Featured Testimonials
“I was consistently impressed with Sital’s eye for talent, his ability to steer execs towards opportunity, and the way he established himself as trusted counsel to many leaders in the market considering their career purpose.”
“For me, Sital sets the platinum standard for what greatness looks like in executive talent engagement.”
“Working alongside Sital has been an incredible journey, and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse both his incredible contributions and his unapologetically authentic character.”
“Sital is a go to person for advice around talent and leadership topics across our industry. He is connected, knowledgeable and a valuable asset for any organisation looking to bring in the best people or align them to goals effective.”
“Sital’s contributions to advancing Diversity & Inclusion and his dedication to making our world more inclusive and equitable are truly commendable. In an era where D&I is receiving increased attention and more male allies are emerging, Sital has stood as a dedicated advocate for a long time. He has been a true Ally to me!”
“Sital is an exceptionally perceptive and insightful advisor. Throughout our professional journeys, my peers and I have consistently turned to Sital for his invaluable counsel.”
“I consider Sital in the top tier of in-house Executive recruitment. At Microsoft, he was the go-to person for many executives for career support and coaching due to his broad experience.”
“Above all with Sital – it is not his capability that sets him apart (which is very pronounced), it is his attitude, his personal drive and his charisma. I would work with him again above all other recruiters and consultants.”
“Sital is one of most creative coaches I’ve come across. He has that capacity to think in a different dimension – a vital quality for helping people who don’t know what they want to get out of life and their careers!”
“Beyond his recruitment capabilities and focus on genuine relationships, it was Sital’s down-to-earth and open style that made doing business with him a pleasure.”
“Sital’s ‘can do’, direct and ‘non-fluffy’ career advice has made a tremendous difference to me.”
“Sital challenges the conventional talent thinking and biases with balanced and holistic perspectives of people, purpose and profit.”
“Sital is an exceptionally curious and insightful individual. His commitment to understanding various women’s communities and how different multinational companies approach women’s careers, mentorship, and allyship is commendable. His contributions within Microsoft and beyond have been driven by well-informed learnings from the market.”
“It was a boon to work with someone who enjoys his subject as much as Sital and I have met few people so committed to helping others to find success.”
“Blessed with enthusiasm and a good sense of humour, working with Sital was a valuable experience in a difficult climate. I was able to find an exciting new role that taps into my experience, whilst helping me finally enjoy a much better work-life balance.”
“Sital was a GREAT resource, partner and consultant in both implementing a recruitment process in a difficult unaligned environment, as well as tactically hiring for our EMEA Operations. He was able to craft true business solutions to the recruitment and organizational design initiatives within our global business units.”
Detailed Testimonials
- Talent Management & Executive Coaching
- Career Management
- Gender Diversity, Inclusion and Equity
- Speaking: Workshops & Keynotes
“I worked closely with Sital during a period of ambitious executive hiring in MS Asia and I was consistently impressed with his eye for talent, his ability to steer execs towards opportunity, and the way he established himself as trusted counsel to many leaders in the market considering their career purpose.”
Sharif Khan, HR Vice President, Microsoft
“It is very special when you encounter leaders who are so passionate about what they do that not only do they excel in their profession, but they also redefine and evolve the entire industry. Sital is one such standout individual.
For me, Sital sets the platinum standard for what greatness looks like in executive talent engagement. He consistently excels in establishing deep connections with executives, thoroughly understanding their aspirations and the cultural landscape, and guiding them in the right direction as their trusted advisor. Sital forges multi-year partnerships with exceptional talent. His commitment doesn’t end with recruitment; he continues to stay engaged, creating an extraordinary experience for senior leaders collaborating with him.
Sital also engages in profound contemplation about talent acquisition and careers, as evidenced by his articles and blog posts on the subject. Partnering with someone who is dedicated to consistently elevating the standards of executive talent acquisition and management is truly inspiring.
As a result, this dedication consistently leads to outstanding outcomes for his partners, making him a sought-after professional to associate with.”
