AI-Driven Innovations in the Insurance Sector

Dr. Manjunath B. R. possesses a rich professional history spanning 16 years, blending 5 years of corporate expertise in the fields of Investment Banking and Business Analytics with 11 years devoted to academic pursuits. His core specialization lies in Applied Finance, with a keen focus on Applied Finance and Business Analytics. He is an active member of the Board of Studies (BoS) for Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), a Public University, India for Online Degree Programmes of UG, PG, and PG Diploma. Currently, Dr. Manjunath is serving as a Professor and Director of Academic Affairs at the Faculty of Management Sciences, School of Business Management at Shoolini University. During his corporate tenure, Dr. Manjunath navigated roles of significance, contributing notably to various renowned organizations. His professional journey included pivotal positions at esteemed entities such as JP Morgan Chase in the Philippines, where he played a pivotal role in the Unit Unlisted Trust (UUT) migration project. Subsequently, he contributed his expertise to Fidelity Business Services Pvt. Ltd., focusing on Analytics and Data Services (ADS). His career also encompassed impactful roles at Wipro-UBS as a Corporate Action Specialist and at Thomson Reuters, where he began as a Research Trainee. His commitment extended to consultancy and advisory capacities. He served as a Technical Consultant in Banking and Financial Services (BFS) for a World Bank Project, conducted under the sponsorship of Ernst & Young (EY). He was actively engaged in the implementation of the Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment, and Governance Project (LICT), initiated by the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the umbrella of the Government of Bangladesh. More recently, Dr. Manjunath served as a consultant and Finance Faculty for the Nest Academy of Management Education in Dubai, contributing significantly to curriculum development and knowledge dissemination across various UK Qualifications in new-age careers. As a Finance mentor (Online), he engaged with the Australian Business School and Victoria University in Australia. His commitment to academia is evident through tenures at esteemed educational institutions including Bapuji B-Schools, Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering, International School of Management Excellence, as the Professor and Head at the GM Institute of Technology, Department of Studies in Management, and as a Professor of Finance and Business Analytics at Kirloskar Institute of Management. Dr. Manjunath's academic contributions extend to the presentation and publication of 85 research papers and working papers across national and international conferences and journal publications. An expert facilitator, he has conducted numerous workshops and training sessions on advanced tools such as Microsoft Advanced Excel for Managers, R-Statistical Programming Language, and Tableau – Data Visualization for Data Science, both domestically and on global platforms.

As President & Dean, FMS at Shoolini University, Munish Sahrawat leads the management programmes across Under Graduate, MBA, Research and Executive Education levels. He also teaches courses on Banking, Finance, Critical Thinking and Strategic Management. Munish is a Business & Academic Leader with 25 years of diverse experience across Financial Services (HSBC, Citibank, ANZ) Higher Education (Ashoka University) and Startups in India, Middle East and Hong Kong wherein he delivered key results in different customer segments and markets. He has served as COO, HSBC Oman and COO, HSBC HR- Asia Pacific in Middle East and Hong Kong; roles involving inter-disciplinary responsibilities for Business Transformation, Operations, Human Resources, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Technology, Customer Experience, Finance, Risk and was also involved in few bank acquisitions. Munish has delivered large scale, multi-million dollar programmes involving Target Operating Models, Future State Program, Digital Transformation, Offshoring, Automation, Learning Transformation, HSBC University et al. He has few industry firsts to his credit e.g. launch of India’s first prepaid card at Citibank. Munish made a transition into Higher Education sector with a leadership role, working closely with the Founders at Ashoka University, one of the best liberal education Universities in India. This cross-industry experience saw him leveraging his skills and experience in contributing to Ashoka's ascent as an Institution of Eminence. Munish is an MBA from IRMA and holds an Honours Degree in Journalism from University of Delhi. He has participated in leadership development programmes by Ivy Business School in Hong Kong and Duke University in Mexico. He has walked 100 Kms across Sahara Desert as part of a Charity Challenge, raising funds for Water Aid.

BK Kaul completed his Master’s in HR followed by Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management from Delhi in 1991 & worked in sectors like Print Media, Telecom, Insurance & Corporate Training (including E&Y and visiting Faculty in LPU, Jalandhar). During the professional journey, BK Kaul has progressively handled roles/positions as Regional Manager, General Manager, Vice President, Go to Market Strategist, Business Head, Corporate Trainer in the corporates like The Times Of India, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications, Videocon and the last organization was Pramerica Life Insurance as Vice President (Zonal Business Head) . Worked across geographies and competitive markets of UP, MP & CG, J&K, Punjab, HP, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka in various Leadership roles. Friends find him as a turnaround professional, expressive, supportive and excellent in execution skills who is always committed to diverse interests, lifelong learning and sustainable growth. BK is fond of playing Tabla, Mouthorgan, Singing Ghazals, has played Chess at inter University level and loves to listen to semi classical music to rejuvenate & reenergize.