The human resource field is integral to shaping productive and inclusive workplace environments. Its evolution highlights a shift from traditional administrative tasks to a strategic role focused on aligning organizational goals with employee well-being and performance. The industry’s importance lies in its ability to adapt to changing workforce dynamics, integrating innovative practices such as data-driven insights, advanced technologies, and personalized employee experiences.

By prioritizing both organizational objectives and individual aspirations, HR has become an essential function driving growth, development, and resilience in businesses worldwide.

Riyaa Roshan, as the Director of People & Performance, brings an empathetic and strategic approach to her leadership. As a professional deeply committed to creating meaningful workplace cultures, her efforts center on empowering individuals and building cohesive, high-performing teams. Her focus on mentorship, active listening, and cultivating open communication reflects her ability to inspire trust and collaboration among colleagues. Riyaa’s leading approach is grounded in aligning talents with organizational ambitions, ensuring individuals feel valued and motivated while contributing to collective success.

Colliers has established itself as a model of innovation and inclusivity in human resources. The organization focuses on creating a high-performance culture that aligns strategic objectives with employee empowerment. Colliers uses advanced HR technologies to drive efficiency and strengthen its engagement initiatives, ensuring that employees feel valued and supported. The company’s commitment to nurturing a collaborative and inclusive work environment reflects its broader goal of building a sustainable organization poised to adapt to future challenges. Through its people-centric strategies, Colliers continues to set benchmarks for success in the HR industry.

Let’s explore Riyaa’s strategic HR leadership for strengthening workforce inclusivity:

Creating Valued and Empowered Work Environments

From the very beginning of Riyaa’s career, she was deeply drawn to the human aspect of organizations. The ability to create environments where people feel valued, heard, and empowered inspired her to choose HR as her path. Relationships have always held a special place in her life, and she saw HR as a platform to nurture meaningful professional connections, solve complicated challenges, and help individuals thrive.

Her journey in HR has been a blend of learning, growth, and impactful contributions. Starting with a focus on talent acquisition, she quickly realized the strategic importance of aligning organizational goals with employee aspirations. Over the years, she has taken on roles that allowed her to shape culture, drive change, and design systems to empower people. This journey has also instilled in her the importance of discipline, listening, and continuous learning. It is rewarding to know that her work not only contributes to organizational success but also impacts individuals’ lives positively.

Aligning Talents with Organizational Goals

The most rewarding aspect of Riyaa’s role is witnessing the transformation of individuals and teams as they realize their potential. Guiding people to align their talents with organizational goals, creating an inclusive culture, and seeing the tangible impact of those efforts on both employees and the business gives her immense satisfaction.

Her success as a Director of People & Performance lies in creating a workplace where individuals feel empowered, respected, and motivated to excel. Success is about leaving a legacy of a thriving, people-centric organization that inspires others to strive for excellence.

Mentorship and Talent Development

She believes in a leadership style rooted in empathy, empowerment, and strategic guidance. She sees her role as one where she creates an environment that develops trust, transparency, and collaboration. Riyaa’s approach is grounded in active listening, understanding the needs and aspirations of her team members, and empowering them to take ownership of their roles while offering the support they need to succeed.

She encourages open communication and feedback, allowing for continuous improvement at both individual and team levels. Her leadership is not about micromanaging but rather providing direction, removing obstacles, and helping individuals and teams reach their full potential. Over the years, this approach has allowed her to build cohesive and high-performing teams. She has seen individuals grow into leaders themselves, taking on increasing responsibility and ownership within their teams.

Her focus on mentorship and developing talent has resulted in strong leadership pipelines, ensuring that the organization has the right people in place to drive its long-term success. She has also cultivated a culture where feedback is valued and continuous development is prioritized, which has contributed to higher engagement, retention, and performance.

Achieving Agility and Commitment

One of the most challenging aspects Riyaa faced as an HR leader was steering a large-scale organizational transformation. The company was undergoing a major restructure that involved redefining roles, shifting culture, and realigning teams to support new strategic objectives. This naturally created uncertainty and resistance among employees, and it was essential to manage both the emotional and logistical aspects of the change.

To address this, she adopted a two-pronged approach: communication and support. First, she focused on transparent, frequent communication to ensure employees understood the reasons behind the changes and how it would benefit both the organization and them personally. She held small group discussions and one-on-one meetings to listen to concerns and provide clarity.

