Building the Organisations Behind Business Growth
Asha Subramanian
CHRO
Marrow/DailyRounds
Building the Organisations Behind Business Growth
Asha Subramanian
CHRO
Marrow/DailyRounds
Asha Subramanian’s career has unfolded alongside the evolution of some of India’s most dynamic businesses. Over the past 18 years, she has worked across high-growth startups, global technology enterprises, and now a purpose-driven healthcare education platform, gaining first-hand experience of what it takes to build organisations through different stages of growth. From spending more than a decade at Goibibo during its formative years to leading the people function at Subex and now serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at Neuroglia Health Private Limited, the company behind Marrow and DailyRounds, she has consistently focused on building strong teams that can support long-term business ambitions.
Her experience spans talent strategy, leadership development, employer branding, and organisational transformation, shaped by the demands of fast-changing industries rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to HR. In this conversation with TradeFlock, Asha reflects on the lessons that have shaped her leadership journey, the changing role of HR, and why building capable organisations remains at the heart of sustainable growth.
The transition from Goibibo to Subex stretched me the most. At Goibibo, I grew with the organisation over 12 years in a fast-paced startup environment. Moving to Subex meant leading a global workforce with established systems, multiple geographies, and a different business rhythm.
It taught me that scale isn’t about introducing more processes; it’s about creating consistency without losing the human connection. Listening became just as important as decision-making, and a sustainable culture is built through thousands of everyday interactions rather than a few large initiatives.
Asha believes that execution and empathy are not opposites—they are leadership’s greatest strengths.
One initiative that exceeded expectations was simplifying the employee experience instead of adding more programmes. We focused on transparent communication, leadership accessibility, and meaningful learning opportunities rather than creating engagement for its own sake.
The most memorable feedback came from an employee who said, “This is the first place where I feel comfortable bringing my whole self to work.” That reminded me that employee experience is less about perks and more about creating an environment where people genuinely feel respected, trusted, and heard.
Healthcare education carries a unique sense of responsibility because our work ultimately contributes to better patient outcomes through better-trained doctors. That makes purpose tangible rather than aspirational. I’ve learned that purpose attracts people, but culture is what makes them stay.
The most effective employer brand is not what we say externally but what employees experience every day. When people see how their work contributes to a larger mission, engagement becomes far more meaningful than any campaign could create.
The constant has been believing in people’s potential before they fully see it themselves. Industries evolve, and technologies change, but investing in people never goes out of style. One experience that stays with me is mentoring a team member who initially struggled with confidence and execution. Through regular coaching, honest feedback, and opportunities to lead, she eventually went on to head diversity & inclusion, employee engagement, and employer branding. That journey reinforced my belief that great leaders don’t just build organisations, they build future leaders.
The conversations leaders avoid the most are not about people who are underperforming. They’re high performers who consistently demonstrate the wrong attitude can become culture detractors, regardless of the results they deliver. Because they deliver results, organisations often tolerate behaviours that erode trust, collaboration, and psychological safety. The longer these conversations are delayed, the more the culture pays the price.
I remember working with a leadership team where a highly successful leader was creating friction across teams. Rather than waiting for the problem to escalate or lose good talent, we addressed it early through honest feedback, coaching, and clear expectations. The leader made meaningful changes, cross-functional relationships improved, and, most importantly, employees saw that values were not negotiable, regardless of performance. That experience reinforced a lesson I strongly believe in: culture is shaped less by the values we write down and more by the behaviours we choose to tolerate.
These experiences have reinforced the importance of continuous learning and diverse perspectives. Mentoring professionals at different career stages has reminded me that leadership isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about asking better questions and creating opportunities for others to grow.
One conversation that has stayed with me was with a young professional who said that a single conversation had given them the confidence to pursue a leadership role they had never considered possible. It reinforced something I deeply believe that leadership is measured not by the positions we hold but by the confidence and capability we leave behind in others.
The future belongs to cultures that never stop learning.
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