Richa Jain Appointed as Managing Director – Northern Tool & Equipment India | Driving Global Growth Through People-Centered Leadership
In July 2025, Richa Jain was appointed as the Managing Director of Northern Tool & Equipment (NTE) India, a milestone that reflects both her remarkable leadership journey and the organization’s vision to make India a strategic second headquarters. NTE India was established to provide not only scalable operational capacity but also specialized capabilities that will drive enterprise-wide transformation and global growth.
Under Richa’s leadership, NTE India is emerging as a true extension of the U.S. headquarters — not just in operations but in strategy, culture, and innovation. Her appointment symbolizes the organization’s commitment to fostering a workplace that blends global collaboration with local expertise, strengthening efficiency, customer experience, and long-term business sustainability.
A Journey Defined by Transformation and Vision
Richa’s career is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and people-first leadership. Her journey at NTE began as Deputy Director – HR & Corporate Services, where she played a defining role in establishing the India GCC as a high-performing center of excellence. She oversaw talent strategy, cultural integration, employee engagement, and organizational effectiveness, while also managing corporate services and workspace operations for HQ2. She became a visible industry leader, representing NTE India in prominent bodies like NASSCOM, AMCHAM, and HYSEA, ensuring the company had a strong voice in India’s rapidly growing GCC ecosystem.
Before this, as Country HR Leader for NTE India, Richa laid the foundation for scalable growth by creating policies, systems, and frameworks that supported a growing workforce. She coached leaders across geographies on inclusive leadership and cultural integration, aligning India’s capabilities with global priorities. Her focus on strategic business partnering combined with flawless execution helped position NTE India as a reliable, forward-looking entity in the global operations network.
Building Expertise Across Global Organizations
Richa’s leadership excellence was shaped over more than a decade of transformative roles across top organizations.
- At ICRISAT, as Senior HR Transformation Leader, she led global HR strategy, including talent management, development, workforce planning, safeguarding frameworks, and change management. Her work combined modernization mandates with a human-centered approach, enabling the organization to navigate complex global challenges while strengthening employee engagement and retention.
- At Infosys, as Sr. Lead BPHR, Richa demonstrated her ability to scale HR practices in a technology-driven environment. She successfully led HR functions for large engineering units, drove merger integrations, and introduced data-driven transformation initiatives. By overhauling the Rewards & Recognition strategy and redesigning leadership programs for first-time managers, she strengthened the culture of performance, agility, and leadership pipeline development.
- At Schneider Electric, she played a pivotal role during the post-acquisition integration, leading compensation alignment, policy harmonization, and performance frameworks. Her ability to design retention strategies using data insights and her focus on employee engagement through workplace culture initiatives made her a trusted leader during times of change.
- At Tech Mahindra (Satyam Computers), she managed HR functions for a unit of over 8,000 employees, driving large-scale talent management and restructuring efforts. Her experience in workplace relations and performance management at such scale prepared her for future roles where transformation and people-centricity had to go hand in hand.
Leadership Philosophy and Future at NTE India
Richa’s philosophy of leadership is rooted in the belief that business transformation and employee empowerment must go together. She has consistently demonstrated an ability to balance strategic foresight with execution excellence, making her an effective bridge between global business goals and local execution realities.
At Northern Tool & Equipment India, her leadership mandate goes beyond managing operations. She is entrusted with:
- Scaling global capabilities through India as a strategic hub.
- Strengthening cross-functional collaboration with U.S. teams for enterprise-wide impact.
- Enhancing customer experiences by driving efficiency and innovation.
- Building a sustainable, inclusive workplace culture, deeply aligned with NTE’s mission of serving those who do the tough jobs.
- Mentoring future leaders to ensure that NTE India becomes a talent powerhouse for global operations.
Celebrating an Inspiring Journey
At CXO Gateway, we celebrate Richa Jain’s journey not just as a story of career progression but as an example of how vision, perseverance, and inclusive leadership can reshape organizations and inspire the corporate world. From leading HR transformation at global companies to now steering NTE India as Managing Director, her story is one of growth, resilience, and empowerment.
Her appointment is not just a corporate milestone; it represents a new chapter of global collaboration, innovation, and people-first growth for Northern Tool & Equipment. With leaders like Richa at the helm, NTE India is poised to play a transformative role in the company’s global journey — one that strengthens business performance while honoring the values of service, integrity, and excellence.