In this exclusive interview, Rupshee Biswas, HR Manager at Urban Vault, shares her refreshing and bold perspective on the evolving role of HR across mission-critical industries. From managing compliance in high-stakes engineering environments to embracing AI without losing the human touch, Rupshee unpacks what it truly means to be a modern HR leader. She discusses how HR must move from policy enforcement to product thinking, and how her non-linear journey, from software developer to strategic HR People partner, is proof that the best careers are built with curiosity, courage, and clarity.
Whether it’s navigating global partnerships, supporting mental wellness, or reimagining workforce planning like an agile sprint, Rupshee’s voice stands out in a function that’s overdue for reinvention.
You’ve handled HR for multiple clients in multiple organisations. What’s been your biggest learning while managing such diverse stakeholder needs?
Honestly, my biggest learning has been that HR truly becomes the one-stop solution or the go-to place for everything, whether it’s people issues, business challenges, or just someone needing to talk. Especially in the business units where stakeholder expectations are diverse and constantly evolving, I’ve seen how important it is to show up as a problem solver, not to win an argument or prove a point.
Over the years, I’ve realised our role isn’t about taking sides or about proving anything; it’s about understanding the issue and moving things ahead. It’s about creating balance and clarity. People reach out to HR because they trust us to help make things better, not just operationally, but culturally too. That’s when you know you’re doing something right when HR becomes less about processes and more about partnership.
For me, my biggest learning has been that it’s all about collaborating, simplifying, and being that stable support system when things get chaotic. That mindset has helped me build strong, trusted relationships across diverse clients.
Do you see AI playing a larger role in creating high-performance teams across critical verticals or is the human element still irreplaceable in certain areas?
Let’s be honest, with AI coming in, people have started outsourcing not just work, but thinking too. AI is slowly replacing effort with convenience, and while that sounds efficient, it’s also quietly eroding critical thinking and originality.
AI in HR absolutely is brilliant, it can scan 1,000 resumes in a blink, schedule interviews and even predict exits while I sip my coffee. But can it handle a disengaged employee who just suffered a loss or decode team dynamics in a high-pressure project?
When I was doing my Post Grad in HRM from IIM Shillong, I worked on a dissertation titled ‘Artificial Intelligence vs Human Intelligence.’ It was a 2-month-long deep dive to find out who’s the boss, but by the end of it, our biggest takeaway was clear that AI is no doubt a very strong co-pilot, but definitely not the pilot. You will always continue to need human intelligence to navigate nuance, read the room, and handle the ‘unsaid.’ I mean, can you remove ‘Human’ from ‘Human Resources?
So yes, AI can build efficiency. But when it comes to building teams, the human brain and heart still have the upper edge.
You’ve worked across wellness, consulting, and high-tech domains. What excites you most about your current role, and what’s one frontier you’d like to explore next in HR or leadership?
What excites me most in my current role is the fact that I get to play five roles for the price of one – coach, strategist, crisis manager, sound board, and sometimes the unofficial therapist. It’s mildly terrifying and totally exciting at the same time. Welcome to Human Resources, where “Hey Rupshee, can I talk to you for 2 minutes?” usually means cancel your lunch and/or run on 2 litres of coffee. But jokes apart, having worked across wellness, consulting, and high-tech industries, one thing has become crystal clear to me that people aren’t just an HR checklist anymore. Hence, I genuinely love the mix of chaos and strategy.
One frontier I’d like to explore next would be to get my hands dirty with HR and product thinking, where people’s strategies are built like agile roadmaps, not static policies. Because let’s face it, the old HR playbook is due for a major update, and I’d rather be the one rewriting it than waiting around for a version upgrade.
Do you envision yourself stepping into a global HR leadership role in the future?
Envisioning myself stepping into a global HR leadership role in the future? I mean, who isn’t? Global HR leadership is the direction why I started in the first place, and is the direction I’m continuously walking towards. The funny thing is, this wasn’t a straight-line journey. I started out studying Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics in the 12th, then did my Bachelor’s in ITM, kicked off my career as a software developer, and somewhere between writing code, debugging endlessly, sobbing round the clock and cursing life, I realised I was more curious about the people behind the product than the product itself.
So that’s when I rebooted my career, quite literally, as an HR intern. From there, I moved step by step: HR Executive, HR People Partner and now an HR Manager. And with every role, I’ve grown more, learnt more and become more obsessed with aligning business outcomes with people strategy.
Now, I not only see the opportunity but also I see where I want to be: at the table, driving culture, leadership, and org design across borders. My end goal? CHRO, of course. Because if I’ve learned anything so far, it’s that ‘Careers aren’t built in straight lines, but they’re definitely shaped by ambition, clarity, and the guts to start over when needed