Sandy Gupta, Vice President, Microsoft
“I had the privilege of working with Sital at various points over the last decade. He’s been a fantastic partner on the remarkable journey we’ve been on at Microsoft in Asia.
What sets Sital apart are some key distinctions:
1. Engaging Senior Talent: Sital has a remarkable ability for not just identifying senior talent but also effectively coaching them through career transitions. I’ve personally tapped into his expertise, and his insights have been highly valuable.
2. Coaching & Mentoring: Sital’s ability to support and develop talent acquisition teams, HR colleagues, and business leaders’ capabilities around ‘Talent’ has been incredibly valuable. This capability uplift was crucial to support a rapidly scaled APAC business and hiring volumes. We’ve collectively grown with Sital’s partnership and it’s been a rewarding experience
3. Gender Diversity: Sital and his team showed a steadfast commitment to partnering with me and the Asia business teams to help shift the needle on female representation. The focused succession planning, long term relationship building, and consultative approach enabled us to make key changes as part of cultural transformation journey.
4. Humanity/Authenticity: In the real world of business, we encounter bumps and sometimes tragic circumstances. Sital has been one of my valued partners through these challenges with an authenticity that’s rare to find. He handles tough situations with a resilient and generous mentality that’s always been respected by our teams.
Working alongside Sital has been an incredible journey, and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse both his incredible contributions and his unapologetically authentic character”
Zoe McBride, HR Director, Microsoft
“I have had the opportunity to partner with Sital over many years within Microsoft. I consider Sital in the top tier of in-house Executive recruitment. Sital had to partner on a very ambitious talent acquisition plan to ensure we had a robust succession pipeline, diverse range of candidates and a capability uplift to attract empathetic leaders able to deliver consistently on the Microsoft Leadership Principles.
Sital was the go-to person for many executives for career support and coaching due to his broad experience. He is exceptional overall on the candidate experience in what proved to be a hyper-competitive talent market.
Sital brings to the team a broader perspective than recruitment with his coaching and community activities. Sital often led our community giving programs or had us involved as a team to do good. He is a team player, highly insightful and delivers outcomes that were highly valued by myself and the team. I enjoyed the many years we worked together and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to prospective employers or clients.”
Lee Murphy, HRD
“I met Sital in my recruitment and onboarding process at Microsoft. He was remarkable in that he kept me informed and comfortable throughout the process, but also was able to be a great coach and provide real insight into the management thinking in the company. This became more evident as I joined and he supported and coached me informally and socially as I got to meet and know the team. His style is collaborative, connecting and also direct and honest. The combination of his natural style and personality makes him much more than a smart recruitment leader, but more a business coach, advisor and thought leader in his field and passion of attracting, retaining and motivating talented leaders. For me, Sital is a go to person for advice around talent and leadership topics across our industry. He is connected, knowledgeable and a valuable asset for any organisation looking to bring in the best people or align them to goals effectively!”
Neil Thorne, IBM Consulting, APAC Sales Lead, Ex-Microsoft, Accenture
“Sital brings a whole new level of strategic, diverse and innovative approach to talent management. He is an influential and inspiring leader who effectively builds relationships and engages with stakeholders within and beyond the organization.
I have the privilege to partner with Sital and the following 3 areas are abundantly clear in my engagement with him.
1) As a business partner and advisor, Sital demonstrates in-depth understanding of business, industry knowledge and brings forward-thinking HR strategies that align with organization’s strategic goals. He evaluates talent marketplace dynamics and trends to enable executives and stakeholders to make decisions that help the business be future-ready. Sital challenges the conventional talent thinking and biases with balanced and holistic perspectives of people, purpose and profit.
2) Sital champions organizational culture and change. He fosters a culture of lifelong learning, resilience, and change agility for employees to thrive. By keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in talents’ techniques, technologies, and innovative solutions, Sital gain insights to continuously increase value to organizations.
3) Sital’s passion on talent goes beyond organization. He is a versatile leader who readily extends his steady coaching and experiences to the larger global communities. He redefines and get to the forefront to ensure every talent are achieving their highest potential and relevance in competitive business environment and ever changing economic & social conditions.
