ICF and NHRDN Host Roundtable on Leadership Coaching in India's Public Sector Enterprises
-Supported by NHPC, a Navratna PSU, the event focused on leveraging coaching to drive transformation in Public Sector leadership-
New Delhi, India — The International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the National HRD Network (NHRDN) successfully hosted a high-level roundtable discussion aimed at exploring the pivotal role of coaching in transforming leadership within India’s Public Sector Enterprises (PSE). Supported by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC), the event brought together key leaders from India’s public sector, coaching, and HR communities to discuss the evolving leadership landscape in the PSEs and how coaching can play a vital role in driving change.
The event commenced with a welcome address, where Mr. Prem Singh, National President of NHRDN shared, “Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) have been playing a vital role in nation building and our quest to become a developed country. Human capital is the most important enabler towards this goal. It’s imperative for India’s public sector to adopt global leadership practices to remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment. Leadership coaching is crucial in empowering leaders to drive meaningful change, and this roundtable reflects the commitment of NHRDN to support our PSUs in driving excellence in the human capital space.”
It was followed by an insightful opening by Magdalena Nowicka Mook, CEO of ICF, who highlighted the growing importance of coaching in today’s modern organizational structures and its significant impact on leadership development. She also shared success stories from public organizations around the globe that have successfully adopted coaching to foster effective leadership. These examples demonstrated how coaching can be a powerful tool for driving transformation, building resilience, and creating sustainable leadership frameworks. She noted, “Coaching has become a transformative force in leadership development across industries, and its impact on public sector enterprises is profound. We have seen some of the best-case examples globally from public sector organizations, and we want India’s PSEs to prosper in the same way, driving meaningful, sustainable change. The role of leadership coaching in the public sector goes beyond immediate challenges. It builds a future-ready leadership cadre equipped to lead transformational change.”
Following her address, the roundtable discussion engaged participants from the PSE sector, with a focus on exchanging ideas, best practices, and real-world examples of leadership transformation through coaching. The conversation emphasized how leadership coaching is integral to creating adaptive, forward-thinking leaders in India’s unique public sector landscape and a pressing need to redesign organizations’ existing coaching practices and cultures.
Dr. Alka Mittal, Member Administration of Capacity Building Commission, Government of India, and former CMD for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd., a high-performing Maharatna PSE, moderated this discussion, emphasizing the importance of leadership coaching in the Indian PSEs. She remarked, “Public Sector Enterprises are the backbone of our nation’s economic growth, acting as true nation builders. Therefore, leadership coaching is crucial to transforming these institutions from within. It will equip leaders to navigate complex challenges and make impactful decisions to become future-ready. This roundtable highlights coaching as a strategic tool for building agile, resilient leadership in the public sector.”
While supporting this important event, NHPC Limited, which was recently accorded the prestigious ‘Navratna’ status by the Government of India, shared the importance of empowering and upskilling employees to achieve consistent excellence. Mr. Uttam Lal, Executive Director (Personnel), NHPC, emphasized integrating modern leadership practices through coaching to foster resilience and innovation within the public sector. He stated, “At NHPC, leadership development is pivotal to driving organizational transformation. We are excited to support this roundtable because, only through coaching, can we nurture leaders who are both resilient and adaptable to future challenges”.
All of the speakers emphasized the increasing recognition of coaching as a critical leadership development tool in India’s evolving PSE ecosystem, and many discussions took place on tailoring coaching practices to address PSE-specific challenges. Globally, ICF’s coaching practices have proven transformative for public sector organizations, and the event reaffirmed a commitment to fostering a coaching culture, equipping leaders to drive innovation and competitiveness in the public sector.
About ICF:
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the world’s largest organization, leading the global advancement of the coaching profession and fostering coaching’s role as an integral part of a thriving society. Founded in 1995, its 50,000-plus members and credential-holders located in more than 160 countries and territories work toward common goals of enhancing awareness of coaching and upholding the integrity of the profession through lifelong learning and upholding the highest ethical standards. Through the work of its six unique family organizations, ICF empowers professional coaches, coaching clients, organizations, communities, and the world through coaching. For more information, visit www.coachingfederation.org
About NHRDN:
The National HRD Network (NHRDN) is a Global Centre for Grooming Leaders and the National Apex body of professionals committed to promoting the People Development movement in India, as well as enhancing the capability of human resource professionals to compete globally, thereby creating value for society. It is committed to the development of HR through education, training, research, and experience sharing. Established over 3 decades ago, it is an autonomous, not-for-profit, professionally managed organization, playing a catalyst role in grooming Leaders for Tomorrow. It serves as a reference point for HR Professionals in industries and has over 20000+ members representing MNCs, Public, and Private organizations including Government, MSME, and NGOs spread across 50 Chapters in India, Singapore, Dubai and Nepal.
About NHPC:
NHPC Limited is a premier public sector enterprise in India, committed to harnessing water resources for sustainable power development.
