BANGALORE: Reliance IndustriesBSE -0.02 % is likely to snag Prabir Jha, senior vice-president and chief HR officer at Tata Motors, as its HR head, according to top sources in the recruitment industry. The 46-year-old Jha has been offered the role, but is yet to decide, the sources added.
A Tata MotorsBSE -1.78 % spokesperson said Jha has resigned. Jha and RIL declined comment.
The chief HR officer post has been vacant at RIL since the death of VV Bhatt in 2009. Vivek Paranjpe was brought in as an advisor in 2010. Search has been on for more than a year, and other industry veterans were also interviewed. But Jha, an XLRI graduate, seems to be the front-runner now.
Jha joined Tata Motors in 2010 and heads the HR, industrial resources, administration, CSR, safety, health and environment portfolios for Tata Motors. He was earlier senior vice-president and global head of HR and corporate communications at Dr Reddy's Labs. He has also worked at Thermax and Tech Mahindra.
"It is almost fitting that RIL will hire some one from the Tata Group as it lost out on the opportunity to hire NS Rajan, who was expected to join the company but took up the post of HR head at Tata Sons," says an industry search head.