I highly recommend Sital for any role that he chooses to embark on. He will deliver exceptional impact and value to organizations, communities and people.”
Sook Hoon Cheah, General Manager, South Asia New Markets, Microsoft
“Sital was a great partner for the Microsoft Dynamics Operations team, taking a collaborative approach to understanding the needs of our business, sharing ideas and driving a great recruitment plan for our growing team. We built up a diverse and talented team with his help. I view Sital as a key part of my network and often solicit his inputs and advice when thinking about business challenges.
In addition to this, Sital has played a key leadership role in his work on the Asia Pacific Operation Center (APOC) People & Talent initiative. He has been a significant contributor to the approach and strategy overall and also quickly proved himself also in leading the Career Management work stream – this has been delivered in an extremely professional manner and to great feedback from the APOC employee base. He has respect of the team members and showed an ability to get results through other people.”
Justin McCarthy, Senior Director, Microsoft
“I engaged with Sital on a human performance programme that sought to transform our retail banking business. I worked very closely with him in his capacity of leading the recruitment team to acquire deep retailing and financial expertise from the open market.
We succeeded in recruiting a number leaders who are now transforming our business.
The success of the programme was directly attributable to Sital; his pace, energy and drive were unlike any I had encountered – and this was a talented team.
Very unusually for 1) a recruiter and 2) an external consultant, he built deep and lasting relationships with the leaders in the business – so much so that he was solicited directly by them to transition some of his skills to the wider team.
He subsequently delivered a programme of training to some of our managers and resourcing specialists on how to find and recruit the right people using his innovative and cost-effective approach.
Indeed, he was offered several permanent positions in fee generating roles – which is the best testament to his capability.
Above all with Sital – it is not his capability that sets him apart (which is very pronounced) it is his attitude, his personal drive and his charisma. I would work with him again above all other recruiters and consultants.”
Lizzie Runham, UK Talent Management Barclays Bank Plc
“Sital is an exceptionally perceptive and insightful advisor. He possesses a distinct ability to connect with senior stakeholders, grasp the intricacies of the business landscape, and comprehend the distinct talent requirements. He then leverages this understanding to provide consultation and direction on crucial talent-related choices within complex and ever-evolving environments.
Throughout our professional journeys, my peers and I have consistently turned to Sital for his invaluable counsel. My initial interaction with Sital occurred during the hiring process when leaving Citigroup/Citibank, and he has since played the role of an informal coach whilst helping to build my global team for SEI investments and beyond.
Sital’s influence extends beyond his professional expertise; he is a commendable role model. I had the privilege of participating in fundraising events orchestrated by Sital in London, aimed at empowering the education of girls in rural Asia. Particularly in a time when making a positive impact holds paramount significance, Sital has illuminated the path for all of us to meaningfully contribute to society, even amidst our demanding schedules.
In summary, Sital’s qualities as an advisor, coach, and advocate for positive change make him an asset to any professional circle.”
Jatin Patel, Private Banking & Wealth Management Consultant & Advisor, Censeo Capital, Ex-Citibank, KBL Monaco Private Bank, SEI Investments
“Sital is a talented, business-minded professional with a tremendous work ethic and great sense of humour. He has been a GREAT resource, partner and consultant in both implementing a recruitment process in a difficult unaligned environment, as well as tactically staffing our UK Operations.
He was able to craft true business solutions to the recruitment and organizational design initiatives within our global business units. His ability to not only be an expert in recruitment and leadership, but to truly understand the business of financial services and general entrepreneurialism led to a very successful partnership.
It’s been my pleasure to work with him.”
Lisa Van Ess, VP Human Resources and Professional Development, SEI Investments
“While I was at HSBC, Sital hired virtually all of my team members during the 2000-2003 period.
Despite being an external recruiter, he truly took the time to understand our business, our specific needs, and consistently found the right talent. This led me to exclusively work with Sital, ceasing my engagement with other recruitment firms.
