A conversation on his journey in AI, travelling, HR technology, presentations, and suits
An interview by Stefan Janssens
I first met Arun Mohan in 2018 at Expedia. Arun was my manager at the Data Science department, calmly project-managing automation and data pipelines while steering the team through the chaos of customers requesting flight credits and refund payments data during the challenging COVID pandemic period.
Today Arun is the Founder and CEO at Aura HR, an AI-powered virtual HR assistant that helps employees navigate internal company resources, from policies and handbooks to HR processes— and he’s also the Founder and CEO of Aurelium, an AI consultancy company.
Born in India, shaped by London, now settled in Oslo after a period of travelling and working across Asia, Arun has stitched together a life where technology, culture, and personal style all inform one another. We sat down to explore how AI fuels creation, and how a nomadic rhythm keeps the imagination moving.
Q&A with ARUN
The Fashionable Technologist is how I would sometimes label Arun. He wears a suit in a hoodie world. Arun, you always dress very well in suit in the office, in fact some may consider you a fashionista. What’s the story behind this? Is this a passion for very nicely-done suits?
Arun: Growing up in India, I always thought suits looked cool. I guess the Western prejudice against suits representing a restrictive corporate culture wasn’t quite a thing in India yet, but by the time I started working, the age of casuals was upon us—and even more so in the UK when I moved.
Still, I would accumulate a couple of suits and ties out of my passion for them, hoping I could wear them on special occasions.
At some point in my career, the penny finally dropped. I don’t remember exactly why, but I realized there was this invisible pressure to not wear overly formal things to work, and some subconscious pressure to conform to the new “uniform” for tech: branded t-shirts and jeans. Once I recognized that I was somehow subconsciously following along, it was easy to break out and just do what I really wanted to do. And once I started, there was no going back. Nowadays, I work from home and code a lot, which means the ties have had a breather, but occasional meetings and special events will see them return.
I know from our conversations you love travelling. How did travelling influence your professional journey?
Arun: Travelling for me was never about ticking boxes on a tourist map – it was a profound journey of human discovery.
When I first started travelling across Asia, I had these preconceived notions about cultural differences. I thought each region would be dramatically unique, with completely incomprehensible social dynamics. But my most profound revelation was how strikingly similar humans are at their core. Despite linguistic and cultural divergences that began thousands of years ago, people in Asia and Europe share remarkably consistent dreams, ambitions, and fundamental fears. A startup founder in Bangalore has the same core aspirations as an entrepreneur in London – the desire for meaningful work, personal growth, and making a difference.
Travelling dismantled my preconceived notions. It taught me that technology, like travel, should be about bridging differences, understanding context, and celebrating our shared human experience.
“Travelling taught me that technology, like travel, should be about bridging differences, understanding context, and celebrating our shared human experience.”
Speaking of technlogy, let’s move on a bit towards your AI journey. What personal experience or motivation has fueled you to start Aurelium and Aura HR?
Arun: I always wanted to start my own company and didn’t quite know what it was going to be in. The advent of AI created this incredible calling—as soon as it happened, I knew this was the area I was looking for, and that I could use my skills and experience to help connect the dots for companies on how they should leverage AI. Being able to connect the dots leveraging technology has been my core competency throughout my career, and I knew I would be able to help companies truly leverage AI for themselves. This is why I started Aurelium, an AI consultancy. In the early days of Aurelium, I reconnected with my ex-colleague and co-founder for Aura HR and decided to launch a product that could help companies apply AI to HR.
“The advent of AI created this incredible calling—as soon as it happened, I knew this was the area I was looking for.”
As a Founder of AURA HR, how does building an AI platform reflect your passion for empowering builders and creators?
Arun: The core issue in the tech world is that most companies have absolutely no idea how to apply AI effectively. Companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are now realizing they need to actively consult businesses to bridge this massive technological gap.
My entire philosophy revolves around demystifying AI for non-technical organisations. We’re not just creating another tech product – we’re building a bridge between complex technological potential and practical business applications. Most companies are playing with superficial AI implementations, but we’re focused on creating solutions that genuinely transform organisational workflows.
The real magic happens when you can take complex AI capabilities and translate them into tangible, value-driven solutions that solve real-world problems. Our approach is about empowerment – giving businesses the tools to leverage AI without needing a team of PhD-level data scientists.
Can you tell me about the inspiration behind Aurelium and your product strategy?
Arun: Aurelium is built on a multi-product strategy with two primary focus areas: Aura HR for human resources and Aura Assist for online shopping.But here’s the critical difference – we didn’t just choose these domains randomly.
We deliberately selected HR as our first domain because it requires an unprecedented level of precision. In most industries, you can get away with an AI that’s 80% accurate. In HR, that 20% margin of error could destroy someone’s career or create significant organisational challenges.
Our development process was incredibly meticulous. We spent months ensuring our AI is virtually hallucination-free. We’re not just creating a chatbot – we’re developing an intelligent system that understands organisational nuances, employee sentiments, and complex workplace dynamics.
“Our development process was incredibly meticulous. We spent months ensuring our AI is virtually hallucination-free.”
Our roadmap includes expanding into knowledge management, with planned integrations of systems like Confluence and SharePoint. But we’re not just building products – we’re creating an ecosystem where information flows intelligently and employees can access insights instantly.
How do you address skepticism about AI in HR, and where do you draw the line?
Arun: Here’s the fundamental truth about HR technology – it’s called ‘Human’ Resources for a reason.AI should augment, not replace human interaction.
An AI can efficiently handle routine queries about maternity leave or company policies. But it can never replace the nuanced, empathetic guidance a human HR manager provides. Imagine an employee considering a career move. An AI might offer generic progression data, but a human HR professional can offer a more meaningful guidance with wisdom based on experience.
We’re creating technology that gives HR professionals superpowers, not pink slips. The goal is for human experts to focus on strategic development, complex challenges, and meaningful organisational growth.
Let’s go back to you outside work– do you have a hobby or anything you particularly like to do if you’re not presenting to clients or having meetings/working?
I listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks. Right now I’ve got a little family book club going with my parents and brother, where we slowly read through books together. It’s a great way for us to explore things whilst being so far apart. We’ve already finished Sapiens and The Martian, and we’re starting Nexus this Sunday.
“Right now I’ve got a little family book club going with my parents and brother, where we slowly read through books together. It’s a great way for us to explore things whilst being so far apart.”
– Arun Mohan
IN CLOSING
Arun’s path from Expedia’s data pipelines to building AI products shows what happens when technical expertise meets genuine curiosity about how things work. He’s not interested in AI hype – he’s focused on the messy, practical work of making it actually useful for companies that don’t have armies of data scientists.
Whether he’s wearing a suit to meetings (defying tech’s hoodie culture), reading Sapiens with his family across time zones, or building an HR assistant that doesn’t hallucinate employee policies, Arun approaches everything with the same blend of precision and personality. His bet is simple: AI works best when it enhances what humans already do well, not when it tries to replace them entirely.
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