Reliance in talks with head hunters for Jio Insurance CEO

Mumbai: Reliance Industries is in discussions with global and domestic executive head hunters to find a leader for Jio Financial Services’ newly created insurance business, according to people familiar with the matter.

Executives from Reliance have met several firms in recent weeks to help them map top talent across life, health and general insurance segments, according to the people, who asked not be identified because the discussions are private. Korn Ferry and Spencer Stuart are among the firms that have held talks with representatives from the petrochemicals-to-consumer conglomerate, the people said.

Jio Financial will look to hire a chief executive for the insurance unit before early next year, the people said. Spokespeople for Korn Ferry and Reliance declined to comment. Spencer Stuart didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The leadership search comes as Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man, said on Monday that Jio Financial would revolutionize insurance in India. Jio Financial was publicly listed last week as Ambani attempts to create a new non-banking finance titan that will tap Reliance’s wider reach across its digital and retail businesses.

Veteran banker K.V. Kamath, who serves as Jio Financial’s non-executive chairman, will closely monitor the executive hires, the people said. Jio Financial is in the process of developing the organizational structure for its insurance business, and the first chief executive would play an important role in shaping it, the people added.

A decision, though imminent, has not yet been made, the people said. While the mandate for the CEO search would most likely be awarded to a global firm, the domestic head hunters would be roped in for middle and mid-senior hires, the people said.