When I first met Sital, like all recruiters, he talked about building long-term relationships. True to his word, when he changed roles, he made a concerted effort to introduce me to his successor, ensuring a seamless transition and continued collaboration.
Now, 20 years later, I find myself writing this testimonial to maintain that relationship.
Beyond his recruitment capabilities and focus on genuine relationships, it was Sital’s down-to-earth and open style that made doing business with him a pleasure.
I sincerely wish him the best in his future endeavours.”
Kiran Shah, VP Citibank, Ex-HSBC
“I’m delighted to recommend Sital as an outstanding Advisor, Coach, and Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist. I’ve known Sital since the early 2000s when he was my client in London’s highly competitive financial services markets.
He has since become a valued member of my network and relied upon for his wise counsel. Sital excels at analysing complex talent challenges and providing innovative solutions to enable sustainable business growth. His strategic insights consistently surpass expectations, whether in crafting business strategies, streamlining talent acquisition, or fostering leadership development.
What sets Sital apart is his deep understanding of human capital and his talent for identifying and nurturing top-tier talent. His personalized approach ensures tailored guidance to meet specific needs. Sital’s infectious enthusiasm, unwavering support, and genuine desire for others’ success make him a valuable asset to any organization or individual.
If you are seeking a partner who will not only elevate your business but also empower your team and yourself, Sital is the ideal choice”
Torquil Warren, Senior Manager, Executive Search, Lloyds Banking Group
“Sital is one of most creative coaches I’ve come across. He has that capacity to think in a different dimension – a vital quality for helping people who don’t know what they want to get out of life and their careers!”
John Lees, Career Coach and Strategist. Author of 15 Career and Personal Development Books
“Sital was a breath of fresh air to a team that needed encouragement. He worked with our MBA students to encourage and direct their career search. He built relationships quickly with the students and with the existing careers team providing insight and energy. I value Sital’s input greatly and would employ him again!!!!”
Graham Clarke, Academic Director, Full-Time MBA Programmes. The Cranfield School of Management
“Sital provided a valuable and successful job search campaign service for the 2011 MBA graduates at Cranfield School of Management. His practical interactive sessions and industry knowledge gave our MBAs further guidance and measures to accelerate their job search campaign and injected energy into the process through his enthusiasm, drive and commitment. His programme of support combined with the ongoing services of the Career Development Service at Cranfield have ensured that our MBA students have all the tools they need to secure the right role for them post graduation.I would highly recommend Sital and his methods to assist candidates with their job search process.”
Colin Hudson, Director of Career Development, Cranfield School of Management
“Sital’s ‘can do’, direct and ‘non-fluffy’ career advice has made a tremendous difference to me.”
Steven Ball, Trader, Ex-JP Morgan
“I recommend Sital wholeheartedly. He struck the key balance between encouraging confidence at a time of change and keeping expectations realistic in a challenging economy. He provided a structure within which to consider my next career move and I am now confident about what I want from work and where it fits with my other interests. It was a boon to work with someone who enjoys his subject as much as Sital and I have met few people so committed to helping others to find success.”
Alison Marsden, Vice President, Citibank
“Blessed with enthusiasm and a good sense of humour, working with Sital over the last quarter has been a valuable experience in a difficult climate. With knowledgeable advice and guidance, Sital has helped me focus on the bigger goals and shone a light on the routes to new opportunities. Despite the turbulent market, I was able to find an exciting new role that taps into my experience, whilst helping me finally enjoy a much better work-life balance.”
John Beazely, Ex-Operations Director, Goldman Sachs Asset Management
“Sital helped me during my career transition to de-clutter my thoughts, gain clarity in what I wanted to achieve and focus on a set of objectives to ultimately win the prize I was seeking – an excellent new job. He taught me some simple yet powerful techniques to perform well through my search process.”
Vijay Shah, Ex-Director, Global Business Technology, Merrill Lynch
“Sital and his team showed a steadfast commitment to partnering with me and the Asia business teams to help shift the needle on female representation. The focused succession planning, long term relationship building, and consultative approach enabled us to make key changes as part of cultural transformation journey.”
