MUKTA NAKRA APPOINTED HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES AT CROCS INDIA

Crocs India has appointed Mukta Nakra as Head of Human Resources, bringing a seasoned HR leader with multi-industry experience across retail, technology, and financial services. Known for driving culture transformation and future-ready people strategies, she will strengthen Crocs India’s talent and growth agenda.  

Mukta Nakra’s appointment as Head of Human Resources at Crocs India marks a significant leadership move for the global casual footwear brand as it sharpens its focus on people, culture, and capability-building in a fast-evolving consumer market. Bringing with her a rich, multi-industry HR background shaped across some of the world’s most respected global and Indian organisations, Nakra steps into the role at a time when Crocs India is entering a critical phase of expansion and brand consolidation. Her arrival signals a renewed emphasis on building future-ready talent systems that can support both business growth and an increasingly complex workforce landscape.

Over the course of her career, Nakra has developed a reputation as a transformation-oriented HR leader with a strong business lens. Her most recent and impactful stint was a more than seven-year tenure at Marks and Spencer, Reliance Retail India Limited, where she played a pivotal role in shaping the people agenda for one of the country’s most competitive retail environments. During this period, she was closely involved in driving culture transformation initiatives that aligned the organisation’s values with its evolving consumer promise. In a sector marked by high attrition, operational intensity, and rapid scaling, her work focused on building resilient people processes that could sustain performance while fostering engagement and inclusivity.

At Marks and Spencer under the Reliance Retail umbrella, Nakra led several sustainability-led HR initiatives, reflecting a growing recognition of responsible business practices within people strategy. These initiatives went beyond policy frameworks to embed sustainability thinking into leadership behaviours, workforce planning, and capability development. She also spearheaded large-scale capability-building programs aimed at strengthening frontline and leadership talent, ensuring that employees were equipped to meet the demands of modern retail, from omnichannel operations to heightened customer experience expectations. Her efforts contributed to stronger organisational alignment and performance outcomes in a highly competitive market.

Before her tenure in Indian retail, Nakra held senior leadership roles at Wiley, where she served as Talent Director for the Asia-Pacific region and as HR Business Partner Lead for India. In this capacity, she was responsible for driving talent and leadership strategies across diverse geographies, cultures, and regulatory contexts. Her work at Wiley involved designing and implementing regional talent frameworks, succession planning processes, and leadership development programs that supported the company’s growth and transformation agenda in the APAC region. This exposure deepened her understanding of managing complexity at scale and strengthened her ability to operate at the intersection of global strategy and local execution.

Nakra’s professional journey also includes leadership roles at American Express, Walmart, ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Tecnovate eSolutions Private Limited, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Each of these organisations operates in distinct industries, from financial services and banking to technology, consulting, and large-format retail. Across these varied environments, she honed deep expertise in strategic human resources, talent transformation, employee experience design, business partnering, and organisation development. This cross-industry exposure has enabled her to develop a versatile HR perspective, blending the rigour of financial services with the agility of technology and the scale of retail operations.

A defining aspect of Nakra’s leadership style is her focus on building human-centred HR ecosystems that are both future-ready and deeply aligned with business priorities. She is known for her ability to translate organisational strategy into practical people solutions, ensuring that HR is not merely a support function but a key driver of value creation. Her work in culture design has often centered on creating environments where performance and purpose coexist, enabling employees to connect their individual roles with broader organisational goals. This approach has been particularly relevant in times of change, where clarity, trust, and engagement become critical success factors.

In recent years, Nakra has also been closely associated with emerging trends in HR, including the application of AI-led innovations to enhance people processes. From talent analytics and workforce planning to personalised learning and employee experience platforms, she has advocated for the thoughtful use of technology to improve decision-making and outcomes. Her perspective emphasises that while technology can be a powerful enabler, it must be anchored in empathy and ethical considerations to truly serve both employees and organisations. This balance between innovation and human connection is increasingly seen as essential in modern HR leadership.

As Head of Human Resources at Crocs India, Nakra is expected to play a central role in strengthening the company’s people agenda as it scales its footprint in the country. Crocs has built a strong brand presence globally and in India by combining comfort-driven design with distinctive marketing and a growing retail and digital ecosystem. Supporting this growth requires robust talent strategies, agile organisational structures, and a culture that can adapt to rapid change while remaining inclusive and performance-oriented. Nakra’s strategic mindset and transformation-driven approach position her well to address these challenges.

Her mandate is likely to include aligning Crocs India’s HR strategy with its broader business objectives, enhancing employer branding in a competitive talent market, and building leadership capabilities that can sustain long-term growth. With her background in retail, technology, and global organisations, she brings a nuanced understanding of how consumer-facing businesses can leverage people practices to deliver consistent brand experiences. At the same time, her experience in business partnering equips her to work closely with senior leadership to anticipate workforce needs and navigate organisational transitions.

Nakra’s appointment also reflects a broader trend of organisations investing in senior HR leadership as a strategic priority rather than a functional necessity. As companies grapple with evolving employee expectations, digital transformation, and heightened competition for skilled talent, the role of HR leaders has expanded significantly. In this context, Crocs India’s decision to bring in a leader with deep transformation experience underscores its intent to build a resilient, future-ready organisation.

For Nakra, the new role represents an opportunity to apply her diverse experience to a brand that sits at the intersection of lifestyle, fashion, and mass consumer appeal. As she steps into this leadership position, her focus on culture, capability, and innovation is expected to play a key role in shaping Crocs India’s next phase of growth. In an environment where people strategy is increasingly synonymous with business strategy, her appointment signals confidence in the power of thoughtful, human-centred HR leadership to drive sustainable success.

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