Ajith Kumar, Global CHRO & COO of Testhouse, Honoured as the CHRO of the Year at World HRD Congress & Awards 2026

Mumbai, India – 16 February 2026 — Ajith Kumar, Global Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Testhouse, has been conferred the prestigious CHRO of the Year award in the Business Leader of the Year Award category at the World HRD Congress & Awards 2026 held at Taj Lands End, Mumbai. This recognition places Ajith among the most influential HR leaders globally, celebrated for visionary people strategy and outcomes-driven leadership.

Ajith’s recognition underscores his significant role in elevating organisational culture, workforce performance and business outcomes at Testhouse, a global leader in quality engineering and digital assurance services. Under his strategic stewardship, Testhouse has experienced transformational growth, demonstrable talent engagement success and dramatically improved organisational performance.

“I am humbled and honoured by this recognition from the World HRD Congress,” said Ajith Kumar. “Today’s dynamic business landscape requires people strategy and operational execution to be inseparable. This award is a validation of Testhouse’s commitment to building a high-trust, performance-driven culture that is both human-centric and strategically robust.”

“Ajith combines operational rigour with empathy for people. He has built a performance-driven yet inclusive culture that strengthens both engagement and accountability. This award validates the impact he continues to create across the organisation,” said Ani Gopinath, CEO of Testhouse

About World HRD Congress & Awards

The World HRD Congress is an independent, not-for-profit institution dedicated to advancing people practices and improving work lives worldwide. Its well-respected awards programmes bring global attention to leaders driving inclusive culture, HR innovation, strategic transformation and organisational excellence. Over its multi-decade history, the platform has honoured exemplary leaders across industries, demonstrating the increasing strategic role of human capital in business success.

About Ajith Kumar

Ajith Kumar is a seasoned global HR and operations executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across multi-national businesses. An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), he is recognised for turning HR functions into strategic growth engines and aligning capability, culture and execution for measurable business outcomes. Today, as Global CHRO & COO at Testhouse, Ajith’s leadership continues to shape organisational performance, people excellence and business credibility on the global stage.