TeamLease Names Suparna Mitra MD & CEO in Leadership Overhaul

India’s staffing and workforce services firm TeamLease Services has appointed Suparna Mitra as its next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective February 2, in a sweeping top-level restructuring. 

The decision, approved unanimously by the board, ends more than two decades of executive leadership under co-founder Ashok Reddy, who will now move to the role of Executive Vice-Chairman to support Mitra’s onboarding and shape long-term strategy. 

Co-founder Manish Sabharwal will relinquish his executive duties to become a non-executive, non-independent director. The Chairman, Narayan Ramachandran, remains in place, signaling that the board seeks continuity even as the executive team changes. 

Calling the move “the logical next step,” Ashok Reddy said, “The next orbit for TeamLease, higher margins, faster growth and institutionalization, will benefit from leadership instincts that are fresh and different from ours. Suparna brings a powerful combination of strategic thinking, consumer insight, and technology orientation that accelerates TeamLease’s mission of putting India to work.”

Mitra, who until now served as CEO of the Watches and Wearables division at Titan Co. Ltd, brings over 30 years of experience spanning technology-led transformation, digital commerce, retail and large-scale operations. 

At Titan, under her leadership, the watches and wearables business doubled revenues in three years and built a premium-segment stronghold.

“TeamLease has built a unique foundation across staffing, skilling, and compliance. I look forward to unlocking the next phase of growth, digital innovation, and social impact,” Mitra said.

The leadership change comes at a time when TeamLease, over its 23-plus years, has expanded into a human capital powerhouse, serving thousands of employers, placing hundreds of thousands of workers, and diversifying into specialized staffing, HRTech, RegTech, EdTech and apprenticeship verticals.