Howden has appointed Saurabh Verma as chief business officer, India operations. In this new assignment at the global insurance intermediary group, Verma will be tasked with promoting regional growth and strengthening client connections.
An alumnus of the TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal, Saurabh Verma is backed by almost 25 years of extensive experience in the insurance industry.
The first 11 years of his career were spent with the Murugappa Group—in the tube investments division from 2002 to 2006, and then as regional manager-Cholamandalam MS from 2006 to 2013.
April of 2013 saw Verma relocating from Chennai to New Delhi when he joined Willis Towers Watson as senior vice president. Just over five years into this role, he was elevated to executive vice president, in 2018.
After a successful tenure of over eight years with Willis Towers Watson, Saurabh Verma moved to Aon, in 2021.
As custodian of Aon Client Leadership (ACL) in India, he was entrusted with the stewardship of Aon’s largest and most complex clients in India. For well over three years, Verma developed tailored risk strategies, fostered long-term relationships and ensured a high level of client satisfaction.
Additionally, he successfully grew Aon’s government business, working closely with public-sector organisations to address their unique risk and insurance needs. He also lead initiatives within Japanese Global Solutions (JGS), focusing on providing specialised support to Japanese businesses operating in India.
Amit Agarwal, CEO, Howden India, believes Verma “is a great fit for Howden’s culture and will play a pivotal role in fostering an exceptional workplace environment for our people” as his “new perspective will undoubtedly enhance our growth trajectory.”
Saurabh Verma, himself relies on his two and a half decades of professional experience that have taught him “to stay continuously invested in forming exceptional teams that seek collaboration, operational brilliance, and client-centric solutions.” As chief business officer, he hopes to “further Howden’s unique endeavour to be an employer of choice and foster culture of empowerment and ownership.”
Verma holds a BE in mechanical engineering, an MBA in marketing & systems, and is a Fellow of the Insurance Institute of India (FII).
HRKatha is confident that Saurabh Verma’s proven track record in building high-performing teams and developing market-leading risk solutions will be invaluable to Howden India.
