Gurgaon, Haryana, India, April 2025 — Suresh Mahalingam has been appointed as the Chairperson of Aviva India, a pivotal appointment that underscores the company’s strategic commitment to transformative leadership in the Indian life insurance sector. With more than 35 years of executive experience across insurance, FMCG, and financial services, Suresh’s elevation marks a new era for Aviva India.
Prior to this appointment, Suresh Mahalingam served as an Independent Director on Aviva India’s Board, where he provided forward-thinking perspectives that significantly influenced strategic decision-making. His prior executive roles include Managing Director & CEO at Tata AIA Life Insurance, where he led the company to early break-even, expanded its national footprint, and steered it through challenging regulatory changes. He also played an instrumental role at HDFC Life, where he conceptualized the iconic “Sar Utha Ke Jiyo” campaign and accelerated the organization’s growth across 670 branches within four years.
At ITC Limited, where he spent the formative 17 years of his career, Suresh led South India operations and was at the forefront of diversifying ITC’s portfolio into personal care, confectionery, and ready-to-eat foods, demonstrating early leadership in FMCG innovation and regulatory navigation.
In addition to his corporate leadership, Suresh Mahalingam is a CFI Certified Executive Coach and a strategic advisor to several organizations including InsuranceDekho, TMI Group, Perfios, and FayrEdge, emphasizing leadership development, digital innovation, and stakeholder engagement. His extensive boardroom experience includes tenure with Muthoot Housing Finance, Navi, Avanse Financial Services, Principal AMC, Pramerica Life, and more.
Commenting on his new role, Aviva India emphasized that Suresh’s blend of strategic foresight, stakeholder value creation, and people-centric leadership aligns perfectly with the organization’s mission of simplifying insurance for Indian consumers. His appointment is expected to drive enhanced governance, customer-centricity, and sustainable growth.
Aviva India
Aviva India is a joint venture between Dabur Invest Corp and Aviva International Holdings Limited (UK), offering life insurance products with a focus on simplicity and long-term value. With a footprint in nearly 1,000 towns and cities across India and a 14,000+ strong Financial Planning Advisor (FPA) team, Aviva India is one of the pioneers in unit-linked products and Bancassurance. Through its flagship CSR initiative, “Street to School,” the company supports the education of over 500,000 underprivileged children.
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