Aditi Gupta

Abstract: We find that vision-language models are sensitive to a specific semantically irrelevant change: the order in which the image and question are presented.

The role of HR leadership is evolving alongside a workplace being reshaped by technology, changing employee expectations and continuous business transformation. For today's HR leaders, influence increasingly depends not just on managing people processes, but on understanding the business, anticipating workforce challenges and creating the conditions for people to perform at their best.In this conversation with BW People, Aditi Gupta, Head HR – Pune CV, Tata Motors, who was recognised at the BW People Iconic HR Leaders Under 50 Awards 2026, reflects on how her own understanding of leadership has changed through experience. She discusses why HR must be part of strategic conversations from the outset, how leaders can navigate ambiguity while keeping people aligned and why the future of HR will require a careful balance between AI adoption, digital capability and meaningful human connection.Edited Excerpts:You're being recognised as part of HR's next generation of leadership before turning 50. What is one belief about people, work or leadership that you held earlier in your career that you no longer hold today — and what changed your mind?Earlier in my career, I believed leadership was primarily about having the right answers and ensuring execution through clear direction. I thought a strong leader was someone who could quickly assess a situation, make decisions and provide the team with a clear path forward.Over time, however, my experiences changed that perspective. As I moved from managing processes to handling complex employee relations matters and engaging with multiple stakeholders, I realised that sustainable results often emerge when people feel trusted, respected and heard. Not every challenge can be solved by giving people the right answer. In many situations, the better approach is to create the conditions in which people can arrive at the right answers themselves.Today, I see leadership as being less about directing every outcome and more about enabling people to contribute their best thinking and perform at their highest potential. This requires creating clarity around a shared purpose, building trust and giving people the confidence to take ownership.I have also learned that leadership is about creating alignment, particularly when different stakeholders may have different priorities or perspectives. The ability to listen, understand those differences and bring people together around a common objective is often more valuable than simply having the most technically correct answer.My belief today is that trust is not separate from performance. It is one of the conditions that enables performance. When people feel respected and trusted, they are more likely to take ownership, raise concerns early, challenge assumptions and contribute ideas. That, in turn, creates stronger teams and more sustainable outcomes.If you had to defend, in one sentence, why HR deserves a seat at the table where business strategy is actually decided — not after the fact, but in the room — what would you say, and where have you seen that argument fail in practice?HR deserves a seat at the strategy table because every business strategy ultimately succeeds or fails through people, the capabilities we build, the culture we create and the change we are able to lead at scale.Whether a business is entering a new market, improving productivity, investing in technology or transforming its operations, the workforce implications are significant. Organisations need the right skills, leadership pipeline, workforce capacity and employee engagement to turn strategic intent into execution.I believe HR becomes a true strategic partner when it can connect workforce realities to business outcomes. When HR demonstrates how capability building, productivity, labour relations, talent availability, leadership development or change readiness can influence growth, profitability, quality, customer experience and operational continuity, the conversation becomes much more meaningful.The role of HR is also to bring a different lens to strategic decisions. Workforce insights, labour market intelligence, organisational risk assessments and talent strategies can help the business anticipate challenges rather than respond to them after they emerge.Where the argument tends to fail is when HR enters strategic discussions too late or limits its contribution to policies, processes and people administration. If HR is invited only after a business decision has already been made to execute a restructuring, implement a technology change or hire for a capability gap, its influence is naturally limited.The most effective HR leaders, in my view, are those who understand the business well enough to participate in the conversation before decisions are made. They need to ask not only, "What does the business want to achieve?" but also, "What capabilities, behaviours and workforce conditions will be required to make that happen?"That is where HR moves from being a support function to becoming a genuine business partner.Looking at the workforce you'll be leading a decade from now, what is the one capability or mindset you are deliberately building in yourself today because you believe it won't be optional for HR leaders by then?The one capability I am deliberately building today is the ability to lead through constant ambiguity and transformation while using AI and digital technologies effectively, without losing sight of the human element.A decade from now, the workforce will be even more diverse, digital and data-driven. AI, automation, chatbots and other technologies will become a much more integral part of everyday work. HR leaders will therefore need to understand not only how these technologies are changing jobs, but also how they are affecting skills, employee expectations, productivity and the overall employee experience.I believe mundane and non-value-adding activities should increasingly be automated wherever technology can perform them effectively. That should allow HR professionals to spend more time on work that requires human judgement, empathy, collaboration and meaningful employee connection.The future role of HR will therefore be about helping people and organisations adapt to change continuously. Leaders will need to interpret business shifts, understand their workforce implications, use data intelligently and create clarity when there is uncertainty.I am intentionally developing a mindset of continuous learning, adaptability and business curiosity. I believe HR leaders will need to remain curious about technology and understand AI well enough to use it responsibly, while also recognising its limitations.The workforce of the future will also need to become highly comfortable with digital tools and AI, with many employees using these technologies as part of their daily work. That creates an important responsibility for HR. We will need to help people build the competencies required to work effectively alongside technology and ensure that employees remain future-ready as roles continue to evolve.Ultimately, I believe the HR leader of the future will be judged not by how much technology they introduce, but by how effectively they help people thrive amid constant disruption. The challenge will be to create organisations where technology improves productivity and decision-making, while people continue to feel trusted, connected and aligned to a common purpose.That balance between digital acceleration and human connection will not be optional. It will be at the heart of effective HR leadership.

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Catheter-related bloodstream infections are a significant complication in haemodialysis patients. Water-associated Gram-negative organisms are increasingly recognised in this setting. We report a case of catheter-related bloodstream infection due to Aeromonas dhakensis in a 52-year-old woman on maintenance haemodialysis. The organism was identified using MALDI-TOF MS and showed in vitro susceptibility to ceftazidime. However, the clinical response to the antibiotic remained suboptimal until catheter removal. Repeat blood cultures after removal were sterile. This case highlights the emerging clinical relevance of A. dhakensis and the importance of correlating microbiological findings with clinical response.