People

Soni Basi

Soni Basi

Soni K. Basi, Ph.D., is the global chief people officer at Edelman. She joined the firm in May 2022 and leads the firm’s talent development, recruitment and retention efforts, partnering with leaders across the agency network to meet the evolving and diverse needs of employees and clients.

Soni is a strategic and passionate global Human Resources executive, guiding the creation of cutting-edge talent programs. With a track record of delivering digital-first initiatives, and more than 20 years of experience, Soni has worked with some of the world's most notable companies in luxury and consumer goods, financial services, and pharmaceuticals.

Prior to joining Edelman, Soni was the Global Head of Talent at AIG, a FORTUNE-100 company with nearly 40,000 employees, leading a team of more than 100 talent management, acquisition and learning & development specialists and created the first global Talent Center of Excellence. She led both the “Future of Work” taskforce as well as the Global Wellness Team. Additionally, Soni created the company’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging strategy, and served as co-chair of AIG’s Executive Diversity Council. Soni has also held positions at Allegran as head of global talent, The Estée Lauder Companies as vice president, Global Learning & Talent Development, and Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals.

Soni serves on numerous advisory boards, including The Shine Collective, a nonprofit she co-founded in 2020; Bullseye Engagement Solutions; and Jobs for America’s Graduates/Jobs for New Jersey Graduates. She has been a speaker at industry conferences and was featured in publications such as American Healthcare Leader Magazine and Chief Learning Officer, which named her one of the Top 50 Learning Officers in 2015. Soni is a graduate of the University of Central Florida and received her PhD and MA in Social Psychology from Bowling Green State University in Ohio.