Sachin Bajaj

Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer

Sachin stands as a pillar of leadership at Max Life Insurance, helming the Investments function with unparalleled expertise and strategic vision. As Head of Investments, Sachin formulates and executes investment strategies, driving the company towards sustained growth and exceptional performance. His leadership encompasses guiding a team of highly qualified investment professionals, ensuring robust and consistent results across both traditional and ULIP funds.

With a distinguished career spanning over 25 years, Sachin is a seasoned investment professional whose experience encompasses banking, insurance, investment advisory, and business and strategic planning. His tenure at leading companies such as DLF Pramerica Life Insurance, Max New York Life Insurance, and Bank of America underscores his deep industry knowledge and strategic acumen. He has been with the company for over 20 years and has been instrumental in managing the growth of assets and developing innovative fund strategies, investment policies, and product solutions that have significantly contributed to the company's success.

Sachin's academic credentials include an MBA from MDI Gurgaon, reflecting his strong foundation in business and investment management. His enduring commitment to excellence and strategic foresight continues to elevate Max Life Insurance, positioning it at the forefront of the industry.

Rahul Talwar

Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer

Rahul Talwar leads the marketing (brand, channel, customer), corporate communications, consumer insights and customer obsession agenda of the Company. A seasoned marketing professional with over 17 years of experience, Rahul has had successful stints in the FMCG sector with leading companies - PepsiCo India, Pladis India (McVitie’s Biscuits) and the Aditya Birla Group. At Pepsico India, Rahul steered the brand agenda for leading trademarks (Lay’s Chips, 7up, Mirinda). Rahul joined Max Life in 2018 and played a key role in accelerating the brand quotient and steering marketing partnerships with distribution to strengthen the company’s industry leadership amongst the private insurance players.

Anurag Chauhan

Director, General Counsel & Company Secretary, Head of ESG

Anurag steers the Legal, Compliance, Regulatory, Governance functions at Max Life. In his current capacity, Anurag oversees corporate governance, expertly leading all interactions with the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and other industry and regulatory stakeholders. He also champions Max Life's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments, steering the organization towards sustainable and ethical business practices.

Since joining Max Life in 2013, Anurag has earned numerous accolades, including the Best Corporate Governance Award by ASSOCHAM and by Golden Peacock (2016), Legal Era’s Best Legal Department in India (Insurance) Award (2015 & 2016), Best Use of Technology in Legal 2018, Legal Team of the Year 2019 by India Legal Awards, Best Legal Department in Insurance in Asia Award (2022), Legal Department of the Year (Insurance) by BIZ Asia Legal Award 2022, one of the Top 100 General Counsel in India by Business World Legal (2021) and (2024), Forbes GC List 2024, ET- Sustainable Organisation 2023 and 24.

With over 24 years of extensive experience, Anurag has previously held pivotal roles in renowned organizations such as Deutsche Bank, Bharti Airtel, and Escorts Finance. His robust legal background is complemented by a law degree, a Master of Business Laws from National Law School, Bangalore, and a Leadership degree from the Indian School of Business. He is also a fellow member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Beyond his professional achievements, Anurag is a certified Yoga Teacher and passionately practices and teaches yoga. He is also committed to community services.

Shailesh Singh

Senior Director and Chief People Officer

Shailesh Singh is a preeminent leader in human resources, with a distinguished career spanning over 25 years in shaping world-class people agendas and organizational culture. As the Senior Director and Chief People Officer at Max Life Insurance, Shailesh is the architect of transformative HR strategies that drive the company's long-term growth and evolution. Under his stewardship, Max Life Insurance has received the prestigious designation of a ‘Great Place to Work,’ setting benchmarks for organizational culture and people practices at the highest global standards earning the coveted ‘Laureate’ status by the Great Place to Work® (GPTW®) Institute, an exclusive honour given to organisations recognized for the 10th year in India's 'Best Companies to Work For' list.

A visionary in talent management, Shailesh pioneered the Organisation & Talent Review process at Max Life, ensuring a robust and proactive approach to building a dynamic talent pool and succession plans. His commitment to living and promoting Max Life's core values through leadership role modeling and integrated HR processes has been instrumental in fostering a culture of excellence and integrity.

Beyond his contributions to HR, Shailesh spearheads Max Life’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, reinforcing the company's societal engagement and commitment to community development. His leadership extends to enhancing team value, raising engagement levels, and cultivating talent and leadership across the organization.

Before joining Max Life Insurance, Shailesh held multiple HR leadership roles across diverse sectors, including GE Energy, GE Supply Chain, GE Capital, SRF Finance, Eicher Tractors, and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Notably, he served as the Regional HR Head for GE Energy, overseeing operations in Africa, India, and the Middle East from Dubai for five years.

Shailesh's academic credentials include a graduate degree from Delhi University and a postgraduate degree from the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), Gujarat.

Jose John

Senior Director and Appointed Actuary

Jose John serves as the Senior Director & Appointed Actuary (AA) at Max Life Insurance, where he leads the Actuarial function of the Company. In addition, he also oversees and guides the Internal Audit function.  

