Mahindra Manulife Insurance Limited Appoints Ruchika Malhan Varma As Chief Marketing & Customer Officer.

Mumbai, Maharashtra, 15th of September, 2026 : Mahindra Manulife Life Insurance Limited, the 50:50 joint venture between Mahindra Group and Manulife, has appointed Ruchika Malhan Varma as Chief Marketing & Customer Officer (CMCO), as the company sets out to create a differentiated, AI-driven, digitally-enabled and customer-centric life insurance franchise in India.

With over 25 years of experience across financial services, media, entertainment, travel and consumer businesses in India and Asia, Ruchika brings extensive expertise in brand building, digital transformation, customer experience and business-led marketing. At Mahindra Manulife Insurance, Ruchika will spearhead Brand and Marketing Communications, Corporate Communications, Digital and Growth marketing, Customer Experience, Digital Experience, Partnerships, DEI, Sustainability and AI enablement, with a focus on building a consumer-first franchise.

Commenting on her appointment, Suresh Agarwal, MD&CEO, Mahindra Manulife Life Insurance, said, “Ruchika’s experience at the intersection of brand, customer, technology and business makes her an important addition as we set out to build Mahindra Manulife Insurance. Our ambition is to create an AI-first, consumer-driven insurance company that understands customers better, designs simple and effective experiences and delivers relevant protection solutions. Her leadership will be instrumental in translating this ambition into a differentiated customer proposition and a strong, trusted brand.”

Sharing her vision for the new role, Ruchika Malhan Varma said, “Insurance is entering a new era where AI, data and deep consumer understanding can fundamentally reshape how customers discover, buy and experience insurance. I am excited to be part of the journey of building Mahindra Manulife Life Insurance as an AI-first, consumer-driven organisation that combines technology and human insight to make insurance more relevant, intuitive and accessible for customers across India.”

Prior to joining Mahindra Manulife, Ruchika served as the Chief Marketing, Customer and Impact Officer at Generali Central Insurance, leading brand and marketing communications, digital marketing, corporate communications, product strategy and innovation, customer experience, digital acquisition, web sales and telesales, alongside the organisation’s CSR, DEI and sustainability agendas.  Earlier, as Chief Marketing Officer at IDFC FIRST Bank, she played a pivotal role in building and strengthening the IDFC Bank and IDFC FIRST Bank brands. She has also held leadership positions with BBC Worldwide, Lonely Planet, Singapore Tourism Board, VIP Luggage and Electrolux.

The Mahindra-Manulife JV aims to offer long-term savings and protection solutions tailored to the diverse and growing needs of India’s population, in line with India’s “Insurance for All” vision by 2047. Combining Mahindra’s deep access and extensive distribution in rural and semi- urban areas with Manulife’s proven quality agency, product, development and underwriting capabilities catered to urban customers, the joint venture will create long term value by driving customer centricity and leveraging new technologies.