MAM
Aviva Life Insurance to open 13 new branches in 2005
BANGALORE: Aviva Life Insurance has embarked on expansion plans. The company is opening 13 new branches in the year 2005, taking its current strength from 24 to 37 branch offices.
The 13 new branches are slated to open in Chandigarh, Delhi (2 locations), Hyderabad, Mumbai (2 locations), Chennai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Bangalore, Vishakapatnam, Bhubhaneshwar and Goa.
Speaking on the occasion, Aviva Life Insurance MD Stuart Purdy said, “In the last three years we have focused on building a well trained Direct Sales Force that offers quality advice to customers. We are delighted that we are further expanding our presence and we will now be opening 13 new branches taking our total strength to 37. To service our customers better we will also be doubling our sales force strength in the current year.”
Aviva has been trying to establish its presence in the Indian market by adopting a differentiated approach to sales, distribution, marketing and product strategy. They claim to have more than doubled their business and their field force capacity has already increased to 5000 FPAs.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
