About HDFC Life

Mr. Deepak S Parekh

Non-Executive Chairman

Mr. Deepak Parekh is a Nominee Director and the Chairman of our Company. He has been on our Board since August 2000. He is also the chairman of our Promoter i.e., HDFC. Mr. Parekh is an associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. He is a on the board of several leading corporations across diverse sectors. He is the non-executive chairman of Siemens Limited, GlaxoSmithkline Pharmaceuticals Limited and BAE Systems India (Services) Private Limited. He is also on the boards of Indian Hotels Company Limited and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). Mr. Parekh has won several awards, which includes Padma Bhushan conferred by Government of India in 2006, ‘Bundesverdienstkreuz’, which is Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit, being one of the highest distinction by the Federal Republic of Germany, in 2014, “Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honour”, one of the highest distinction by the French Republic, in 2010 and he was also the first international recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award by Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, in 2010.

Mr. Keki M Mistry

Non-Executive Director

Mr. Keki Mistry is a Nominee Director of our Company. He has been on our Board since December 20, 2000. He is also the vice chairman and chief executive officer of our Promoter i.e., HDFC. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Mr. Mistry joined HDFC in 1981. He was appointed as the executive director of HDFC in 1993, as the deputy managing director in 1999 and as the managing director in 2000. He was re-designated as the vice chairman and managing director of HDFC in October 2007 and as the vice chairman and chief executive officer, with effect from January 1, 2010.Some of Mr. Mistry's recent recognitions include, being awarded “Best Independent Director Award 2014” by Asian Centre for Corporate Governance & Sustainability, the Best CEO Financial Services (Large Companies) 2014 by Business Today magazine, honored with the “CA Business Achiever of the year” award in the Financial Sector by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) in 2011, CNBC TV18's - CFO of the Year for 2008. Mr. Mistry is the chairman of the of CII National Council on Corporate Governance and a member of the Committee on Corporate Governance set up by the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Ms. Renu Sud Karnad

Non-Executive Director

Ms. Renu Karnad is a Nominee Director of our Company. She has been on our Board since January 25, 2006. She is also the managing director of our Promoter i.e., HDFC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Mumbai and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Delhi. She is a Parvin Fellow – Woodrow Wilson School of International Affairs, Princeton University, USA. Ms. Karnad joined HDFC in 1978 and she was appointed as the managing director of HDFC in January 2010.

Mr. Prasad Chandran

Independent Director

Mr. Prasad Chandran is an Independent Director of our Company. He has been on our Board since April 24 2014. Mr. Chandran holds a bachelor’s degree (honors) in chemistry from the University of Mumbai and a master’s degree in business administration from University Business School, Chandigarh. He has also completed the advanced business management education from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, USA and AOTS, Tokyo University, Japan. He was designated as the chairman and managing director of BASF India Limited to pursue his interest in nation building. He was also the chairman of CIBA India Limited, Cynamide India Limited, Pushpa Polymers before they integrated into BASF India Limited. He is also a member of the Prime Minister’s Special Task Force on the National Chemical Policy.

Mr. Vish Viswanathan

Independent Director

Mr. Vegulaparanan Kasi Viswanathan is an Independent Director of our Company. He has been on our Board since April 24, 2014. Mr. Viswanathan holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from University of Madras and is a member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Currently, he is the chairman of Bosch Limited. He joined the Bosch Group in Germany in September 1998 and worked in its global headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany for two years. He took over as joint managing director of Bosch Limited, India in January 2001 with responsibility for all commercial, finance, information technology, human resource and legal matters besides corporate strategy. He was seconded to USA as the senior vice president for its North American automotive electronics and electrical business in 2006. He was designated as the managing director of Bosch Limited and country head and president of Bosch Group in India from February 2008. He became the chairman of Bosch Limited in July 2013.

