Dr. Harry CD: Architect of Resilient Organizations Where People Strategy and Sustainability Converge

In the relentless, always-on world of telecom infrastructure, where network uptime is paramount and the pressure to perform is immense, a new breed of leader is quietly redefining the rules of engagement. At Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Private Limited, Dr. Harry CD, the Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, is not just managing personnel; he is architecting a revolutionary model where the well-being of people, the rigor of performance, and the health of the planet are fused into a single, powerful strategy. 

When telecom networks don’t sleep, their people’s systems can’t either. For more than a decade, “Dr. Harry CD” has stood at that 24×7 frontier connecting purpose, performance, and planet in one of the toughest operating theatres there is: passive telecom infrastructure. With decades of experience as global leaders and a strong foundation in academic excellence, Dr. Harry commands exceptional credibility in his mission. His rare dual mandate overseeing both HR and Sustainability turns corporate culture from a theoretical ideal into a practical engine for decarbonization and community impact, demonstrating that in high-stakes industries, the most vital infrastructure is the human one.

A Bedrock Built on Knowledge and Experience

Dr. Harry C.D. brings a wealth of global experience and academic rigor to his role as Chief Human Resources Officer at Ascend Telecom Infrastructure, a position he has held since 2012. His distinguished career is a tapestry woven across leading multinational corporations, including pivotal leadership roles as Global Vice President of HR at both 3G Labs India Ltd. and LG Software, and as Director at Tejas Networks and Flextronics. 

The diverse journey through the product, services, and infrastructure sectors has equipped him with a unique, multi-context understanding of what it takes to build resilient human systems. His practical expertise is grounded by a profound commitment to lifelong learning, evidenced by an impressive academic portfolio that includes a Master’s in Social Work, an MBA, a Fellowship from the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad, and a PhD. This powerful combination of hands-on leadership and deep theoretical knowledge forms the bedrock of his human-centric approach to building world-class organizations.

The Defining Mark of a Contemporary Leader

What sets Dr. Harry apart is his transformative approach to leadership, where people strategy serves as the central nervous system driving both organizational resilience and unwavering integrity.

• The “Two-Engine” CHRO: Fusing People and Planet. Unlike most firms, Dr. Harry’s dual role as CHRO and CSO creates powerful synergy, embedding sustainability into the company’s culture by turning ESG goals into real behaviors, aligned incentives, and vendor standards that drive collective progress.
• Systems Builder: The Architecture of Endurance. Dr. Harry builds durable, process-driven systems that outlast trends, ensuring Ascend’s strengths endure through leadership shifts and market cycles proving real resilience comes from consistency, not campaigns.
• The Discipline Behind Agility: The COVID-19 hero recognition reflected a deeper strength, a crisis-ready discipline shaped by clear authority, rapid feedback, and empathetic communication enabling swift, human-centered response.
• Community as a Strategic Hedge: Under his guidance, afforestation and vocational skilling go beyond CSR; they strengthen communities, protect livelihoods, and turn local well-being into a shared advantage for both people and Ascend.

Shaping the Industry’s Conscience Beyond the Boardroom

Extending far beyond Ascend’s operations, Dr. Harry’s influence marks him as a thought leader shaping HR and sustainability. His talks, awards, and collaborations go beyond resume highlights, reflecting a career dedicated to sharing knowledge, empowering others, and driving meaningful change.

Here are some of the awards and collaborations:

• A Sought-After Voice for Excellence: His frequent role at forums like the “PeopleFirst HR Excellence Awards reflects peers” respect for his practical insights, turning telecom experience into actionable strategies and generously sharing wisdom with the HR community.
• Leadership Forged in Crisis: The “COVID-19 Hero of the Year – HR (Telecom)” award at the 29th Inflection Conference highlights his team’s extraordinary response, showing that his systems-based HR approach built a “crisis muscle” ensuring both safety and business continuity.
• Championing Inclusive Systems: His 2025 DE&I recognition reflects his philosophy: advocating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion not as publicity but as a system that mitigates risk and drives talent innovation, building safer, stronger workforces.
• The Open-Source Mentor: Long before it was common, Dr. Harry embraced open-source knowledge. His public SlideShare presentations on leadership, development, and ethics serve as free masterclasses, reflecting a leader committed to building the sector’s collective capability.

The Seamless Cycle of People, Performance, and Planet

In the high-pressure world of telecom, where every connection counts and safety is everything, Ascend Telecom led by Group CEO Dr. Sushil Kumar Chaturvedi is bringing a human and sustainable touch to progress. By blending network modernization with an ESG-first approach, the company turns decarbonization, diesel reduction, and renewable adoption into everyday practices that empower people and protect the planet.

Formally embedded in Ascend’s strategy since 2021, the approach commits to cutting GHG emissions, phasing out fossil fuels, scaling renewables, and driving afforestation with over 100,000 trees planted. Notably, “Dr. Harry CD, Chief Sustainability Officer” appears on these pages signifying HR’s dual role in leading environmental and social impact.

Far from a ceremonial title, Dr. Harry’s dual role brings ESG to life in an industry where energy, safety, and people are deeply connected. He turns sustainability goals into real action building frameworks, incentives, and habits that make climate responsibility part of everyday work and lasting organizational culture.

