Sushma Kumar

Sharpshooter
DISC Type : DC

Head - Performance Enablement & Culture at Etihad

United Arab Emirates

Overview

Sushma Kumar is a Group Director at Etihad with 25 years of experience in human capital, focused on building high-performance cultures and shaping talent strategy in global environments. Described by colleagues as inspiring, meticulous, and creative, she holds a certificate in Disruptive Strategy from Harvard Business School Online.

Outside of work, Sushma is a mother who is passionate about supporting the careers of working moms. In her personal time, she enjoys her hobby as an amateur candle maker, a craft she pursues alongside her corporate responsibilities and family life.

Unique fact: Sushma is a member of RL100, an exclusive, global community for senior leaders and trailblazers in the talent and resourcing industry.

Personality Overview

Rigorous & Demanding

ROI Driven

Thorough Evaluator

More than the product, they care about the impact of the product.  They prefer to be the ones controlling the conversation or defining the terms. They are not always relationship oriented.

Topics They Care About

High-Performance Culture
A central theme of her current role at Etihad, where she leads the enterprise design of the performance ecosystem to drive business results.
Disruptive Strategy
Completed the Harvard Business School Online course on this topic to gain an edge when re-entering the workforce and frequently applies its principles in her work.
Working Moms' Careers
As a working mother herself, she is a vocal advocate for women investing in new skills to manage home and work and stay ahead in their careers.

Media Appearances

Sushma has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2026
Head - Performance Enablement & Culture at Etihad
3-2023 - 10-2025
Sr.VP - Global Head - People Management, Career Academy , Personal & Professional Skills at HSBC
4-2022 - 3-2023
Global Head of Talent Consulting at HSBC
1-2020 - 4-2022
Head - Professional Services Delivery and Consulting - India, SHL at SHL
4-2018 - 12-2019
Director and Practice Leader - KPMG Learning Academy at KPMG India

Education

2018 - 2018
Certificate in Disruptive Strategy with Clayton Christensen from Harvard Business School Online
2018 - 2018
Education details unavailable from Indian School of Business

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 23 Location : United Arab Emirates Job Level : N/A Designation : Head - Performance Enablement & Culture at Etihad
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Insights For Selling To Sushma

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical
  • Use phrases like ‘it’s your decision’, ‘strategic impact’ etc.
  • Speak about competitive differentiation that your product offers

DONT's

  • Don’t be in a rush to invite them for a social meet and greet
  • Do not hesitate from asking counter questions, just avoid challenging their authority
  • Don't try too hard to forge relationships with them

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Sushma is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Sushma

  • If they decide not to go ahead, they will say no without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Sushma move?

  • They can reach decisions fairly quickly if they are convinced.
  • Can Sushma take some risk or not?

  • They don’t mind risks but can be quite binary about them.

You And Sushma

Personality Compatibility


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