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When Apexon’s Talent Acquisition Leader Sheetal Bavi received the 2025 Global Recognition Award, she achieved more than a personal milestone—she validated her capacity to alter how companies attract, retain, and support their talent. Bavi dismantles outdated systems and replaces them with strategies prioritizing speed, equity, and human connection, establishing herself as a results-first leader in the high-stakes world of global recruitment.
Breaking the mold in talent acquisition
Apexon’s recruitment process once resembled a maze of fragmented emails and reactive hiring—a system that drained resources and alienated candidates. Bavi refused to accept stagnation.
Her answer? The Global Talent Pipeline, a dynamic framework that predicts skill gaps and cultivates relationships with top candidates long before roles open. Integrating data analytics with proactive talent mapping, she slashed time-to-hire by 33%, transforming Apexon into a magnet for high-caliber professionals.
“Speed matters, but so does foresight,” Bavi remarked. “We stopped chasing résumés and started building partnerships.”
Beyond streamlining operations—this strategy firmly established Apexon as a challenger in an already competitive market, where agility often determines survival.
The power of candid conversations
While efficiency opened doors, Bavi recognized that actual retention begins long before a job offer. Her Candid Conversation Program disrupted traditional interviews by inviting candidates to engage directly with the company’s Business Resource Groups. Employees from the communities often led these dialogues, allowing candidates to voice concerns, ask questions, and gauge cultural fit on their terms.
The results were significant, with a 45% surge in retention rates within the first year. “People stay where they feel seen,” Bavi explained. “When candidates shape their own narrative during hiring, they arrive both prepared and invested.”
Bavi’s program created a space where candidates could openly discuss their aspirations and fears, creating a sense of belonging that could be felt far beyond the interview room. It also allowed the company to showcase its commitment to diversity and inclusion, making it a more attractive employer for top talent seeking a supportive work environment.
These candid conversations often led to valuable feedback that helped refine company’s hiring processes, making sure that they remained relevant and effective in a tumultuous job market.
Rewriting the rules of diversity
Bavi’s most audacious move was overhauling the company’s diversity strategy. Rejecting tokenism, she embedded equity into every hiring touchpoint. Her DE&I Mindset Shift Program trained recruiters to dismantle unconscious biases while actively sourcing talent through historically overlooked channels—from diverse group partnerships to veteran networks. This resulted in a 30% rise in diverse engineering hires in 2024, with retention rates mirroring those of majority groups.
“We don’t just follow diversity as a fad—we use it as a competitive edge,” she asserted. “When you design processes that honor different lived experiences, you actively open up your talent pool to unconventional, creative and brilliant thinkers.”
A legacy in motion
Bavi’s award demonstrates a truth often ignored in corporate corridors: unconventional leadership requires equal parts grit and empathy. Marrying data-driven strategies with human-centric policies, she has managed to both accelerate the company’s growth and set a baseline for the future of work as a whole.
With nearly every industry grappling with AI-driven automation and shifting workforce expectations, Bavi’s work reminds us that the heart of progress remains unchanged: people.
