Samunnati, India’s leading agri enterprise, has announced the appointment of Venkatesh Raja as its Group Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) – Designate. The move is a part of Samunnati’s initiative to strengthen its people-first approach leadership team.
With over three decades of transformative leadership experience, Raja is well-recognised as an HR leader, brand strategist, and organisational architect. At Samunnati, he will oversee the organisation’s people strategy with a focus on enhancing culture and a drive to strengthen leadership capabilities to align with the company’s mission of transforming the agricultural ecosystem.
Anil Kumar SG, Founder and CEO of Samunnati, has also expressed his happiness with Raja’s appointment. “We are thrilled to have Mr. Venkatesh Raja join us at this crucial phase of our journey. His rich experience and people-first leadership approach will be instrumental in shaping the next chapter of growth and innovation at Samunnati,” he shared.
Raja’s appointment is instrumental for Samunnati’s broader vision to mobilise the organisation toward greater innovation, people-centric growth, and agricultural landscape prominence — empowering small-holders farmers and the agri community at large. The move has been deemed imperative in the company’s mission of building Samunnati 2.0 — a future-forward, people-first organisation that will drive innovation and empowerment across India’s agricultural landscape.
Prior to joining Samunnati, Raja was a part of Shoppers Stop as CHRO-designate from October 2019 to April 2025. While there, he contributed significantly to driving the company’s cultural transformation, talent management, and organisational excellence. In addition, Raja worked as the Deputy Manager for Reliance Industries from December 1998 to May 2003. In June 2003, he became the Team Lead of Networks Corporate HR at Reliance Infocomm and retained the position until April 2006.
Raja was also a part of Future Lifestyle Fashions from July 2010 to October 2019 as the company’s Chief People Officer. While there, he mentored HR Heads of major clothing brands, including FBB, Celio, Lee Cooper, Cover Story, and more. His impressive work experience also includes appointments as the Associate Director of Human Resources at MTS—Sistema Shyam Teleservices and General Manager of Corporate Human Resources at Pantaloon Retail.
With a zeal toward teaching and mentoring others, Raja is a certified Marshall Goldsmith coach and a passionate mentor. He also enjoys reading and is a national weightlifting champion. The new Samunnati executive holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies and a bachelor’s degree in business/commerce from the University of Madras.