MAM
IndiaFirst Life makes top-level appointments
MUMBAI: IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Ltd (IndiaFirst Life), promoted by Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India, has appointed Atri Chakraborty as its chief operating officer (COO) and Sankaranarayanan R (Sankar) as its chief technology & data officer (CT&DO). Both took charge of their respective roles at IndiaFirst Life in July 2020.
IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company MD & CEO RM Vishakha said, “We welcome aboard our new COO – Atri Chakraborty and CT&DO – Sankaranarayanan R. Atri brings with him a wealth of operational management experience, specifically in the insurance domain. We are happy to have a steady hand at the operational helm as we continue to expand our business and broaden our customer base. Sankar joins IndiaFirst at an important growth juncture as we seek to boost our digital efficiencies. In addition to overseeing IT, he will ensure that our data and technology initiatives, resources, and investments support our mission of making insurance accessible to all. We believe that both Atri and Sankar will create value for our stakeholders through innovations and disruptions in their respective domains.”
As the chief operating officer Chakraborty will oversee the entire gamut of designing, implementing and managing business operations. He is responsible for distribution & branch operations, customer service, new business & underwriting and claims. With over 26 years of rich and diversified experience in the BFSI sector, Chakraborty has dedicated 17 years plus in the insurance domain. Over the years he has been successful in transforming service delivery, achieving process excellence, facilitating digital transformation, synchronising program management, and overseeing operations management during his tenure at various organisations.
As the chief technology and data officer (CT&DO), Sankaranarayanan R (Sankar) will drive the digital, data and technology disruptions at the organisation. His role encompasses handling information technology, and data & analytics function covering aspects of applications, infra & IT security and analytics. With a career spanning over 25 years in the insurance sector, Sankar has spearheaded technology and operations in India and abroad. He specialises in digital and technology implementation.
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MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