Secondly, throughout the process, she remained present and accessible, creating a sense of trust and stability. While it was a difficult period, the outcome was a more agile organization with a stronger sense of purpose and commitment from the employees. This experience reinforced the importance of leading with empathy, providing both the strategic guidance and the emotional intelligence needed to guide teams through times of uncertainty.

Setting Boundaries for Work-Life Balance

According to Riyaa Balancing a demanding career with personal passions like singing and traveling requires intentional planning and prioritization.

• She schedules time for her passions just as she does for her professional commitments. Whether it’s a dedicated hour for singing practice or a weekend getaway, she makes sure to block out time in advance. This helps her avoid feeling overwhelmed and ensures that she stays connected to the activities that recharge her.
• Setting clear boundaries between work and personal life is crucial. She intentionally disconnects from work during her personal time, resisting the urge to check work updates during her time off or for a designated period.
• She incorporates her passions into her daily routine in small ways. For example, she may sing for relaxation in the morning or during breaks, or she takes short trips whenever possible to explore new places, even if it’s just for a day or two. This keeps her refreshed and focused without needing extensive time away from her career.
• Both her career and personal passions align with her values of growth, creativity, and connection. Singing allows her to express creativity, while traveling gives her new perspectives and enriches her understanding of people. These activities actually complement her work, helping her stay energized and inspired.

Proactive Knowledge Investment

As an HR leader with a long-term vision for her career, she believes in staying ahead of changes in the legal sector and HR trends. She continuously invests in her knowledge to be proactive in shaping the future of HR within her organization. She dedicates time each week to reading industry publications, research reports, and case studies from HR thought leaders and legal experts. Subscribing to top HR journals ensures that she is up-to-date with the latest regulatory changes, best practices, and emerging trends.

Riyaa maintains close relationships with legal and compliance teams within the organization. Their insights are invaluable for ensuring that the organization is up-to-date with the latest laws and regulations. With the rise of HR technologies, she keeps an eye on how tools like AI, analytics, and employee experience platforms are shaping the future of HR. This helps her stay on top of HR trends, such as talent management strategies or automation, and ensures that HR practices are efficient and compliant.

Mentoring and being mentored by other HR leaders keeps her sharp. Sharing knowledge and experiences with senior professionals helps her stay ahead of trends and regulations that may not yet be widely known but are on the horizon.

Advice for Aspiring HR Professionals

Her advice to aspiring HR professionals who wish to excel in talent acquisition, conflict resolution, or change management is to focus on cultural fit, not just skills. Riyaa highlights the importance of building relationships with potential candidates ahead of time and using data and HR tech to refine hiring strategies.

As a neutral mediator, she advises listening actively and developing strong communication skills to address issues calmly and respectfully. Creating a culture of openness is essential to prevent conflicts. Understanding the human side of change and being empathetic is crucial. Transparent and frequent communication is necessary and leading by example while offering the necessary training and support ensures smooth transitions.

Building a Sustainable Organization

At Colliers, Riyaa’s primary goal for People & Performance is to create a high-performance culture that aligns with strategic objectives while prioritizing employee well-being. This involves attracting, retaining, and developing top talent, ensuring that the workforce is engaged, motivated, and empowered to achieve excellence. She aims to create a workplace that promotes inclusivity, innovation, and collaboration where individuals feel valued and supported.

By focusing on talent development and creating robust leadership pipelines, she envisions building a sustainable and resilient organization capable of adapting to future challenges. Additionally, strengthening employee engagement initiatives and enhancing performance management processes will be key to driving productivity, satisfaction, and retention across the organization.

As HR continues to grow at Colliers, she sees the function becoming more strategic and data-driven, using technology to streamline processes and provide actionable insights for decision-making. HR will play an even more integral role in shaping organizational strategy by aligning people initiatives with business goals.

The focus will shift from traditional administrative functions to becoming a key partner in driving organizational change, talent management, and workforce agility. The HR function will increasingly focus on employee experience, using analytics to create personalized journeys that empower individuals to reach their full potential.

Ultimately, she envisions HR at Colliers as a true enabler of business growth, helping to build an environment where employees thrive and contribute to the company’s long-term success.