Mr. Sumit Bose

Independent Director

Mr. Sumit Bose is an Independent Director of our Company. He has been on our Board sinceJuly 19, 2016. He holds a degree of master of science in Social Policy and Planning in developing countries from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, UK. He also holds a masters’ degree in Arts (History) from University of Delhi. He was a member of Expenditure Management Commission set up to review the allocative and operational efficiencies of Government expenditure to achieve maximum output. He was also the Union Finance Secretary and Revenue Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

Mr Ketan Dalal

Independent Director

Mr. Ketan Dalal is an Independent Director of our Company. He has been on our Board since July 17, 2017. He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, having qualified in 1981. In 1997, he (along with 3 other professionals) founded RSM, an Indian Tax practice, which merged into PwC in April 2007. He has recently founded a boutique structuring and tax firm, Katalyst Advisors LLP. He was a member of the ‘Working Group on Non-resident taxation’ formed by Ministry of Finance in 2003. He is a member of the Managing Committee and the Chairman of the Direct tax Committee of IMC. He has been a member of several SEBI Committees including SEBI’s High Powered Advisory Committee on consent orders and compounding and Group of experts to advise SEBI on matters relating to Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission

Ms. Bharti Gupta Ramola

Independent Director

Ms. Bharti Gupta Ramola is an Independent Director of our Company. She has been appointed on our Board on February 12, 2019. She is PG Diploma in Management from the IIM, Ahmedabad and B.Sc Physics (Hons) from St Stephen's College, University of Delhi. She was a partner at PwC during 1984-2017. She currently, inter-alia, serves on the Governing Body of Lady Shriram College, Advisory Council of Transform Rural India (a Tata Trust initiative), Advisory Committee of Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air (CERCA) at IIT Delhi.

Dr. Bhaskar Ghosh

Independent Director

Dr. Bhaskar Ghosh is an Independent Director of our Company. He has been on our Board since April 26 2023. Dr. Ghosh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Calcutta University. He is also a Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration from Utkal University. He is an expert in information technology, data analytics, digital platform, cyber security, consumer behaviour, sales & marketing, risk management and strategic thinking. He has vast experience in information technology sector. He is the Chief Strategy Officer of Accenture and is responsible for Accenture’s strategy and investments, including ventures and acquisitions and Accenture research. Dr. Ghosh has been awarded six patents in the area of software engineering and platform development.

Ms. Vibha Padalkar

MD & CEO, HDFC Life 

Vibha Padalkar is the Managing Director & CEO of HDFC Life. Under her stewardship, the Company doubled its performance on all key metrics over the past four years, ending with an AUM of Rs 2.4 Tn as on March 31, 2023. In FY23, she also spearheaded the first M&A in the Indian life insurance industry. Prior to assuming charge as the MD & CEO in 2018, Vibha was the ED & CFO and instrumental in the successful listing of HDFC Life in 2017. She is also a member of the Executive Committee (EC) of the Life Insurance Council.

Vibha qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales in 1992 and is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Over the years Vibha has been the recipient of various awards which includes the 'CA Business Leader - For Large Corporates - BFSI' at the 15th ICAI Awards by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She has also been felicitated with awards by ET Prime Women Leadership Awards and IMA India. Business Today has recognised Vibha as one of the ‘Top 30 Most Powerful Women in Business’ for five consecutive years, from 2018 to 2022. In 2021, Vibha has been recognised as one of the 'Most Powerful Women in Business' by Fortune International magazine. Fortune India has featured Vibha in their list of 'Most Powerful Women' for 2021 and 2022.

She also has been featured in the ‘Most Valuable CEOs’ list by Business World for 2022 & 2023 and in their list of 'Most Influential Women in Business' for 2022. 

Mr Suresh Badami

Deputy Managing Director

Suresh has been associated with HDFC Life since October 2013. Prior to joining HDFC Life, he was associated with Dunlop India Limited, ICI India Limited, Cogensis Networks Private Limited, Max Ateev Limited and ICICI Bank Limited. Suresh has 29 years of experience in sales & business across varied industries, including 20+ years in banking & financial services.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Bangalore University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Mr. Niraj Shah

Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer

Niraj has been associated with HDFC Life since February 2019 and oversees Finance, Product development and Process excellence. He has over two decades of experience in financial services, primarily in life insurance, corporate finance advisory and audit. Prior to joining HDFC Life, Niraj was associated with PNB MetLife, ICICI Prudential Life, EY and BNP Paribas.

