Restaurant India News: Tilaknagar Industries Limited Names Ina Bajwa as Chief People Officer

Tilaknagar Industries Limited has announced the appointment of Ina Bajwa as Chief People Officer (CPO). She will report to the company’s Chairman and Managing Director and will operate from the organisation’s head office in Mumbai, with the appointment taking effect immediately.

The company stated that the move is part of its broader effort to strengthen leadership capabilities as it prepares for its next phase of business expansion in India’s alcoholic beverage sector. In her new role, Bajwa will oversee the organisation’s human resource strategy and talent development initiatives.

Ameya Deshpande, who had been managing the human resources function on an interim basis along with his primary responsibilities, will now continue to focus on corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and investor relations for the company.

Bajwa brings more than 22 years of professional experience across industries including retail, e-commerce, technology, banking, consulting, and infrastructure. Over the course of her career, she has worked with several Indian and multinational organisations and has held multiple CXO-level and global leadership roles within the Tata Group.

Amit Dahanukar said, “We are entering an exciting phase of growth and transformation as we expand our national presence and strengthen our portfolio. Ina brings deep expertise in building high-performance organizations and leading large-scale people transformation initiatives. Her contribution will be invaluable as we continue to build a future-ready organization, deepen talent depth and foster a culture that drives long-term growth and innovation.”

Prior to joining Tilaknagar Industries, Bajwa served as Group Head – Talent and Engagement at Landmark Group in the Middle East, where she led leadership succession planning and talent strategy across multiple retail brands. Earlier in her career, she held the position of Chief Human Resources Officer at Tata 1mg and worked as Chief Talent Officer at Tata Digital. She also held senior human resources roles at Tata Communications.

Her professional journey began with roles at HSBC and Essar Group, where she gained experience working with large global teams and complex organisational structures.

Bajwa’s expertise spans several areas of human resource management including leadership development, talent and succession planning, organisation design, performance management, rewards strategy, workforce planning, culture transformation, and HR technology implementation. She has also led diverse teams across international markets.

She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management in Human Resources from KJ Somaiya Institute of Management & Research and a bachelor’s degree in communications and economics from Panjab University. In addition, she is an alumna of the Harvard Business School through the Tata Group Strategic Leadership Program and holds several professional certifications in talent management, executive coaching, and assessment frameworks.

Industry observers note that leadership appointments in the human resources function have become increasingly important for companies operating in the beverage and hospitality ecosystem, where talent management and organisational culture play a critical role in supporting expansion strategies and operational scale.