From an office boy to the regional HRBP for India and APAC of a European enterprise- The journey that changed every element of his life.

This is unlike anything you might have read before in the world of HR. This is the story of Prakash Venkatesan, a young HR, whose struggle can inspire thousands, if not millions.

Meet Prakash. A newly graduated mechanical engineer who was strong on morals but lost in his search for a stable job. After his father abandoned his family, Prakash’s mother left no stone unturned in giving him and his brother every necessity of life. Difficulties were yet to leave his side as he landed himself the role of an office assistant after months of job hunting. Collecting teacups behind applicants post their interviews, organizing documents, receiving their medical reports from diagnostic centres in Chennai, and more were his primary responsibilities.

Looking back, he says he is anything but regretful about this. “Life is all about what we make it. To this day, I would say it was my struggles that pushed me to become who I am today,” he added.

But the troubles were far from over. The company soon shut due to losses and Prakash was left without a job again.

But the troubles were far from over as the company soon shut down due to losses. Prakash lost the job but found a friend- Google. An old acquaintance introduced him to HR and with his determination intact, he started preparing for interviews. Several failed interviews later, he reached the doorstep of his 7th company. Every last drop of his confidence plummeted after the interview came to an end. The interviewer deemed him fit only for an office assistant’s role, challenging that no company would ever hire him as an HR.

But Google stood strong beside him. Using his friend’s WiFi as he couldn’t afford mobile data, Prakash rolled up his sleeves to break the bias that existed. Non-MBA applicants were being outright rejected, irrespective of their talent and learning ambitions.

Nothing ever came easy to Prakash and years later, his career graph saw a new curve. He got his first job as an HR Executive at Covenant, and there was no looking back from then. “I didn’t have any money, so I ran home from the office with ecstatic joy,” he says, reminiscing about the day. He would often excuse himself from team lunches as he could only afford to buy tea and a couple of biscuits to go with it. Currently, Prakash is working as the Regional Human Resources Business Partner of India and APAC at Worldline. He has helped transform over 5 companies across the globe till now and intends to continue dreaming big- for his company, his people and himself.