Husk Power Systems surpassed 1,000 direct employees across India and Africa, doubling its workforce since closing a USD 103 million Series D financing in October 2023. Besides hiring 100 percent local staff in its markets of operation, Husk has also put a strong focus on gender equity, local job creation in rural communities and training the next generation of minigrid industry leaders.
Husk has grown its workforce 10 times since 2018. It is currently adding 50 new jobs per month, with that number expected to grow to 60 in Q4 2024, and expects to build a rural green job workforce of 2,500 by the end of 2025.
While entering this high-growth phase, Husk’s hiring has focused on three key areas: Firstly, grooming the next generation of industry leaders. In May, it launched its Helios management trainee program, recruiting a first cohort of future leaders from top MBA programs, secondly, continuing to prioritize local hiring in the countries and communities served by Husk. All employees in Husk’s countries of operation are local, and receive professional and technical training, and thirdly, making gender equity front and center in its organizational development.
Earlier this year, Husk was certified by Amazing Workplaces in India, reflecting the company’s commitment to attracting top talent, helping to tackle the high rate of unemployment in rural India and Africa with green jobs, and contributing to the development goals of national governments.
Husk’s two primary markets, rural and peri-urban India and Nigeria, suffer from double-digit youth unemployment. The World Bank estimates that 160,000 minigrids are required to electricity 380 million people by deploying 160,000 minigrids in Sub-Saharan Africa. Combined with the huge potential for minigrids in India, this means an opportunity for the industry to create tens of thousands of jobs on the two continents.
Manoj Sinha, Husk’s Co-Founder and CEO, commented on the milestone: “About 90 percent of our jobs are in some of the most economically challenged and climate vulnerable areas in India and Nigeria. We’re bringing high-tech opportunities to regions where farming has been the primary occupation for generations. Our energy infrastructure investments are creating a 5X multiplier effect on local GDP in these communities. Every time I visit one of our communities and see a local technician confidently operating our systems, I’m reminded of why we do this. ”