Dr. Harry CD’s Sustainable Leadership Blueprint

As the Chief Sustainability Officer at Ascend, Dr. Harry has established ESG principles as the foundational bedrock of corporate strategy, transforming them from standalone initiatives into core operational drivers. He has championed this sustained commitment to combat climate change and strengthen social governance, ensuring investor philosophy translates into globally-aligned execution.

Under his leadership, Ascend formalized its ESG drive in 2021, with Dr. Harry CD spearheading GHG reduction, fossil fuel substitution, and renewable energy initiatives. He has championed afforestation, planting over 100,000 trees, and pledged 50,000 more within three years.

Beyond environmental work, Dr. Harry CD has championed social programs like vocational training for youth, strengthening livelihoods and local communities. In his dual role as CSO and CHRO, he connects business growth with people’s well-being and the planet’s health, making ESG a living priority at Ascend.

Case Studies in Human-Centric Transformation

Dr. Harry’s philosophy comes alive not in boardroom presentations, but in the tangible, impactful changes enacted across Ascend’s operations. These case studies reveal how a people-first approach directly powers business resilience and sustainability.

Forging the Green Guardians: How Site Crews Became Climate Champions

• Context: In regions with unstable power grids, thousands of telecom sites depended on diesel generators, creating a significant environmental and operational challenge.
• Intervention: While technology like solarization and storage mattered, Dr. Harry CD redesigned people-processes aligning incentives, embedding safety and sustainability in daily routines, and integrating focused learning directly into workflows.
• The Human Link: This approach turned engineers into active guardians of green protocols, linking daily actions to Scope-1 emissions and driving workforce-led decarbonization.

Transforming Managers into Multipliers: The Coaching Cascade

• Context: Rapid industry expansion had created a bottleneck at the middle-management level, where managers were ill-equipped to handle team disengagement and complex people issues.
• Intervention: Through immersive Managerial Leadership workshops, Dr. Harry instilled the principles of situational leadership, equipping line managers with the practical skills to coach their teams and turn around disengagement.
• The Human Link: Investing in human skills paid off coaching improved performance while driving ESG excellence, turning managers into stewards of safety, energy, and site protocols, boosting uptime and emissions discipline.

Building the Ecosystem: Where Workforce and Community Thrive Together

• Context: Operating in a historically male-dominated sector, Ascend faced talent pipeline challenges, while the rural communities hosting its towers often lacked economic opportunities.
• Intervention: Dr. Harry CD led a dual strategy: internally, enforcing DEI, PoSH, and return-to-work programs; externally, driving vocational training and large-scale afforestation initiatives.
• The Human Link: This holistic approach strengthened Ascend internally and externally expanding talent, enhancing safety, and building a robust “license-to-operate” by linking community livelihoods to positive climate outcomes, showing social responsibility and business strategy are deeply connected.

A Blueprint for the Next Era

Dr. Harry CD’s work provides a replicable model for the coming years, centered on a fundamental structural shift: weaving ESG directly into the organizational DNA by making the CHRO a co-architect of the sustainability journey. This requires formal ownership, ensuring people strategies from performance incentives and vendor policies to training curricula are explicitly aligned with the emissions reduction pathway, creating a unified front where human capital powers environmental goals.

True transformation comes from measuring behavior change as carefully as financial results. By tracking diesel saves or safety incidents prevented and rewarding teams, a self-reinforcing cycle forms. Lasting impact comes when managers act as coaches, using mentoring and practical leadership tools to turn everyday challenges into ongoing growth.

Ultimately, long-term resilience is earned by building community resilience. Initiatives like afforestation and vocational skilling are strategic hedges, not peripheral CSR. By creating shared value through green ecosystems and local employability, companies fortify their operational stability and transition to an authentic, community-powered strategy.

The Ascend ESG Blueprint:

• Full Integration: ESG is embedded in corporate policy and operational KPIs, driving decarbonization since 2021.
• Green Legacy: Large-scale afforestation programs have planted 100,000+ trees, with 50,000 more pledged, combining decarbonization with community livelihoods.
• Social Investment: Vocational skills training for youth across India creates sustainable employment pathways.
• Innovative Leadership: The unique CHRO-CSO dual role aligns workforce incentives directly with emissions reduction and community benefits.

A Generous Architect Elevating the Profession

True leadership extends beyond corporate walls, measured by a genuine commitment to elevating one’s entire field. Dr. Harry CD embodies this principle through his consistent and generous contributions to the wider HR community. His voice is a regular and respected feature at premier industry forums, where he serves not only as a speaker but also as a jury member for prestigious events like the PeopleFirst HR Excellence Awards. In this role, he helps identify and celebrate innovative practices, actively shaping the future of the profession in India by distinguishing meaningful signals from fleeting noise.

Dr. Harry’s commitment to knowledge-sharing goes far beyond the stage. He’s built a rich public library of insights publishing widely on topics from organizational citizenship to ethical performance cultures. His open SlideShare archive of decks and papers reflects a rare spirit of open-source mentorship, offering HR professionals practical guidance and forward-looking wisdom for navigating the evolving post-2020 workplace.