Zoe McBride, HR Director, Microsoft
“I’m delighted to highlight Sital’s exceptional commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I). In an era where D&I is receiving increased attention and more male allies are emerging, Sital has stood as a dedicated advocate for a long time. He has been a true Ally to me!
I’ve seen Sital actively participate in women’s events, including the early “Lean In” gatherings. His genuine commitment to gender equality and continuous learning is evident in his active involvement.
During my leadership of the ‘Woman at Microsoft’ community in Asia, I had the opportunity to work closely with Sital. His tireless efforts in mentoring and coaching women leaders within the organization were commendable. Sital consistently went above and beyond to empower women in their careers.
Furthermore, Sital and I share a passion for girls’ education, and our collaborations in this area have been impactful. What truly sets Sital apart is his sincere desire to champion diverse voices. His advocacy for inclusivity is clearly reflected in his actions and the positive impact he has on the D&I landscape.
Sital’s contributions to advancing D&I and his dedication to making our world more inclusive and equitable are truly commendable.”
Sindura
“I have known Sital since 2016 when we crossed paths within the SWIN community – the ‘Singapore Women’s Intercompany Network.’ SWIN is a professional community across multinational companies (MNCs) in Singapore to help women connect, learn, and support career development. I had the privilege of leading SWIN during 2016-18.
It was a breath of fresh air to see Sital join the group with a genuine desire to learn and actively participate. He attended numerous SWIN events as well as women’s events hosted by various MNCs. Eventually, he became an integral part of SWIN’s core committee, where he was the only” male committee member.
Throughout the years, Sital consistently impressed us with his valuable insights, input, and unique perspectives. His background in executive hiring, his male viewpoint on diversity, and his technology expertise gained at Microsoft enriched our discussions.
Since our time at SWIN, Sital has remained a part of my extended network. I can confidently say that Sital is an exceptionally curious and insightful individual. His commitment to understanding various women’s communities and how different multinational companies approach women’s careers, mentorship, and allyship is commendable. His contributions within Microsoft and beyond have been driven by well-informed leanings from the market. I wholeheartedly endorse Sital and can’t recommend him highly enough. I wish him continued success in all his endeavours.”
Silvia Allison, Chairperson , Singapore Women’s Intercompany Network (SWIN), Ex-Franklin Templeton & BNY Mellon
“I had the pleasure of working alongside Sital at Microsoft, and our paths converged once again in 2016 at a volunteers training day with the NGO “Dress for Success Worldwide”
Dress for Success Worldwide is committed to offering long-lasting solutions to disadvantaged women, enabling them to break the cycle of poverty. Dress for Success Singapore, as part of this global movement for change, empowers women to secure safer and better futures.
I’m deeply passionate about empowering women in their careers, so it was wonderful to see Sital, despite being a man, attending to share his expertise. At that time, we didn’t allow men to be 1:1 coaches, so Sital decided to contribute in another valuable way.
Sital generously lent his knowledge and resources from his previous career coaching experience in London to help during the early stages of us building a set of career tools and resources. These finished resources have been instrumental in scaling our career programs and ensuring consistency in our approach across multiple volunteer coaches and individual clients.
The framework that Sital contributed to not only enabled us to scale and assist more women, but also allowed us to swiftly transition to 100% online operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, providing much-needed remote career support to our clients when they needed it the most as the economy and job market stalled.
We are immensely grateful for Sital’s contributions to Dress for Success in Singapore and his unwavering commitment to empowering women for career success.”