He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Ms. Vibha Padalkar

MD & CEO, HDFC Life 

Vibha Padalkar is the Managing Director & CEO of HDFC Life. Under her stewardship, the Company doubled its performance on all key metrics over the past four years, ending with an AUM of Rs 2.4 Tn as on March 31, 2023. In FY23, she also spearheaded the first M&A in the Indian life insurance industry. Prior to assuming charge as the MD & CEO in 2018, Vibha was the ED & CFO and instrumental in the successful listing of HDFC Life in 2017. She is also a member of the Executive Committee (EC) of the Life Insurance Council.

Vibha qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales in 1992 and is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Over the years Vibha has been the recipient of various awards which includes the 'CA Business Leader - For Large Corporates - BFSI' at the 15th ICAI Awards by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She has also been felicitated with awards by ET Prime Women Leadership Awards and IMA India. Business Today has recognised Vibha as one of the ‘Top 30 Most Powerful Women in Business’ for five consecutive years, from 2018 to 2022. In 2021, Vibha has been recognised as one of the 'Most Powerful Women in Business' by Fortune International magazine. Fortune India has featured Vibha in their list of 'Most Powerful Women' for 2021 and 2022.

She also has been featured in the ‘Most Valuable CEOs’ list by Business World for 2022 & 2023 and in their list of 'Most Influential Women in Business' for 2022.

Mr. Suresh Badami

Deputy Managing Director

Suresh has been associated with HDFC Life since October 2013. Prior to joining HDFC Life, he was associated with Dunlop India Limited, ICI India Limited, Cogensis Networks Private Limited, Max Ateev Limited and ICICI Bank Limited. Suresh has 29 years of experience in sales & business across varied industries, including 20+ years in banking & financial services.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Bangalore University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Mr. Niraj Shah

Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer

Niraj has been associated with HDFC Life since February 2019 and oversees Finance, Product development and Process excellence. He has over two decades of experience in financial services, primarily in life insurance, corporate finance advisory and audit. Prior to joining HDFC Life, Niraj was associated with PNB MetLife, ICICI Prudential Life, EY and BNP Paribas.

He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Mr. Prasun Gajri

Chief Investment Officer

Prasun has been associated with HDFC Life since April 2009 and heads Investment. Prior to joining HDFC Life, he was associated with Citibank N.A. and Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Limited.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst from CFA Institute, USA.

Mr. Narendra Gangan

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & Company Secretary

Narendra is associated with HDFC Life since July, 2017 and heads Legal, Compliance and Secretarial functions. He carries more than 29 years of experience in the financial services industry. He brings across the expertise of leading teams within the BFSI domain including Banking, Non-Banking, Investment Banking, Equities, Alternate Asset Management etc., in the areas of Legal, Compliance, Governance and controls, as well as, working closely with Regulators.

Prior to joining HDFC Life he was associated with IDFC Ltd as Senior Director – Compliance. His prior assignments include DSP Merrill Lynch, IL&FS, Baskin Robbins and 20th Century Finance Corporation Limited. He is a qualified Company Secretary and Law Graduate with a Master’s Degree in Financial Management from NMIMS. 

Mr. Vibhash Naik

Chief Human Resource Officer

Vibhash is the Chief Human Resource officer and leads the Human Resources, Learning and Development and the Administration function.  He has been associated with HDFC life since July 2011 and carries more than 25 years of experience across the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance industries.
 
Vibhash is a strong Human Resource professional with expertise in Organizational Development, Performance Management, Compensation and Benefits and Talent Acquisition. He has been responsible for designing and evaluating various modern, productive and inclusive HR interventions and crafting people strategies that meet the business goals. Prior to joining HDFC Life, Vibhash worked with Lehman Brothers, Religare Macquarie Wealth Management and Atos Origin. He holds a Masters degree in Labour Studies from University of Mumbai.

