Role overview

Designation: Business Head - West (Agency Channel)

Job Location- Mumbai or Pune

Reporting: CDO

- Channel focus: Agency / tied agent channel (including independent agents, corporate agents, and adjacent agency models under unified agency objective).

- Primary mandate: Grow new business, deepen market penetration, and ensure profitability of agency channel operations in the West region.

Key responsibilities

1. Strategy and business growth

- Define and execute the agency channel strategy for the West region aligned to company targets (APE, premium, new policy count, and persistency).

- Identify high potential districts, urban clusters, and micro markets and design channel/agent level plans for coverage and penetration.

- Drive new household acquisition, including tie ups with corporates, professional associations, and local institutions to source agency based leads.

2. Agency network management

- Recruit, onboard, and manage Zonal Managers (ZM), Regional Managers (RM), Agency Managers (AM), and Field Leadership Managers (FLM) in the West region.

- Set clear territory and agent wise targets, monitor performance, and conduct regular performance reviews (including field visits and joint calls).

- Oversee agent recruitment, retention, and productivity, ensuring high quality agent pool and low attrition.

3. Sales and distribution leadership

- Drive execution of agency sales plans, including product mix, cross sell, and up sell, ensuring alignment with pricing and underwriting guidelines.

- Coordinate closely with direct sales, corporate sales, and bancassurance teams to avoid channel conflict and maximize wallet share from common intermediaries.

- Ensure adherence to sales practice norms, disclosure, suitability, and KYC/AML/IRDAI guidelines at all agency channel touchpoints.

4. Training, motivation, and culture

- Lead training and development of agency channel managers and agents (product knowledge, sales techniques, compliance, and digital tools).

- Design and execute motivation and incentive programs (tournaments, recognition, awards) to sustain high performance and morale.

- Foster a high performance, ethical, and compliant culture across the agency network, ensuring adherence to the company's code of conduct.

5. Operations, compliance, and governance

- Coordinate with operations, finance, and service teams to ensure smooth policy servicing and claim administration for agency sourced business.

- Ensure strict compliance with branch audit checklists, KYC/AML, and IRDAI regulations across all agency channel offices.

- Monitor and mitigate fraud, mis selling, and lapse related risks in agency channel business through regular reviews and audits.

6. Market and competition intelligence

- Track competitor activity, product launches, and distribution strategies in the West region and share actionable insights with product and marketing teams.

- Provide feedback on local market preferences, customer feedback, and product suitability to help refine product and channel design.

Likely qualifications and experience

- Education: Graduate / Post graduate in any discipline; MBA or actuarial/insurance related qualification is often preferred.

Experience:

- Good Experience in life insurance, with 8-10+ years in leadership roles in agency/direct sales channels.

- Strong track record in agency channel P&L management, team leadership, and market share growth in one or more large states (e.g., Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa).

Skills:

- Strong leadership, team building, and performance management capabilities.

- Deep understanding of agency channel economics, distribution, and licensing/IRDAI norms.

- Analytical mindset with ability to interpret business dashboards, agency performance data, and market trends