HRadiO: Cytiva's Shivani Nadarajah on building the future of APAC's biopharma workforce

It took Shivani Nadarajah a decade to discover where she truly belonged.

Long before she became Senior Director, Human Resources, APAC, Cytiva, she was working in supply chain, sourcing steel to make wind turbines. HR was never part of the original plan, but when the opportunity arose to make the switch, she took it. Looking back, she describes it as finding a place that finally felt like home.

Yet it was her decade outside HR that continues to shape how she leads today.

Leading people across one of the world's most diverse regions means balancing global consistency with local realities, something Shivani believes cannot be achieved through a one-size-fits-all approach.

Speaking to Umairah Nasir, Shivani reflects on her unconventional career journey, leading HR across APAC, and why meaningful experiences, rather than hiring alone, are key to building the workforce of the future.