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My K12 Story, Journey So Far : Dr. Neeta Pant, Head-Human Resources at Pathways School, Gurgaon

SHARING AN INSPIRING AND EVENTFUL JOURNEY OF DR. NEETA PANT - A PASSIONATE HR PROFESSIONAL, LIFE COACH, SOFT SKILLS TRAINER, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, EDUCATIONIST, AN EDULEADER AND HEAD – HUMAN RESOURCES AT PATHWAYS SCHOOL, GURGAON.




Dr. Neeta Pant

Senior HR Professional

Clinical Psychologist, Executive Life Coach,

POSH & POCSO Trainer, Soft Skills Trainer, Graphologist, NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist


My journey in education industry started with PSG in 2013 as Manager – HR when the organisation was just 3 years old and what a journey it has been since then. Full of ups and downs, packed with learning and unlearning, happy days, gloomy days, a life changing decision it proved to be and is still continuing….


Coming from core corporate background, with 11+ years of experience

under my belt, education sector was new for me and that too an IB School setup. It was like starting from the scratch. Took up the challenge when Mrs. Narang, the then School Director, threw it at me and I must say today, I absolutely have no regrets. In the beginning, almost all the profiles were new to me, language was foreign; I had no clue what an IBC means, what EE or CAS or TOK stands for, leave aside hiring for the positions and am just naming few positions here. Initially in all the meeting the feeling was of ‘fear and flight’. 2013-14 was totally spent in understanding the IB terminologies, work culture, functioning, colleagues, expectations, aspirations etc. Major learning in this year was Education Sector’s working and how IB functions. By the end of AY 2013-14, I thought I was able to find my own two feet and had just started feeling comfortable and then there came an announcement of change in the leadership. Another quick learning here was – do not get too comfortable, pun intended! With lot of apprehensions, lot of questions and loads of anxiety, I embarked on the journey with the new leadership in 2014 and since then there has been no looking back. And what a positive change it was for PSG!!!


New expectations, new style of managing affairs, total autonomy and freedom is what will sum up year 2014-15 for me. I was given free and full control of the department which came with huge responsibilities and its own challenges too because when you own it up you can’t put the responsibility of slips or gaps back on anyone but you. Under the guidance of the new leadership, I set out to achieve the target of laying down the processes and policies in PSG. Two years i.e. 2015 – 2017, I was able to compile the Staff Handbook which was a key achievement and also HR – Policy manual for the department’s internal functioning which has been the backbone of the department since then. Some might think what is the big deal about compiling a staff handbook, honestly, it was. With 3 main branches and 3 early years schools, every unit was operating things in their own way. There was no formal collaboration or structure to the systems in place, no denying that the basic systems were being followed. With the complete trust & support of the leadership, we initiated Campus Recruitments which again was a huge learning in itself and was a step toward PSG HR Branding in Delhi/NCR University Campus.




2017-19 saw automation in HR, from Biometrics to Absence Management to Clearance process, to Payroll Management, People Soft implementation was a task in itself but again has been huge learning as lot of policies and lot of process were reviewed keeping the alignment between system, structure and processes. Personally I completed my Research Fellowship in Strategic Human Resources which helped me in successfully laying down many processes in PSG. Also completed few HR certification that were relevant to my job profile like Compensation and Benefits, OD Analysis, Psychometric Test Professional, Recruitment Analyst, Performance and Competency Developer to name a few. I completed my Master Hypnotherapist Certification too this year.


2019-20 was the synchronised visit preparation time. The entire structure of HR, SOPs, policies, practices, Templates, Forms were reviewed; each practice went under the microscope and minutely thrashed out. My personal learning here was to look at the system not only from compliance and standard’s point of view but also how it is going to come across to the end user too. Safety and security of students and staff was the focus and it proved to be the most learning period of my professional life. This was the year, I also completed my NLP Certification and a degree in Graphology.


2020-21 (still ongoing) saw major changes because of COVID situation. Focus shifted from productivity to diagnosis & reach out to staff. What was being planned well in advance is now being designed in real-time. From being domain centric, we moved to being cross-domain. Periodic data analysis was replaced with Real-time analysis. Simple & basic processes like attendance, leave management, recruitments etc. were reviewed and redesigned as per the need of the situation. Again a major learning for the entire HR fraternity.


Added on few wings to myself like my Ph.D. which again has opened a new horizon for me. My background in Psychology has helped me majorly during COVID times while handling staff issues and challenges. Must mention here, that though my bread and butter comes from me being an HR professional, my heart and soul lies in Psychology. I accidentally explored the subject in 2010 when I was in Singapore where my husband got posted and since I could not work because of visa restrictions, I started exploring few courses for myself to keep myself constructively engaged and that’s where I stumbled on Psychology & Counseling. Since then, I have not only developed keen interest in the subject but found my calling and passion in the field.


Utilised the time (WFH) to further hone my skills and quench my thirst for learning. 2020 came as a year of huge learning not only in terms of profession but personally too. Got my certification done in POSH & POCSO followed by Master Trainer – Soft Skills. Took POSH/POCSO training sessions also under my wings this year which so far has been appreciated by one and all. This year also saw my counselling and psychological expertise being put to use, I started taking sessions with staff members which was well received by all as it helped them cope up with anxiety & stress and further built up their interpersonal relationship. On personal front, I found myself to be a little more resilient and more patient with not only family, colleagues & friends but with myself. 2020 also taught me to have gratitude in heart always for things that we take for granted. 2021 was also the year where I enrolled myself for CHCP which got me certified as an executive life coach.


2021 again opened with us being in a lockdown situation which brings back the learning – Never get too comfortable with anything.


To sum it up, my journey in the education was a roller coaster ride, full of learnings, development, hard work and at times very taxing. Being a self-motivated person that I am, I took the department’s journey from 2013-2020 as my personal journey and I grew with the department, quite literally. I take immense pride & joy in whatever I have been able to achieve so far and continue to do so. PSG today, despite not being the first school under the umbrella of Pathways, is being recognised and acknowledged as having best HR practices and systems. When other sister concerns look up to us for guidance & direction, is an achievement for me in itself. I can sum up by saying that I have evolved not only as a professional but also as an individual too. People say their workplace is their second home, for me PSG has been my first home for the past 7+ years. Since 2013 till now, many of PSG’s internal processes were reviewed, refined and redesigned keeping the safety aspects of students as well as staff members in view. PSG HR has seen tremendous growth in terms of staff numbers, subject offerings, policy revision, initiatives etc. too.


Thank you PSG for giving me ample opportunities, positive environment, freedom and scope to prove myself. Thank you to my leadership, Capt. Rohit Sen Bajaj, for having tremendous faith in me and supporting me whenever the times were tough and there have been many. In absolute Gratitude, forever and I am still counting…!!!


Dr. Neeta Pant is currently working with Pathways School Gurgaon since 2013 as Head – Human Resources (Talent Acquisition and Management). Prior to that she has been associated with brand names like Maruti, Pepsi, Inalsa to name a few.


Dr. Neeta Pant

Head – Human Resources (Talent Acquisition and Management)

Pathways School, Gurgaon

Senior HR Professional

Clinical Psychologist, Executive Life Coach,

POSH & POCSO Trainer, Soft Skills Trainer, Graphologist, NLP Practitioner, Hypnotherapist



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