Meet a #futureshaper: Aneesha Arora

Aneesha Arora has advice for you.

Focus on doing a great job in the role you are in and the next role will find its way to you, said Aneesha, Vice President for Human Resources Services.

She also urges you to:

• Take risks. 
• Pause to celebrate successes with your team.
• Recharge outside of work. 

“Take time to be with your family and do the things you love or whatever brings you energy,” Aneesha said.

Based in Charlotte, N.C.; here is her #futureshaper story.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?  

I really wanted to be a Fly Girl on the U.S. TV show In Living Color and then I wanted to be the next Barbara Walters. But reality set in and I decided to follow in the footsteps of others in my family and thought I would be a doctor.

What do you do? 

Our goal is to be the best run industrial company in the world. The way to achieve that is by having engaged employees. I’m responsible for ensuring that essential HR support is available to our employees through innovative technologies and services to deliver a fulfilling, satisfying work experience – at every point in their Honeywell career. I’m also responsible for delivering key HR data and analytics to our business leaders to help them make better business decisions.

What gets you excited about coming to work every day?  

There are a few things that get me jazzed: (1) The talented HR team I work with and lead. I am super proud of them. (2) Helping to solve challenging problems. (3) Knowing that I can truly make a difference for the business.

What do you wish people knew about Honeywell? 

Because we typically don’t sell straight to the consumer, most people don’t know about the breadth of the cool and innovative technologies we develop and how incredibly global we are. We really impact the way the world works!

How has Honeywell changed since you began working here? 

Its operational and financial performance has dramatically improved, as well as the priorities of the business given the rapidly changing technology landscape. We are talking about things we haven’t talked about before like artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, flying vehicles … the solutions we are working on today are different than they were 17 years ago. We used to only talk about products and now we can also talk about software and solutions. At the same time, we’ve evolved the workforce so that our employees have much more diverse skill sets so we can pivot into new markets and technologies. But at its core, Honeywell is still a company that values a meritocracy, bases decisions on data, and has strong ethics. That has not changed.

How does your job make tomorrow better/safer than today? 

My role is to deliver outstanding HR service to my fellow #futureshapers around the world. When our employees feel supported and they have what they need to be successful in their jobs, we’re in the best position to make a better tomorrow.

What qualities do you think a #futureshaper have? 

Intellectual curiosity, courage, innovative thinking, and a focus on delivering value for our customers.

If you were a fortune reader, what would you predict as the future of your industry? 

HR is becoming more innovative and digital as we ride the wave of automation into the future. Our employees are busy working hard to make the world a better place, so it should be easy and fast when they need help with their HR needs. We are doing just that by introducing an HR digital assistant that provides instant, personalized support when employees need it. We are also using predictive analytics to drive business decisions. In all, the speed and reliability of technology coupled with the talent and expertise of our HR Services team members makes a pretty powerful combination when serving the needs of our employees.      

What do you for fun? 

My kids are my world and I have the most fun when my husband and I play with our two young kids. They love to play hide ‘n seek and build forts with the pillows on my couch. They are 2 and 4 years old so they ask me questions all evening long and make me laugh. When I have “adult time,” I enjoy spending time with my husband, dancing or traveling…oh and shopping!

Learn more about what it is like to be a #futureshaper.