Pune. Berlin. Head of People.

Your career in Germany, coached from the hiring side.

I'm Priya. I moved to Berlin to study, lost my dream job, and went on to lead People teams at SumUp, Forto and alcemy.

I know how German hiring works because I've done the hiring. Let's use that for you.

Tell me your story Book a free intro call

Two minutes. Five short questions. No account needed.

Priya smiling under a tree with deep red leaves

Right now

Head of People and Culture at alcemy, Berlin

Coaching in 6 languages

years in HR and People: 13+; years in HR and People
languages I speak: 7; languages I speak
team growth I've guided founders through: 30 → 100; team growth I've guided founders through
certified Mental Health First Aider: MHFA; certified Mental Health First Aider

How it works

Three steps. No pressure.

1
Tell me your story
Five short questions. About two minutes.
2
Get my suggestion
I'll point you to the session that fits where you are.
3
Pick a time and pay
Choose up to three slots, then pay by card through Wise. I confirm within two working days.

Ways to work together

Start where you are.

Not sure which one fits? Take the intake, or book the free call and we'll work it out together.

Free intro call

Twenty minutes to see if we click.

Free20 min, video

Tell me where you're at
Leave with one clear next step
No strings attached

Book this

A good place to start

Germany Career Kickstart

Your CV, your search, your interviews. Done the German way, seen from the hiring side.

€9960 min, 1:1

Your CV and LinkedIn, checked against German standards
How recruiters really screen, and how to get through
Interview practice, including the salary question
A clear checklist to take away

Book this

Offer & Contract Check

Know what you're signing. Know what to ask for.

€12960 min, 1:1

Salary benchmarks and a negotiation plan
VSOP and equity in plain language
Probation, notice and working-time clauses
The benefits worth asking about in Germany

Book this

4-week Career Mentoring

For the bigger moves that need more than one call.

from €4904 weeks, 3+ calls

Moving into HR, People or a new field
Stepping into your first leadership role
Finding your feet again after a layoff
Support between our calls

Book this

Founder People Sparring

For founders growing from about 30 to 100 people.

On request90 min or retainer

Workforce planning and org design
Pay frameworks and VSOP
German labour law, compliance and EOR
Performance and feedback people trust

Ask about this

Pay by card in euros through Wise. Visa and Mastercard from India and most other countries work fine.

My story

I've been where you are.

I came to Berlin from Pune to study. I stayed.

Since then I've built a career in People and HR at Mozilla, SumUp, Forto and alcemy. For more than a decade I've sat on the hiring side of the table, reading the CVs, running the interviews, writing the offers.

Now I sit on your side.

“Remember that this is a big life event. Be kind to yourself.”
Priya, talking to Talent Berlin

Sessions in

English
Deutsch
Français
हिन्दी Hindi
मराठी Marathi
മലയാളം Malayalam
Español (a little)

Lonavala and Pune
A knack for languages
I grew up in Lonavala and studied commerce in Pune. French, Spanish and German came easily, and they let me dream a little. At 20 I started in HR at Symantec, the company behind Norton.
2016, Berlin
One big leap
My mum told me to go and study, because nobody can take that away from you. So I did. An MBA at the Berlin School of Economics and Law, then a working-student job at Uniper that showed me how German workplaces really tick.
2017, Mozilla
The dream job. Then the layoff.
I joined Mozilla and felt like I'd made it. Then one day the job was gone. Two months later I had a new one. Sometimes things just don't work out, and you get through it anyway.
2018, SumUp
Growing up in hyper-growth
I went from HR Business Partner to Senior HRBP for Engineering and Product. Along the way I helped start “It's OK to talk”, our mental health initiative.
2021, Forto
Leading HR for tech
Lead HR Business Partner for Technology at a logistics scale-up with people in 14 countries.
2023, alcemy
Head of People and Culture
I built the People function from scratch. Org design, pay and VSOP, performance, labour law. And a culture where people feel safe enough to speak up.

Priya laughing with a friend on a park bench

The best career conversations feel like this one.Unhurried. Honest. A little bit of laughing. And you walk away knowing what to do next.

Why Berlin

A city built by people who came from somewhere else.

I'm one of them. I arrived as a student, and the city made room for me. It can make room for you too.

16,500+: Indian citizens call Berlin home
190,000+: companies across the city
20 hrs: and another startup is founded
170: nationalities, one city

“If you work for a smaller company, you have more of an impact and can watch the company grow.”

Priya, in Talent Berlin

Figures from Talent Berlin

Priya at an exhibition, holding up a hand-drawn folk art piece

Priya and friends around a table covered in paint pens, colourful folk art on the wall behind them

A little more about me

Outside the office, I paint.

Folk art, mostly. The patterns I grew up around, drawn slowly by hand.

Some weekends that means an exhibition wall. Other weekends it's a long table, paint pens everywhere, and a lot of laughing.

It isn't so different from coaching, really. Make some room, and people show up as themselves.

Priya at home in a patterned kurta, smiling

Coaching that cares about you, not just your CV

It's OK to talk.

At SumUp I kept meeting colleagues who were struggling and didn't know who to tell. Finding a therapist in Berlin is hard. Finding one when you don't speak German is harder.

So in 2019 a colleague and I started talking about it, out loud. It began with a panel on World Mental Health Day and grew into a conversation across the company.

I'm a certified Mental Health First Aider, and that awareness comes with me into every session.

Read the story on Inside SumUp ↗

Coaching isn't therapy or medical care. If you're in crisis in Germany, call the Telefonseelsorge. It's free and open day and night on 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222. In an emergency, call 112.

FAQ

Good questions.

Do I need to speak German?

Not at all. I coach in English, German, French, Hindi, Marathi and Malayalam. Plenty of Berlin startups work in English too, and we can use that to your advantage.

Who do you work with?

People moving to Germany, or already here. People growing into HR or their first leadership role. People starting over after a layoff. And founders scaling a team who want someone to think it through with.

How do I pay?

Through Wise, with any Visa or Mastercard, in euros. It works from India and most other countries. Just check that your card allows international payments. Your bank may add a small foreign transaction fee.

What if none of my times work?

Then I'll suggest a few more. If we really can't find a time, I'll refund you in full.

Can you look at my employment contract?

Yes. I'll walk you through the clauses that usually matter, like probation, notice, working time and VSOP, based on years of doing this in HR. For binding legal advice, I'll point you to a Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht.

Is this therapy?

No. I'm a Mental Health First Aider and a coach who takes wellbeing seriously. I'm not a therapist. If you need clinical support, I'll help you find the right place to go.

Let's work out your next step.

Five quick questions and I'll suggest where to start. It feels like a chat, because it is one.

Start the conversation →