Jose was appointed as the AA in 2014 and since then has contributed significantly to various transformations and initiatives in the areas of Regulatory and Shareholder Financial Reporting, Policyholder and Shareholder Value creation, Financial Risk Management and Product Design/financial assessments. His decade-long association with Max Life Insurance has also witnessed contributions in advancing the Company’s governance arrangements where he has been a member of the various Board Committees of the Company, mainly the Risk, Investment, Product and Policyholder Protection Committees.

Throughout his tenure, Jose has also been a member of various industry and regulatory committees, making proposals on various matters related to the running of the insurance business in India. Currently, he is also the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) sponsor at Max Life Insurance, where he champions a vision of fostering an inclusive workplace that values diverse perspectives and drives equitable opportunities for all employees. 

Prior to joining Max Life Insurance, Jose's career was predominantly based in the United Kingdom, where he held various Actuarial leadership roles at Prudential and MetLife in their London/Reading offices. Jose is a Fellow of both the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK, and the Institute of Actuaries of India. He also holds an MBA from Cardiff Business School, UK.

Manu Lavanya

Senior Director and Chief Operations Officer 

Manu Lavanya is the Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Max Life Insurance, bringing almost three decades of experience in creating, transforming, and scaling businesses across diverse industry domains and geographies, including the US, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the UK, and India.

As COO, Manu provides executive leadership to Operations, Digital and Technology, Analytics, Underwriting, Customer Experience, Renewals and Claims and Quality, Innovation & Service Excellence. At Max Life, Manu’s leadership is pivotal in shaping our Digital Transformation agenda, driving the Operations and Customer excellence, and fostering a quality culture that ensures superior customer experience.

Manu's extensive career includes a tenure as Global Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director at Incedo, a global Digital services firm. Prior to Incedo, he played a key role in creating and scaling Brillio, a Silicon Valley-based digital services organization. In his role of MD and Head of India Operations, Manu provided Delivery and P&L leadership to the organization. Before Brillio, Manu had an extensive leadership stint in Cognizant where he provided P&L leadership to multiple Industry Verticals and geographies across the globe, including the firm’s expansion to newer geographies of Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Manu began his career with ITC Ltd., managing multiple roles in plant maintenance, quality management, production management, operations control, and ERP implementation. His robust foundation in operational excellence and strategic leadership is complemented by his academic credentials, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Technology from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from the Indian School of Business (ISB).

Sachin Saxena

Director and Chief Risk Officer

As the Chief Risk Officer (CRO) at Max Life Insurance, Sachin is responsible for the strategic oversight and embedding Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) across the organization, as well as fostering a culture of resilience, innovation and learning. Sachin's tenure as CRO has been marked by his transformative approach to risk management, evolving the ERM function from a governance centric function to a strategic powerhouse by implementing industry leading frameworks to safeguard key risk areas.

Sachin exemplifies industry stewardship through his visionary leadership and over 22 years of comprehensive experience in Enterprise Risk Management, Product Development & Pricing, Reinsurance, Business Planning, Shareholder & Regulatory Reporting, Channel Marketing, and Software Development.

Sachin has been with Max Life for over 17 years and has been honored with the CEO’s Award and the Chairman’s Award for his pioneering work in developing market-leading products and implementing industry-first hedging capabilities through derivatives. His excellence was further recognized when he was named a finalist for the ‘Corporate Risk Manager of the Year 2020’ by Asia Insurance Review and awarded CRO of the Year 2020 by UBS Forums.

Sachin's professional journey includes significant roles at prestigious global firms such as ICICI Prudential, Accenture, and Cognizant Technology Solutions. His diverse experience has honed his strategic thinking, collaboration, result orientation, growth mindset, and learning curiosity — attributes that define his leadership style.

An accomplished actuary, Sachin is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK, and the Institute of Actuaries of India. He holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Varanasi, underscoring his strong analytical and technical foundation.

Amrit Singh

Director and Chief Financial Officer

Amrit Singh serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Max Life Insurance, where he leads the company's financial strategy, ensuring robust business planning, budgeting, and financial management.

With nearly two decades of extensive experience, Amrit joined Max Life in 2013 and has since spearheaded various high-impact teams, including strategy, advanced analytics, investor relations, and group business. His strategic acumen has been instrumental in steering numerous initiatives focused on growth and profitability, significantly enhancing the company's market position.

Amrit's career includes prior leadership roles at Religare, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Infosys, where he honed his expertise in finance and strategic management. His diverse background and deep industry knowledge have equipped him with the skills to navigate complex financial landscapes and deliver exceptional results.

Academically, Amrit holds a degree in Computers from Pune University and a Postgraduate degree in Management from the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad. His academic foundation, combined with his professional experience, positions him as a formidable leader in the financial sector.

Sumit Madan

Senior Director and Chief Distribution Officer

With a career spanning over two decades of diverse experience in Sales, Retail Liabilities, and Branch Banking, Sumit leads Max Life’s business growth and expansion initiatives across distribution networks, including bancassurance, agency, and proprietary channels. Prior to this, Sumit led Products, Digital, and Retail Liabilities at IDFC First Bank, where he played a crucial role in achieving performance growth across key banking metrics.

Previously, Sumit served as President & Chief (Branch Banking) at AU Small Finance Bank, where he played a pivotal role in leading a team of 4000+ professionals in sales, service, operations, and data analytics. He commenced his professional journey in FMCG, later moving to Citibank, where he ascended to the role of Regional Head for North India during his 13-year tenure.