Eightfold appoints Meghna Punhani as Chief People Officer
UNLEASH got the inside track from Punhani on her new role at the HR tech company.
News In Brief
Eightfold has a new CPO, longtime advisor Meghna Punhani.
UNLEASH got the inside track on her appointment from Punhani.
Here's why Punhani is going to lead on Eightfold's agentic AI HR approach.
HR tech company Eightfold has appointed Meghna Punhani as Chief People Officer.
Talking about the decision, Ashutosh Garg, Co-CEO and Co-founder at Eightfold, stated: “Eightfold is at an inflection point— organizations across industries are embracing our generative AI-native platform to transform how they hire, retain, and develop talent.
With Meghna Punhani joining as Chief People Officer, major enterprises coming on board, and our expansion into every industry, we are proving that AI is not just a future aspiration but a present necessity for workforce transformation.
The plan is that she will lead the new data-driven, agentic-first HR approach at Eightfold, and align talent strategy with company growth.
Meghna Punhani, Chief People Officer, Eightfold.
Talking about her appointment, Punhani tells UNLEASH: “The role of HR has permanently evolved, from a function that supports business strategy to one that actively shapes it.
“With the arrival of agentic AI, every organization needs to rethink how to hire, develop, and unlock the full potential of all talent.
“At Eightfold, we’ve built an agentic-driven, high-performance organization— dynamically ensuring that every hire and investment drives measurable business outcomes.”
Inside Punhani’s career to date
Punhani has been an advisor for Eightfold for several years. Before that she served as CVP of People and Business Operations at DevRev, as well as SVP of Strategy, Operations, and Employee Experience at Palo Alto Networks.
She also spent nearly two decades at Google, where she led global operations for the CIO team, drove workforce transformation, and advanced HR technology to enhance employee experience at scale.
Writing about her appointment on LinkedIn, Punhani stated: “I’ve admired Eightfold’s mission to find the right career for everyone in the world.
“Their pioneering work in AI-powered talent intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how organizations approach hiring, development, and retention.
“Having served as an advisor and witnessed their mission firsthand, I’m incredibly excited to now step inside and help build the future of work.”
She continued: “I’m excited to join forces with Ashutosh Garg, Chano Fernandez, Fermin Peleteiro Cameo, Sachit Kamat, Rimple Patel, Celia Poon, Roy Wang, and the incredible Eightfold team.
“Together, we’ll bring this ambitious vision to life!”
