Alcon has elevated Anup Changavalli to Head of Human Resources for Australia and New Zealand, marking a significant next chapter in his more than seven-year tenure with the global eye-care company. Changavalli will relocate to Sydney as part of the transition, taking charge of the organisation’s people strategy across one of its most dynamic markets.

In a note shared on LinkedIn, Changavalli described the move as “an exciting new chapter,” reflecting on the breadth of experiences that shaped his journey. Over the past few years, he has led HR for Taiwan and Hong Kong, a role that exposed him to diverse talent landscapes and pushed him to adapt quickly to different cultural and regulatory environments. He credited these markets and the teams he worked with for expanding his leadership perspective and strengthening his ability to build people-centric, collaborative cultures.

Before his North Asia assignment, Changavalli held roles across HR business partnering, organisational development, talent management, and capability building in Asia-Pacific markets. His work has spanned large-scale change management, workforce planning, and employee experience transformation areas expected to remain central to his new mandate in ANZ.

Industry peers familiar with his work say he is known for balancing strategic clarity with operational discipline, particularly in highly regulated healthcare markets. His move to ANZ comes at a time when medical-technology employers across the region are strengthening leadership pipelines and rethinking workforce capabilities to meet shifting patient expectations and market realities.

As he steps into the ANZ portfolio, Changavalli said he looks forward to partnering closely with business leaders “to learn, co-create, and make 2026 a year of impact.” His appointment reinforces Alcon’s focus on building a future-ready workforce supported by strong local leadership and regional continuity.