KumaonKhand: a hiring dilemma in pursuit of creating impact

Learning outcomes After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following: Case overview/synopsis In August 2025, Pavitra Joshi (CEO) and Stuti Chakraborty (COO) of KumaonKhand Agro-Innovations and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (hereafter KumaonKhand) were preparing to hire a Campaign Manager to lead their digital marketing and outreach initiatives. However, hiring for this position posed a major challenge. The local talent pool in the Himalayan region, while mission-aligned, often lacked the technical skills and digital marketing expertise required for high-impact campaign execution. On the other hand, skilled professionals from outside the region were hesitant to relocate due to the remoteness of the location, limited infrastructure and poor digital connectivity. This led Joshi and Chakraborty to address a pivotal question: should KumaonKhand allow work-from-home arrangements to access better talent from non-Himalayan regions, or stick to its roots by hiring and nurturing talent within the region? To overcome this issue, they were considering three alternatives. The first was to invest in employer branding to attract professionals who were seeking a purpose-driven career. The second was to adopt a hybrid model, which allowed Campaign Managers to work from home and, at the same time, conduct some periodic field visits to gain an understanding of the local context and gather authentic insights. The third was to focus entirely on hiring local talent from the Himalayan regions who were accustomed to geographic challenges, and investing in their long-term capability building. This case allows the participants to appreciate how purpose-led and impact-driven enterprises navigate talent strategy dilemmas in geographically constrained and mission-sensitive settings. Complexity academic level This case can be used for students of both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It can be useful for both full-time and executive-level participants. The case may be used in the Human Resource Management and Entrepreneurship course. The case is particularly suitable for modules on Talent Acquisition, Employee Value Proposition (EVP), Recruitment and Selection and Person–Organization Fit. It enables participants to examine how mission-driven enterprises competing with mainstream employers can position themselves to attract talent despite geographic, infrastructural and compensation-related constraints. The case explores the challenges of attracting and assessing candidates for mission-critical roles in geographically constrained, impact-driven organizations. For the Entrepreneurship course, this case can be used to cover modules on social enterprises and scaling impact for mission-driven organizations. Subject code CSS6: Human Resource Management