MAM
HDFC ERGO names Parthanil Ghosh as MD and CEO from April 16, 2026
Executive Director to succeed Anuj Tyagi; appointment awaits IRDAI approval.
MUMBAI: In insurance, planning for tomorrow is the business. At HDFC ERGO, that future now has a new name. The Board of HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has approved the elevation of Parthanil Ghosh as managing director and chief executive officer, effective April 16, 2026, subject to regulatory clearance from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). He will succeed Anuj Tyagi in the role.
Ghosh brings more than three decades of experience across financial services and insurance, including over 16 years in the general insurance sector spanning underwriting, claims, reinsurance strategy, crop insurance and digital transformation. He joined HDFC ERGO in 2016 following the merger with L&T General Insurance and has served as Executive Director since May 1, 2025.
During his tenure, Ghosh has been closely involved in shaping the company’s expansion strategy, particularly strengthening its retail franchise while building capabilities across commercial lines and technology driven operations. His responsibilities have spanned areas such as claims management, underwriting strategy and digital innovation.
He also played a key role in two major integrations that reshaped the company’s structure: the consolidation of L&T General Insurance and the merger with Apollo Munich Health Insurance. These integrations helped build a unified operating platform for the insurer and expanded its presence across health and general insurance segments.
Over the years, Ghosh has led initiatives focused on improving customer trust and transparency in insurance, including efforts to simplify products, strengthen claims experience and integrate technology into customer facing processes.
HDFC ERGO chairman of the board Keki M Mistry said the leadership transition reflects the board’s confidence in Ghosh’s strategic and operational experience.
“Parthanil brings extensive industry knowledge, deep operational insight and strong strategic leadership to the role. He has been a key contributor to the company’s progress and success in recent years, helping strengthen its market position and build a culture centred on customer trust and technical excellence,” Mistry said, while also thanking Tyagi for his contributions and wishing him success in his future entrepreneurial pursuits.
ERGO International AG chairman of the board of management and chief operating officer of the international business Theo Kokkalas highlighted India’s importance in the group’s global strategy.
“India is a strategic growth market for us. I am convinced that under the leadership of Ghosh, the company will continue to build on its success through technical excellence, customer centricity and digital innovation,” he said.
Once regulatory approvals are secured, Ghosh will formally take over leadership of HDFC ERGO in April 2026, steering the insurer into its next phase of growth in India’s competitive general insurance market.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