Mr Vineet Arora

Chief Operating Officer

Vineet has been associated with the HDFC Life since November 2022. He brings over 26 years of rich & diverse experience across industries like FMCG, consumer durables, banking, wealth management, life & general insurance where he was instrumental in scaling up and leading the businesses. Prior to joining HDFC Life, Vineet was associated with Paytm Payment Bank, Paytm General Insurance, Aegon Life Insurance, ICICI Securities, ICICI Prudential, Godrej and Marico.

He holds a Post Graduate Degree in Finance & Marketing from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi college of Engineering.

Rangarajan B N

Chief Risk Officer

Rangarajan has been associated with HDFC Life since October 2022. Prior to joining HDFC Life, he was associated with life insurance domain companies including erstwhileExide Life Insurance Company Ltd, LIC of India, GE Capital and Met Life.

Rajan has over 29 years of experience in actuarial role alongwith oversight of the Risk Management, Legal, Compliance, Secretarial and Product functions.

He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Actuaries of India and Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK. Rajan also has a Master’s degree in Statistics from the Universityof Mysore.

Ms. Eshwari Murugan

Appointed Actuary

Eshwari has been associated with HDFC Life since November 2006 and has been our Appointed Actuary since July 2021. With over three decades of experience in the Life Insurance Industry, she has worked in both public and private sectors. Prior to joining HDFC Life, she was associated with Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Eshwari has vast experience across various domains in Life Insurance, including Actuarial, Underwriting, Claims, and Information Technology. As the Appointed Actuary, she manages Pricing, Product Development, Reinsurance, Regulatory Reporting, Shareholder Value Tracking, and Business Planning. She played a key role in the IPO of the company, helped build robust systems and processes for regular, consistent disclosures, as well as in evaluating various M&A opportunities.

Eshwari is a Qualified Actuary (Fellow of Institute of Actuaries of India) and a Fellow of Insurance Institute of India. Her expertise in various functions, along with her vast experience, has made her an invaluable asset to HDFC Life.

Ms. Vibha Padalkar

MD & CEO, HDFC Life

Vibha Padalkar is the Managing Director & CEO of HDFC Life. Under her stewardship, the Company doubled its performance on all key metrics over the past four years, ending with an AUM of Rs 2.4 Tn as on March 31, 2023. In FY23, she also spearheaded the first M&A in the Indian life insurance industry. Prior to assuming charge as the MD & CEO in 2018, Vibha was the ED & CFO and instrumental in the successful listing of HDFC Life in 2017. She is also a member of the Executive Committee (EC) of the Life Insurance Council.

Vibha qualified as a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales in 1992 and is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Over the years Vibha has been the recipient of various awards which includes the 'CA Business Leader - For Large Corporates - BFSI' at the 15th ICAI Awards by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. She has also been felicitated with awards by ET Prime Women Leadership Awards and IMA India. Business Today has recognised Vibha as one of the ‘Top 30 Most Powerful Women in Business’ for five consecutive years, from 2018 to 2022. In 2021, Vibha has been recognised as one of the 'Most Powerful Women in Business' by Fortune International magazine. Fortune India has featured Vibha in their list of 'Most Powerful Women' for 2021 and 2022.

She also has been featured in the ‘Most Valuable CEOs’ list by Business World for 2022 & 2023 and in their list of 'Most Influential Women in Business' for 2022. 

Mr. Suresh Badami

Deputy Managing Director

Suresh has been associated with HDFC Life since October 2013. Prior to joining HDFC Life, he was associated with Dunlop India Limited, ICI India Limited, Cogensis Networks Private Limited, Max Ateev Limited and ICICI Bank Limited. Suresh has 29 years of experience in sales & business across varied industries, including 20+ years in banking & financial services.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science from Bangalore University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Mr. Niraj Shah

Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer

Niraj has been associated with HDFC Life since February 2019 and oversees Finance, Product development and Process excellence. He has over two decades of experience in financial services, primarily in life insurance, corporate finance advisory and audit. Prior to joining HDFC Life, Niraj was associated with PNB MetLife, ICICI Prudential Life, EY and BNP Paribas.

