Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, August 2026 — Smit Kamdar has been elevated to Senior Vice President and Channel Head – Direct Distribution at Bharti AXA Life Insurance, marking another significant progression in his more than six-year journey with the company.
In his expanded leadership role, Smit will lead Bharti AXA Life Insurance’s Direct Distribution business, with a focus on channel growth, customer acquisition, digital-first distribution strategies, business performance, and customer experience across India. He will continue strengthening the channel’s reach and supporting the company’s growth and market position through customer-centric and data-led distribution initiatives.
Prior to this elevation, Smit served as Channel Head – Direct Distribution at Bharti AXA Life Insurance. In this role, he led a large team operating across more than 100 cities, working to expand customer coverage, strengthen customer experience, improve product-market fit, accelerate channel growth, and support team development.
Earlier, Smit served as Vice President – Head Digital Sales, Service to Sales and Zonal Head – South and West. He led Direct Distribution across the South and West regions alongside the company’s digital channel, carrying responsibility for a substantial revenue target and supporting growth across multiple customer acquisition and sales platforms.
Before this, he was Deputy Vice President – Head Digital Sales and Service to Sales, where he led the transformation of customer service interactions into revenue-generating opportunities. Under his leadership, the Service to Sales vertical recorded significant revenue growth while strengthening the connection between customer engagement and business performance.
As Deputy Vice President – Head Digital Sales, Smit was responsible for establishing the company’s digital business line through partnerships with online platforms and the development of direct-to-company capabilities. His work included analysing markets, identifying product-market fit, designing customer journeys, developing go-to-market plans, and creating targeted sales strategies across digital channels.
Smit also served as Deputy Vice President – Head Revenue Assurance, Third-Party Distribution, leading initiatives across customer cohorts representing approximately ₹1,000 crore and nearly one lakh customers. His work included launching a customer propensity model, lifecycle programmes, contact-centre initiatives, and structural measures focused on persistency, customer retention, and revenue assurance.
He began his journey at Bharti AXA Life Insurance as Associate Vice President – PMO, CEO’s Office, where he planned and managed strategic projects aligned with growth, efficiency, distribution, quality, and profitability. His initiatives contributed to improvements in frontline productivity, organisational key performance indicators, and persistency across the proprietary channel.
Before joining Bharti AXA Life Insurance, Smit spent more than three years with Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance. As Deputy Chief Manager and Head Strategy – Direct Marketing, he led direct-marketing channel strategy, topline planning, profitability improvement, sales-process redesign, productivity enhancement, persistency, and customer retention.
Earlier at Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance, he served as Senior Manager – Strategy, developing business models for new initiatives and organic growth opportunities. His responsibilities included market intelligence, benchmarking, go-to-market strategy, financial analysis, partnership launches, and topline growth planning.
Smit previously worked with Marsh & McLennan Companies as Assistant Manager – Employee Health and Benefits Consulting Practice. He supported business planning, client-value propositions, benefits programme optimisation, and projects led through the Managing Director’s office. He also contributed to the development of an end-to-end business-to-business-to-employee digital platform and contact-centre model serving employees of more than 250 corporate clients.
With extensive experience across direct distribution, digital sales, insurance strategy, customer acquisition, channel management, business analytics, revenue growth, and organisational transformation, Smit brings a strong combination of strategic leadership and execution expertise to his expanded role.
About Bharti AXA Life Insurance
Bharti AXA Life Insurance is one of India’s leading life insurance providers, offering need-based life insurance and savings solutions designed to make insurance simple and accessible.
Established in 2006, the company is a flagship business of Bharti Life Ventures Private Limited, part of a prominent Indian business group with interests across telecommunications, agribusiness, and retail. With more than 200 branches across India, Bharti AXA Life Insurance focuses on accessibility, customer-centricity, and delivering a seamless experience throughout the insurance journey.
The company has also been recognised as a Great Place to Work for four consecutive years, reflecting its commitment to building a positive and supportive workplace.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work
