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As Divya Iyengar, Regional Talent Acquisition Manager – SEA & ANZ, shares, integrating recruitment, onboarding, and early engagement has enabled a more proactive, insight-led, and consistent talent experience from the first interaction.
As organisations seek to meet rising employee expectations, Solenis has focused on creating a more connected experience from the very first interaction. Rather than treating recruitment, onboarding and engagement as separate HR touchpoints, the company has brought them together into a seamless, end-to-end journey that is both technology-enabled and human-centred.
Its transformation has combined standardised processes across markets with more personalised employee interactions – helping the team streamline processes and gain greater visibility across the talent lifecycle. More importantly, these tools have enabled continuous feedback, stronger connections and more meaningful growth experiences, Divya Iyengar (pictured above), Regional Talent Acquisition Manager – SEA & ANZ, Solenis shares.
Solenis' shift from a reactive, transactional approach to an insight-led talent experience model was recognised at the Employee Experience Awards 2026, Singapore, where the team clinched the following accolades:
- Gold for 'Best Use of Recruitment Technology Tools', and
- Silver for 'Best Talent Sourcing and Attraction Strategy'.
In conversation with HRO, Divya shares how the organisation has scaled its talent acquisition model, brought leaders and employees into the transformation journey, and maintained the balance between technology and human connection.
Q Tell us about the biggest insight or lesson that influenced your EX approach this past year.
One of the biggest insights that shaped our employee experience approach this past year was the realisation that EX cannot be viewed as a series of disconnected HR touchpoints it must be designed as a seamless, end-to-end journey that is both tech-enabled and deeply human-centric.
Through our transformation journey, we recognised that while standardisation is essential to drive scale and consistency across markets, it is personalisation that truly drives engagement and connection. Technology played a key role in this shift — platforms like Workday, AI-driven tools such as Solenis Pulse, and data analytics helped us streamline processes and create visibility across the talent lifecycle.
However, we quickly learned that the real value of these tools lies not just in efficiency, but in how they enable stronger connections, continuous feedback, and meaningful growth experiences for employees.
By bringing together recruitment, onboarding, and early-stage engagement into one integrated ecosystem, we were able to move away from a reactive, transactional approach to hiring and towards a more proactive, insight-led talent experience model. This shift has helped us create a more consistent, engaging, and future-ready employee experience from the very first interaction.
Q How did you bring leaders, managers, and employees together to support the execution and success of the initiative?
We approached employee experience as a shared responsibility across the organisation, rather than viewing it as a standalone HR-driven initiative. This mindset shift was critical in ensuring alignment, ownership, and consistency across all touchpoints of the employee journey.
A key focus was actively involving leaders from the outset. Leaders played a significant role in governance, recruitment partner selection, and aligning talent strategy across Southeast Asia. We also created multiple platforms such as onboarding sessions, town halls, intake meetings, and open forums to encourage transparent communication and build trust across the organisation.
At the manager level, we placed strong emphasis on enablement and capability building. Managers were supported through structured processes, Workday-driven workflows, and continuous feedback mechanisms such as hiring manager surveys. We also embedded collaboration across the entire lifecycle from hiring panels to learning and performance development while ensuring fairness and inclusion through diverse hiring panels and standardised practices.
Equally important was how we engaged employees throughout their journey. Through continuous listening tools like Solenis Pulse, structured onboarding programmes, and initiatives such as the WiSE mentorship programme, we ensured that employee is heard and supported in their initial journey.
Together, these efforts helped create a connected and collaborative ecosystem, where leaders, managers, and employees all play an active role in shaping and delivering a meaningful and consistent employee experience.
Q What challenge behind the scenes tested your team the most, and what did it teach you about building stronger employee experience programmes?
One of the most defining challenges for us was transforming a highly stretched talent acquisition function into a scalable, future-ready model.
At the outset, the talent acquisition function was managing a high volume of hiring activity across multiple markets while supporting evolving business needs. This created an opportunity to standardise processes, strengthen regional alignment, and enhance the effectiveness of our talent acquisition ecosystem. Through a focus on collaboration, technology enablement, and process optimisation, we improved hiring efficiency, candidate experience, and overall business agility.
The real test lay in driving rapid transformation while ensuring business continuity. We needed to redesign the operating model, implement new strategy and build capability across the region all without disrupting ongoing hiring needs.
Through this journey, we gained several critical insights. First, scaling effectively requires a robust operating model, combining the strengths of an RPO structure with empowered in-house teams. Second, we learned that realising the full value of any transformation goes beyond implementation.
"True success comes from driving adoption through effective change management, strong stakeholder engagement, and continuous capability building, ensuring that new tools and processes become embedded in everyday ways of working."
Another key lesson was the value of an iterative approach. Rather than waiting for perfect conditions, we launched initiatives and improved them continuously through feedback and data-driven insights.
Ultimately, this experience reinforced that strong employee experience programmes are not static they are built on agility, resilience, and a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
Q As you reflect on the journey, what does this recognition at the Employee Experience Awards 2026 mean to you and your team?
This recognition is incredibly meaningful to us because it validates a holistic transformation journey, rather than a single initiative or intervention. It reflects the collective effort of reimagining our Talent Acquisition function from a constrained, capacity-challenged setup into a strategic, data-driven talent engine that is closely aligned with business goals.
The award also represents our success in integrating technology, diversity, and human-centric practices into one cohesive experience. By leveraging platforms like Workday, embedding diversity initiatives such as WiSE, and introducing real-time engagement tools like Solenis Pulse, we were able to deliver tangible business and people outcomes.
For the team, this recognition is especially significant because it celebrates their resilience, adaptability, and commitment throughout a period of significant organisational growth and evolution. It highlights the power of innovation and collaboration, where many of our solutions were conceptualised and executed in-house with agility, creativity, and a strong sense of ownership.
Ultimately, this award is both a milestone and a motivator it reinforces that we are on the right path, while inspiring us to continue pushing boundaries and elevating the employee experience across the organisation.
Q Finally, as employee expectations continue to evolve, what is one area of EX you believe HR teams will need to rethink in the year ahead?
One of the most critical areas HR teams will need to rethink is how they balance technology and human connection within the employee experience, particularly in Talent Acquisition and early employee journeys.
Firstly, the future of talent acquisition lies in the effective integration of AI, automation, and human expertise. Organisations that successfully combine these elements are better positioned to drive efficiency, enhance candidate experiences, and meet evolving talent demands. Administrative tasks such as screening, scheduling, and coordination can be significantly enhanced through AI-powered tools, allowing recruiters to shift their focus from transactional activities to higher-value work such as stakeholder engagement, candidate experience, talent relationship management, and strategic workforce planning.
"By leveraging technology to augment, rather than replace human capability, Talent Acquisition teams can create greater impact for both candidates and the business."
However, as we accelerate digital adoption, it becomes even more important to reinforce a human-centric approach. In an increasingly automated and virtual world, employees and candidates are seeking meaningful connections, empathy, and authenticity. Technology should enhance, not dilute, the personal touch ensuring that every interaction still feels engaging, respectful, and tailored.
In this context, organisations need to consciously position technology as an enabler rather than a replacement. The goal is not to replace human judgment or relationships, but to augment decision-making with data, improve efficiency, and create more personalised and responsive experiences at scale.
Ultimately, the future of employee experience will depend on how well organisations can:
- Leverage AI to drive efficiency and insight
- Maintain a strong human connection across the employee lifecycle
- Use technology strategically to enhance not replace people interactions
Those who strike this balance successfully will be best positioned to deliver a seamless, intelligent, and effective human employee experience.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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