He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Mr. Prasun Gajri

Chief Investment Officer

Prasun has been associated with HDFC Life since April 2009 and heads Investment. Prior to joining HDFC Life, he was associated with Citibank N.A. and Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Limited.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst from CFA Institute, USA.

Ms. Eshwari Murugan

Appointed Actuary

Eshwari has been associated with HDFC Life since November 2006 and has been our Appointed Actuary since July 2021. With over three decades of experience in the Life Insurance Industry, she has worked in both public and private sectors. Prior to joining HDFC Life, she was associated with Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Eshwari has vast experience across various domains in Life Insurance, including Actuarial, Underwriting, Claims, and Information Technology. As the Appointed Actuary, she manages Pricing, Product Development, Reinsurance, Regulatory Reporting, Shareholder Value Tracking, and Business Planning. She played a key role in the IPO of the company, helped build robust systems and processes for regular, consistent disclosures, as well as in evaluating various M&A opportunities.

Eshwari is a Qualified Actuary (Fellow of Institute of Actuaries of India) and a Fellow of Insurance Institute of India. Her expertise in various functions, along with her vast experience, has made her an invaluable asset to HDFC Life.

Mr. Narendra Gangan

General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer & Company Secretary

Narendra is associated with HDFC Life since July, 2017 and heads Legal, Compliance and Secretarial functions. He carries more than 29 years of experience in the financial services industry. He brings across the expertise of leading teams within the BFSI domain including Banking, Non-Banking, Investment Banking, Equities, Alternate Asset Management etc., in the areas of Legal, Compliance, Governance and controls, as well as, working closely with Regulators.

Prior to joining HDFC Life he was associated with IDFC Ltd as Senior Director – Compliance. His prior assignments include DSP Merrill Lynch, IL&FS, Baskin Robbins and 20th Century Finance Corporation Limited. He is a qualified Company Secretary and Law Graduate with a Master’s Degree in Financial Management from NMIMS. 

Mr. Vibhash Naik

Chief Human Resource Officer

Vibhash is the Chief Human Resource officer and leads the Human Resources, Learning and Development and the Administration function.  He has been associated with HDFC life since July 2011 and carries more than 25 years of experience across the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance industries.
 
Vibhash is a strong Human Resource professional with expertise in Organizational Development, Performance Management, Compensation and Benefits and Talent Acquisition. He has been responsible for designing and evaluating various modern, productive and inclusive HR interventions and crafting people strategies that meet the business goals. Prior to joining HDFC Life, Vibhash worked with Lehman Brothers, Religare Macquarie Wealth Management and Atos Origin. He holds a Masters degree in Labour Studies from University of Mumbai.

Mr Vineet Arora

Chief Operating Officer

Vineet has been associated with the HDFC Life since November 2022. He brings over 26 years of rich & diverse experience across industries like FMCG, consumer durables, banking, wealth management, life & general insurance where he was instrumental in scaling up and leading the businesses. Prior to joining HDFC Life, Vineet was associated with Paytm Payment Bank, Paytm General Insurance, Aegon Life Insurance, ICICI Securities, ICICI Prudential, Godrej and Marico.

He holds a Post Graduate Degree in Finance & Marketing from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi college of Engineering.

Rangarajan B N

Chief Risk Officer

Rangarajan has been associated with HDFC Life since October 2022. Prior to joining HDFC Life, he was associated with life insurance domain companies including erstwhileExide Life Insurance Company Ltd, LIC of India, GE Capital and Met Life.

Rajan has over 29 years of experience in actuarial role alongwith oversight of the Risk Management, Legal, Compliance, Secretarial and Product functions.

He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Actuaries of India and Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, UK. Rajan also has a Master’s degree in Statistics from the Universityof Mysore.