Fisker Feature: Meet Human Resources Business Analyst Kiran Choudhary

A native of India, Kiran Choudhary has three master’s degrees and strong family support. In less than a year, she’s witnessed Fisker more than double its headcount. Her kindergarten feedback posse and her curious mind are what make her a driving force in Fisker’s rapid growth. Find out more about her fascinating story below.

Your family background and your education have shaped your point of view on human resources. Tell us about that.  

My family owns a plastics manufacturing company in India, so I grew up watching my father conduct business, which influenced me to study management. My grandfather spent 15 years in the Indian Air Force, so I learned personal and professional discipline from him! My father would take me to the factory to watch the machines operating and see who was responsible for what. I always asked questions like “How do we transport our products?” or “How do we find customers?” It was fascinating to me.  

How did those experiences influence what you decided to study?  

While completing my bachelor’s degree, I figured out that employees are the most important asset for an organization. I also realized that many companies have international operations. That led me to consider human resources management from a global perspective and to explore diversity, inclusion, and intercultural competence. My first master’s had a concentration in management, and my second master's, an MBA, focused on HR. Then I pursued a third master’s from Roosevelt University in Chicago – an MS in human resources management.  

Master’s number three brought you to the United States?  

That’s right. I came here in 2018, and I joined Fisker in January of 2021. What most attracted me was the fact that Fisker is a startup. There is so much growth potential here, and our Environmental, Social, and Governance ambitions mean we’re committed to making a better world.  

Leaving home can be a big step. Did you have a lot of support and encouragement from your family?  

My father initially thought I had everything I needed in India, but he eventually came around, and now he’s seen my journey and has been very enthusiastic. My grandfather is always checking in with how I’m doing – and making sure that I’m working hard! My family is very motivating, but my biggest supporter is my husband. He and my dad and my grandfather have always wanted me to be an independent woman, and that’s unusual in Indian culture.  

What was it like to get hired by Fisker?  

It happened quickly. I interviewed with the VP of Program Operations, then with Geeta Gupta-Fisker, the CFO and COO. The job offer came the next morning!  

We’re making a lot of offers right now, aren’t we?  

We had 120 employees when I was hired, and now we’re a team of close to 280. That’s great progress in a short span of time. The HR team is also much bigger. We had two staffers before I started, but that’s grown to 11. The expansion has helped with faster hiring for other teams at the company.  

As an HR business analyst, you work on compensation benchmarking. That’s a critical aspect of HR, but maybe one that not a lot of people know about. Why is it so important, and how does working on compensation help Fisker grow?  

Compensation benchmarking allows an organization to implement competitive pay practices and attract and retain great talent by offering fair salaries that are at par with the industry standards. It’s costly and time-consuming to hire new people. We want to ensure we offer good packages based on location, education, years of experience, and skills.  

What was something that attracted you to Fisker?  

Our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program is very appealing. It also ties into benchmarking, especially in terms of diversity. We are trying to bring in the widest possible range of people and it's vital we prioritize experience level. In HR, we also have targets around being equitable in terms of pay, and I'm taking the lead there. It's important to have good analytics so Fisker can set a standard for diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. What matters most is qualifications and that we pay equally, regardless of gender or other factors.

Sounds like you’ve had some significant responsibilities assigned to you already.  

Working at Fisker has enabled me to challenge myself and perform better each day. I had no prior recruiting experience, yet I was able to help in hiring for some critical roles. I was able to dive into different areas in HR, such as performance management, compensation, benefits, and recruiting. We like to say that “one year at Fisker is equal to five years at a big company,” and that’s been my actual life for the past eight months.  

Could you give us an example of how you’ve pushed past what you thought were your limits in the role? 

I can think of two times. First, because I had not recruited before Fisker, I was hesitant to reach out to people and anticipate their needs. But I developed a system of making notes beforehand so that I could better handle those conversations. Second, we needed to benchmark all our open roles on a tight timeline. It was a challenge. But with a positive mindset, I buckled down, worked hard, and completed the task. My learning from this was that a positive mindset helps build a positive emotional and mental attitude.

Fisker is making a strong effort to hire women for a wide range of roles. How important is that for a startup?  

It’s essential to maintain diversity in all departments. It helps in widening our talent pool and benefits by providing different viewpoints for creative solutions to problems. It also helps with retention. When employees know that their organization focuses on diversity and inclusive culture, morale will increase along with retention rate.  

Feedback has recently become an important part of company culture, but you’re a feedback veteran, right?  

I like receiving feedback from my manager, and I make sure I reach out at least once every few months to schedule a one-on-one meeting. But I’ve been doing this since I was in kindergarten! I have five friends, and for over 25 years, we’ve been talking regularly about strengths and weaknesses and areas where we can improve. I’ve learned not to get upset about it. Even if it’s negative feedback, you can take it as a positive.  

You work very hard at Fisker, but I’m sure you have some downtime. What do you like to do?  

I enjoy reading motivational books during my downtime. My top two are “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey and “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale. I hate going to the gym, but I love dancing, so one of my favorite things to do is put on some music and dance in a room by myself. It’s a whole-body workout for 30 minutes!  

Where do you see Fisker in five years?  

I have a lot of confidence in our business model. We’re “asset light,” so we don’t have to worry about building a factory to bring our vehicles to market, and that’s going to give us a competitive edge in focusing on operations. Plus, we’ve assembled a solid team of experts who are working hard to launch our first vehicle, the Ocean SUV, on schedule next year. We’re going to grow because we have strong strategic partnerships. The future looks bright, and I’m thrilled to be recruiting the people who can make it happen.