After nearly three decades of experience in HR, K. Thivenathan, or ‘Thivi’ often says that he “stumbled into HR”. What began as a career shaped by chance soon developed into a passion for engaging employees and driving business success.
Thivi’s career journey started at Epson. Along the way, he has held long-term roles at Honeywell, X-FAB, Coca-Cola, and UTAC. He has also served as a Council Member at the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) for the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
His diverse experience has equipped him with a deep understanding of HR, and he’s focused much of his career on “culture change in support of changing business models”. He enjoys working with teams, fostering trust in the workplace, and ensuring employees are well rewarded when the business succeeds.
Sharing knowledge and winning awards
Thivi was recognised with the Malaysia HR Leader Award in 2006 and led his team to win HRM Asia’s Best HR Team for Change Management at UTAC in 2017. But despite being a multi-awarded HR leader, he remains humble, frequently pointing out that many HR professionals do fantastic work without much recognition.
Always willing to share his knowledge, Thivi published his book, Applied HR: Sense & Simplicity, with Partridge Publishing Singapore. The book contains 205 principles and ideas on people management. Drawing from his background in economics, Thivi had always sought formulaic approaches to workplace challenges, prompting him to record his insights on performance management, leadership, culture, and human behaviour.
Words of wisdom
Some of his advice? “Inclusion is just rhetoric if the participants are not treated as equals.”
He also suggests, “Most employees are self-motivated. Educate managers on how not to demotivate them.”
And his belief in technology’s role in HR is clear: “Capitalise on the technology to maximise the socialisation.”
A focus on simplifying HR practices
On what he thinks is important in HR? Simplifying processes and ensuring that HR departments truly enable people. He believes that a key to HR’s success lies in complementing technology with effective human interaction, focusing on communication, internal marketing, and influencing skills.
Communication, in particular, is a cornerstone of his leadership philosophy. “You can’t run away from not communicating,” he says. He’s a firm believer that HR needs to create the environment where leaders can effectively communicate with their teams.
Judging the 2024 HR Stars Awards
Now serving as an advisor to several organisations, Thivi enjoys the chance to exchange ideas with other professionals. He’s also a judge for Chief of Staff Asia’s 2024 HR Stars Awards, where he looks for nominees who can implement HR practices that transcend mere processes and become part of the business culture.
Thivi encourages HR professionals to build a trusting workplace, where employees and leaders alike can link their contributions to company performance, develop relevant skills, and enjoy competitive rewards. If you’d like to connect with Thivi and tap into his wealth of experience, you can find him on LinkedIn.
