Mahindra Manulife Insurance Appoints Nilesh Kothari as CFO

Mahindra Manulife Insurance Limited (MMIL) has appointed Nilesh Kothari as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), as the company prepares to launch its life insurance business in India.

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In his new role, Nilesh will lead the company’s finance function, focusing on financial governance, capital and solvency management, business planning and scalable financial processes to support its launch and long-term growth.

Extensive Experience

Nilesh brings over 22 years of experience in the life insurance industry, with expertise in financial strategy, business planning, capital management, investment operations, regulatory compliance and finance transformation.

Before joining Mahindra Manulife Insurance, he served as Chief Financial Officer at PNB MetLife India Insurance. During his tenure, he was associated with financial management and business performance in the life insurance sector.

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Earlier, he held CFO and senior leadership positions at Bharti AXA Life Insurance and SBI Life Insurance. His experience across these organisations includes financial planning, profitability management, operational efficiency, governance and regulatory engagement.

Over the course of his career, he has also worked on finance transformation initiatives, including ERP implementation and analytics-led modernisation programmes. His experience in capital and solvency management is expected to support Mahindra Manulife as it establishes its operations in India.

Nilesh was recognised as CFO of the Year in 2022 by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Mumbai and a Diploma in Information Systems Audit (DISA). He has also completed executive programmes at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and IIM Bangalore.

Before joining the company, he served as CFO at PNB MetLife India Insurance for around three years. Earlier, he spent about 15 years at Bharti AXA Life Insurance, including five years as CFO. He also held senior finance positions at SBI Life Insurance, gaining experience in financial control, planning and insurance operations.

His professional experience covers financial reporting, investment operations, procurement, business intelligence, analytics and regulatory matters. He has also worked on improving finance processes through technology, including ERP systems and analytics-based programmes.

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Nilesh is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Mumbai. He also holds a Diploma in Information Systems Audit from ICAI and has completed executive programmes at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and IIM Bangalore.

About Mahindra Manulife Insurance

Mahindra Manulife Insurance Limited is a 50:50 joint venture between Mahindra & Mahindra and Canada’s Manulife. The company was incorporated in 2026 to enter India’s life insurance market.

It plans to offer savings and protection products, with a focus on rural, semi-urban and urban customers