In a world where business increasingly spans continents, technologies shift at the speed of a click, and human talent moves in ever-wider arcs, one thing remains constant: nothing succeeds without people. And among the leaders redefining how “people” and “organization” come together across borders, Sheena Rajan stands out. As the Founder & CEO of SR Global HR Solutions, and as a co-founder of Flamingo BPO Technology Solutions, Sheena fuses depth of practice with global vision, showing how human resources leadership can become business leadership not just supporting the business, but shaping it.
From her early days through her current role, Rajan’s journey has been one of transformation, innovation, and relentless commitment to bridging culture, compliance, and capability. Her recognition Top 10 Indian Women Leaders in Dubai, Top 10 HR in UAE speaks not only to her achievements, but also to her impact as a global CHRO turned entrepreneur.
Sheena’s story begins with a simple idea: organizations succeed when they treat people as their greatest asset, not just a cost. Early in her career, this belief was tempered by experience recognizing that multinational companies often saw HR as a function, not a strategic partner. She set out to change that.
Through successive roles spanning continents and sectors, Sheena built fluency not just in HR operations (payroll, mobility, compliance) but in human context: culture, trust, dialogue. And when she founded SR Global HR Solutions, she brought this integrative lens into her enterprise: ensuring that global clients operating in India and the GCC could trust not only in the mechanisms of HR, but in the sensibility behind it.
Her work at SR Global HR has been grounded in deep specialization: payroll management across India & UAE, HRMS platforms, compliance in evolving regulations, and global partnerships. But she would insist that the soul of her business is about people, not just process.
One of the crucial inflection points came when Sheena served as Group CHRO for a multinational headquartered in Dubai, spanning 30 countries, including the GCC, South Africa, and the U.S. In that role, she learned a lesson many HR leaders only absorb later: leadership isn’t about holding authority, it’s about cultivating alignment and agility across complex, cross-cultural operations.
In an interview she shared how, during 2022, she guided organisational responses to hybrid work, cost pressures and talent shifts a period she summarised as “Reflect, Recommit, Re-engage, Re-think, and Re-boot.” That statement reveals a mind-set shift: HR no longer reacts to change; it designs for it.
For Sheena, this meant embracing the role of strategist helping the board, the business, and the people function align around a shared vision of how workforce, technology, and culture interrelate. It meant that when she set out to build SR Global HR Solutions as a standalone enterprise, she brought that system-level perspective with her.
In 2018, Sheena founded SR Global HR Solutions with a clarity of vision: to “simplify, standardize and elevate” how organisations manage people and payroll functions across India and the GCC. Her value proposition is rooted in localization (deep knowledge of India & GCC regulations), integration (platforms that plug into broader finance/ operations systems), and scalability (from 10 to 10,000 employees)
But as an entrepreneur, Sheena also brought a human core: each client relationship is a partnership, a trusted insight, a shared journey. Her approach positions SR Global HR not as a vendor but as a strategic enabler of growth.
In parallel, as Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer of Flamingo BPO Technology Solutions Ltd., she widens the lens bringing outsourcing, HR tech, and operational excellence under one roof, targeting global leaders who expect HR to deliver agility, analytics and value.
Even as SR Global HR scales internationally, Sheena retains a critical leadership challenge: how to balance global growth with personal connection. In her words: “The biggest challenge now is balancing growth with quality keeping close, personal relationships with our team, suppliers, and clients, while ensuring sustainable, long-term success.”
In a world where HR operations can feel commoditised, she focuses on building trust, curating culture, and retaining humanity in transactions. Clients comment: “Payroll used to be a monthly panic. Now it’s predictable, accurate and effortless.”
Sheena recognises that tools and platforms evolve, but leadership still comes down to relationships. Whether it’s a CFO in Dubai or an HRBP in India, the question she asks is: are we delivering clarity, control and confidence? That’s how she differentiates.
As 2025 approaches, Sheena’s view of HR leadership takes on new texture. Leadership, she insists, is no longer about top-down command it’s about influence, coordination, and human dynamics. The “people” function is not separate from strategy; it is embedded within it.
In an interview she noted that the most successful HR leaders today are those who are resilient and adaptable, who help organisations thrive in change rather than just survive it. She emphasises that HR must be ready for transformation, not just responsive.
For Sheena, the role of the modern CHRO or global HR partner is to shape culture, guide digital workforce transitions, and ensure inclusion in regions like the Middle East, where diversity is both an opportunity and a complexity. She sees the new agenda: skills-based hiring, hybrid workplaces, AI augmentation, well-being, and purpose-driven talent. The future of HR, she says, lies in preparing for multiple “what-if” scenarios so that organisations can pivot, and people can flourish.
At the heart of Sheena’s leadership are values deeply entrenched in practice:
- Integrity: in global compliance, ethics and the treatment of people.
- Adaptability: in multilingual, multicultural, cross-geographic HR operations.
- Respect: for local cultures, global standards and individual voices.
It’s fitting that the Latin term verba (words) once inspired her early thoughts; today, her practice is built on the belief that conversation, trust, and clarity are the foundation of global HR.
Sheena’s earlier mantra to deliver on her word, to build reliability and punctuality remains alive in her leadership style today. Clients and employees alike speak of her calm under pressure, clarity of direction, and deep humility.
Sheena reflects that one of the most powerful changes she’s made is moving from being the leader telling the way, to the leader listening more deeply. She says, “Leadership is not about having all the answers it’s about asking the right questions.”
At SR Global HR, mentorship is embedded into the operating model. Not only are new team members paired with senior guides; external collaborators also receive structured feedback so they can grow their craft. This ethos reinforces her belief that diversity and inclusion are strategic assets, not merely metrics.
In the GCC, where expatriate talent and local workers sit side by side, Sheena’s work emphasises psychological safety, cultural fluency, and respectful communication. “Teams are stronger when every voice is heard,” she says. “When you feel seen, you perform better.”
Perhaps one of Sheena’s most significant skills is her ability to spot latent talent. She believes leadership means creating space for others to shine. She acknowledges her earlier inclination to remain in control; now, she consciously steps back to allow individuals to lead from their expertise.
“Growth often happens when I let go a little,” she admits. The result: a culture where people have autonomy, responsibility and emotional support, which fuels innovation and retention a big differentiator in the HR services industry.
When asked what her younger self would have appreciated hearing, Sheena answers: “Don’t think you must do everything alone. Strength lies in collaboration and in asking for help.” She urges emerging HR leaders to move beyond functional roles and engage as strategic partners.
Her advice is rooted in resilience: “The world of work will throw stones use them to build a strong foundation.” She views each challenge as an opportunity to learn, evolve and innovate.
For Sheena, success isn’t measured only by client numbers or revenue growth though both are impressive. “Success,” she says, “is when our team, our clients and their people feel confident and connected.” It’s when a multinational operations team in Dubai says their people feel included, when a SME in India reliably processes payroll despite rapid growth, when an expatriate workforce feels culturally respected.
In the complex, high-stakes world of global HR, Sheena Rajan has turned service into strategy, process into purpose, and people into partners.
As Sheena looks ahead, she sees a world where organizations project empathy, agility and meaningful culture. Her mission is to help global leaders not just manage people but mobilize human potential, wherever it sits in the world.
In a world of shifting work-models, remote teams, and digital talent platforms, she anchors change in something enduring: human connection. As founder and CEO of SR Global HR Solutions, and as a global CHRO turned entrepreneur, Sheena Rajan is helping to craft the blueprint for HR 2025 and beyond.
Her legacy? Organizations that don’t just function they flourish; people who don’t just work they thrive.
And that, she would tell you, is the real competitive advantage.
