs of existing leadership teams, backed by Hogan certification.
03
Founder & Promoter Businesses
Leadership hiring, assessment, succession and the transition from founder-dependent organisations to scalable leadership structures.
04
Family Business Leadership
Leadership transition, succession planning, next-generation readiness and the introduction of professional leadership where appropriate.
05
CEO & Leadership Advisory
People and leadership questions that sit close to business strategy — from building leadership teams to navigating growth and organisational transitions.
An operator's perspective on hiring leaders
A senior leader isn’t hired simply because the person has performed a similar job before. The question is whether the individual’s experience, operating style, leadership behaviour and context fit the organisation that is hiring them.
This is why Vivek views executive search as a process of understanding both the organisation and the individual, rather than simply matching résumés to job descriptions. That means understanding:
The business
The mandate
What does the business actually need this leader to accomplish?
The organisation
What leadership culture and decision-making environment will they inherit?
The individual
What has the candidate actually built, changed or delivered?
The context
Have they succeeded in circumstances comparable to those they will face here?
The stakeholders
Who will this leader need to influence: founders, boards, investors, peers and teams?
Leadership assessment
“Who should we hire?”
That distinction becomes particularly important during growth, succession, restructuring and leadership transitions.
Global experience, Indian context
Vivek’s career has taken him across multiple markets and business environments — exposure that continues to inform his work with organisations operating across geographies and companies building global teams from India.
India
Technology consulting, people consulting, executive search and work with Indian businesses.
Japan
On-site PLM consulting assignment.
United States
Two years of on-site PLM consulting work.
South Africa
On-site consulting assignments, including work with Denel Aerospace.
Selected career timeline
1999–2005
ITC Infotech — Project / Solutions, PLM
Helped build the PLM practice and worked on PTC-based implementations and consulting engagements with global clients.
2005–2008
Syntel — PLM Consulting & Practice Building
Built the PLM practice from the ground up, combining implementation, consulting and client-facing responsibilities.
2010 onwards
Mercuri Urval & People Consulting — Executive Search & Leadership Assessment
Worked as a consultant across executive search and leadership assessment.
2016–17
Hogan Certified
Formal certification in Hogan leadership assessment.
2021–present
HRBx — Founder
Building a people advisory firm focused on executive search, leadership, fractional HR and talent solutions.
Education
2008–2009
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta
PGPEX — Post Graduate Programme for Executives
Vivek was the placement coordinator for his 34-member class and managed the placement process during the global financial crisis and recession.
1995-1999
NIT, Trichy