Susan Vaughan, Volunteer Career Coach, Dress for Success, SVP Global Head of People Operations, CBRE
“As part of our annual team offsite, Sital facilitated a workshop on ‘Managing Change with Uncertainty’ for our Global Executive Talent Acquisition Team and it was truly a transformative experience! Sital’s unique approach, filled with creativity and experiential exercises, made learning engaging, impactful and fun. His high-energy, hands-on-style was incredibly inspiring and laughter-filled sessions left a lasting impression on all of us. Leading through a change journey requires us to keep teams energized as they navigate ambiguity and setbacks. Sital’s session did just that – with experiential exercises (not PowerPoint) to help the team form practical habits and handle roadblocks. Sital’s ability to bring together a diverse, global team and facilitate meaningful connections was remarkable. The workshop left us with a renewed sense of energy and deep understanding of how to navigate change and uncertainty effectively. It was an unforgettable experience that I highly recommend to anyone looking to inspire their teams and drive positive change. ”
Nina Johal, Director,
APJC Talent Acquisition, Worldwide Amazon Stores, Ex-Microsoft
“At our HR offsite in Hyderabad India, Sital facilitated a high impact workshop to our HR teams from across ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand. The session focused on leading through change and uncertainty, and we had an incredibly diverse group.
It takes a skilful presenter to engage and galvanize such a diverse team, and it’s a credit to Sital’s abilities as a speaker, his emotional intelligence, and his cross-cultural awareness that he was able to do so. He has a highly inclusive style, making it possible to engage a cross-cultural group with differing backgrounds and styles.
Sital’s innovative approach and high-impact workshop left a lasting impression. The feedback from participants was very positive, and his ability to impart new skills and practical habits for our cultural transformation journey was invaluable.
This change journey was critical, as it coincided with a vital stage in Microsoft’s Cloud transformation journey and our HR transformation journey. The workshop played a pivotal role in equipping our teams with the essential enabling skills needed to drive our organization forward in transformational work, ensuring we remain at the forefront of innovation and success.
I strongly recommend Sital for any organization seeking a dynamic and insightful facilitator who can empower teams, inclusive approach and drive impactful change.”
Lee Murphy, Board Director, CHRO,
Google, Microsoft, Nokia, FWD
“Sital’s role as the emcee at our annual Room to Read women’s Bollywood fundraiser was nothing short of remarkable. We hosted 400 women at the prestigious Grand Copthorne Hotel for an unforgettable evening of glamour, fundraising, auctions, and dancing – Sital played a pivotal role in making it a resounding success.
What set Sital apart was his genuine passion and dedication to the cause of girls’ education and Room to Read. He took the time to connect with our organizing committee before the event, ensuring that every aspect of the evening was tailored to our specific needs and the diverse audience we had – a mix of Singaporean Chinese, Malay and Indian heritage alongside expatriate woman from all corners of the world.
The evening was nothing short of magnificent, and Sital’s presence added an extra layer of magic to it. Beyond his role at the event, he became a close partner for Room to Read in Singapore. Throughout my with Room To Read Singapore chapter, I couldn’t recommend Sital highly enough as a partner for supporting noble causes like girls’ education. He possesses the unique ability to host events for large groups while seamlessly adapting to the diverse personalities and cultures present.
Sital’s commitment to making a positive impact in the world, combined with his exceptional hosting skills, makes him an invaluable asset to any cause or event. We were fortunate to have him by our side, and I wholeheartedly endorse him for anyone seeking a dedicated partner in their mission to bring about positive change.”
Akashnee Thompson
Ex-Room to Read, Singapore Chapter
“Sital was the final of five speakers at full day Saturday course for just over 100 New Zealand chartered accountants. What a way to finish the day. He was entertaining, informative and had everyone enthralled. We will definitely use Sital again.”
Elizabeth Welch, Branch Secretary,
New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (UK) Branch
“Offering a relevant and valuable events agenda is fundamental for driving growth to any start-up alumni community. By delivering a series of careers workshops, focusing on “employability”, to BPP’s Alumni audience, Sital is offering a “hook” for BPPs Alumni to re-engage with their Alma Mata.
Sital’s method of delivery is practical, personal and entertaining which has provided extremely positive feedback to date. I am delighted to be working in collaboration with Sital.”
Theresa Dzendrowskyj, Head of Alumni Relations, PP Professional Education
“Great guy, great worker, great thinker, great speaker. Sital is a guy I would want to get shipwrecked with – ever willing and capable of dealing with complex problems in a crushingly logical way.”
Chris Barrow, Consultant, Coach and Speaker