In a significant leadership transition, Quess Corp Ltd., India's premier staffing company, has announced the appointment of Lohit Bhatia as its new Chief Executive Officer. Bhatia, currently the President of India and Global Operations, will assume the CEO role on 1 January 2026, taking over from the current executive director and CEO, Guruprasad Srinivasan.
Strategic Leadership Transition for Future Growth
The company's board made the announcement through a regulatory filing on Friday, framing the move as a strategic step towards sharper accountability and stronger governance. This shift is designed to create a clearer distinction between strategic and operational leadership while ensuring tighter alignment with board and stakeholder expectations. A core objective of this transition is to drive margin expansion for the firm.
Guruprasad Srinivasan highlighted Bhatia's instrumental role in the company's journey, stating that he has been a cornerstone of Quess Corp's growth for the past 15 years. Under his operational leadership, the company scaled to manage over 4.8 lakh (480,000) associates, cementing its dominant position in India's staffing sector. Bhatia will work closely with Srinivasan to advance the company's vision of becoming a global leader in staffing solutions.
Bhatia's Proven Industry Pedigree
Lohit Bhatia brings a wealth of experience to the top job. Having joined Quess Corp in 2011, his career spans diverse sectors including textiles, auto components, and services. His deep industry knowledge is further validated by his current role as the President of the Indian Staffing Federation, a position he has held for three terms. This experience across both domestic and global operations marks him as a seasoned leader poised to steer the company's next phase.
Ripples in the Staffing Industry
This leadership announcement comes amidst notable changes in India's competitive staffing landscape. Just a day prior, rival firm TeamLease Services Ltd. unveiled its own top-deck reshuffle. TeamLease named Suparna Mitra, formerly the CEO of the watches and wearables division at Titan Co. Ltd., as its new Managing Director and CEO effective 2 February. She succeeds Ashok Reddy.
Concurrently, TeamLease stated that Vice-Chairman Manish Sabharwal will step down from his executive responsibilities but will continue as a non-executive, non-independent director. Narayan Ramachandran will remain the company's Chairman. These parallel moves highlight a period of strategic recalibration and leadership renewal within India's major staffing and workforce solutions providers.
