PeopleStrong Appoints Aashay Manake as Chief People Officer to Lead People and Culture

PeopleStrong Appoints Aashay Manake as Chief People Officer to Lead People and Culture

New Delhi, Jan 30: PeopleStrong, one of Asia’s leading human capital management (HCM) SaaS platforms, today announced the strategic appointment of Aashay Manake, former Vice President HR at Jubilant FoodWorks, as its Chief People Officer (CPO). In this role, Aashay will spearhead PeopleStrong’s people and culture strategy, driving leadership capability, workforce effectiveness, and organisational readiness as the company scales across markets.

Aashay brings over 16 years of experience across high-growth and complex organisations spanning FMCG, industrial conglomerates, hospitality/consumer tech, and QSR and food services. Prior to joining PeopleStrong, he held senior people leadership roles at ITC Ltd., GE, OYO, and most recently Jubilant FoodWorks, where he led people strategy for large, multi-brand, and distributed workforces.

An alumnus of SCMHRD, Aashay has led enterprise-wide HR initiatives covering performance and rewards, talent and leadership development, employee relations, and organisational design, often in environments undergoing rapid transformation and scale.

Sandeep Chaudhary, CEO of PeopleStrong, said:

“At PeopleStrong, we believe that people care is good business. As we scale across markets and support organisations navigating increasingly complex workforce realities, having a leader who combines strong HR expertise, process thinking, and genuine human understanding is critical. Aashay embodies this balance exceptionally well. We are delighted to welcome him to the leadership team and look forward to strengthening our people and culture agenda as the company enters its next phase of growth.”

Commenting on his new role, Aashay Manake, Chief People Officer, PeopleStrong, said:

“PeopleStrong has consistently been at the forefront of progressive people practices, setting benchmarks for how culture, leadership, and employee experience can drive long-term value. I am excited to build on this foundation and work with the leadership team to strengthen capabilities, create scalable people systems, and foster a culture that brings joy, energy, and meaning to work.”

This appointment reinforces PeopleStrong’s commitment to building strong leadership capability and a people-first organisation aligned with its long-term growth ambitions. PeopleStrong powers over 500 enterprises, serves more than 2 million users, and processes over 1.75 million paychecks monthly. Its HR mobile app is among the highest-rated globally, with a 4.8/5 rating across iOS and Android, and the company has consistently featured in Gartner’s Voice of the Customer report, earning recognition as a Customers’ Choice for Cloud HCM Suites for enterprises with over 1,000 employees from 2022 to 2025.