There’s a certain kind of person who walks into a room, or joins a call, and immediately makes you feel heard. Sonal is that person. As Manager of Business Development at Acara, she has built her career on one simple but powerful idea: the right conversation, with the right person, at the right time…can change everything.

Raised and educated in Bengaluru, Sonal’s professional roots run deep in the city she calls home. But her ambitions have always stretched far beyond it.

A Career Built on Connection

Before joining Acara, Sonal served as a Meeting Coordinator, a role that surprisingly ties into business development. Surrounded by CFOs and senior decision-makers, she honed her skills in reading the room, identifying unspoken cues, and confidently communicating at all organizational levels. This experience provided a solid foundation for her transition into business development, proving her ability to connect with others and understand their needs.

“That experience gave me a strong foundation in stakeholder management and relationship-building,” she reflects. “At Acara, we regularly connect with Heads of TA and other key decision-makers. Being comfortable in those conversations, and genuinely curious about what they need, makes all the difference.”

It was a former colleague who first introduced her to Acara. What caught her attention wasn’t just the job description. It was the culture. “The positive work environment and the growth opportunities within the organization really stood out to me,” she says. “And honestly, Acara’s global footprint and structured approach to staffing aligned with exactly where I wanted to take my career.”

What the Job Actually Looks Like

Sonal’s role sits at the heart of Acara’s growth engine. Day to day, that means identifying new clients, managing key accounts, and doing the often-nuanced work of understanding what each client needs, not just what they’ve written in a job brief.

“My job is to connect with decision-makers, understand their hiring challenges, and work with our delivery team to provide the right talent solutions,” she explains. “That means negotiating commercial terms, ensuring timely profile submissions, and building relationships that last beyond a single placement.”

What excites her most about this work isn’t the closing of a deal, it’s the moment when she genuinely solves something for a client. “When you help someone find exactly the right hire for a role they’ve been struggling to fill, there’s a real sense of achievement in that. It’s not transactional. It feels meaningful.”

That said, she’s candid about the challenges, too. With niche roles, tight timelines, and limited talent pools, the staffing industry doesn’t always make things easy. “Balancing quality, speed, and client satisfaction while coordinating internally can be demanding,” she admits. “But it keeps me proactive and solution oriented. I’ve learned to get comfortable with complexity.”

Watching an Industry Evolve

Sonal has a clear-eyed view of where the staffing world is headed. The industry has already shifted significantly toward digital tools, remote-first thinking, and more strategic workforce planning. And she believes the pace of change will only accelerate.

“In ten years, staffing will be AI-driven, skills-focused, and globally connected,” she says. “Recruiters won’t just be hiring facilitators. They’ll be strategic talent advisors.” Acara, she notes, has kept pace by leaning into technology and market insights while never losing sight of the human side of the business.

Life at Acara, and Beyond

Ask Sonal what makes Acara different from other places she’s worked, and she comes back to a few consistent themes: a genuine growth culture, global exposure, strong teamwork, and leadership that supports its people.

“Life at Acara is more dynamic,” she says simply. “There’s a clear focus on performance and collaboration, and that creates a motivating environment. You feel like your work matters.”

Outside of work, Sonal starts her mornings intentionally, quiet time to plan her day and get centered before the pace picks up. When she’s not working, she values time with family and the kind of rest that recharges her.

And if time and money were no object? She’d travel the world, chasing scenic landscapes, rich cultures, and great food across as many countries as she could visit.

For now, though, she’s building something meaningful closer to home. One conversation, one client relationship, one well-placed hire at a time.

Describe Acara in one word?

Unsurprisingly, Sonal defines Acara as “growth oriented.”

The All-In at Acara series tells the real stories of people who’ve found their place in Acara. Each story is different, but they all share one thing: the experience of being part of something bigger than themselves.

Connect with Sonal on LinkedIn.