Westlife Foodworld appoints Rohith Kumar as Chief Human Resources Officer

Kumar will be reporting to Saurabh Kalra, chief operating officer.

Westlife Foodworld Ltd. (formerly Westlife Development Ltd.) – owner and operator of McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, has appointed Rohith Kumar as the chief human resources officer (CHRO).

Kumar will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of human resources and will play a key role in building talent capabilities and culture, enabling an inclusive work environment. 

He will be reporting to Saurabh Kalra, chief operating officer, and will work closely with the leadership team to make the organization future-ready. 

With over 15 years of core HR experience across the retail industry, including apparel, eyewear, food & grocery, and now QSR, Rohith has held several key HR leadership positions. Prior to joining Westlife, Rohith was heading Human Resources at Max Hypermarkets India (SPAR India) - Landmark Group, for three years. Rohith’s past stints include Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail as Head of Retail HR, Head of HR (Offline Business) at Lenskart Solutions, and HR Officer at HyperCITY Retail (India). His expertise lies in talent management, learning strategies, organizational development, and business HR partnering.

Saurabh Kalra, chief operating officer (COO), Westlife Foodworld Ltd. said, “We are pleased to welcome Rohith Kumar as the new Chief Human Resources Officer.  His industry experience and knowledge will be of great value to our high performance organizational culture that pivots on the pillars of diversity, inclusiveness, community, among others. I am confident that he will play a key role in further strengthening Westlife Foodworld’s talent and strategic proficiency, along with its positioning as a great place to work.” 

Rohith Kumar, CHRO, Westlife Foodworld said, “I am excited to join Westlife Foodworld and become a part of the McDonald's India journey. As this organization constantly works towards nurturing new talent, and devising innovative L&D and management strategies, I am eager to contribute to the process. With a deep understanding of people practices, HR industry trends, and some future-forward ideas, I look forward to strengthening the culture of excellence at Westlife and further driving business growth.”

Rohith holds a post graduate diploma, specialized in human resources.