Mumbai, October 21, 2026: Mahindra Manulife Insurance Limited (MMIL) has appointed Nilesh Kothari as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), as the company builds its leadership team and prepares to launch a differentiated, future-ready life insurance business in India.
With over 22 years of experience in the life insurance industry, Nilesh brings deep expertise across financial strategy, capital and solvency management, business planning, investment operations, governance and regulatory engagement. Prior to joining Mahindra Manulife, he was CFO at PNB MetLife India Insurance and has previously held CFO and senior leadership roles at Bharti AXA Life and SBI Life Insurance. During his career, he has led initiatives spanning business growth and profitability, operational efficiency and large-scale finance transformation, including ERP and analytics-led modernization programs.
At Mahindra Manulife, Nilesh will focus on building a future-ready finance function that supports the successful launch and sustainable growth of the company. His mandate will include establishing strong financial governance, capital and solvency management and scalable processes.
Commenting on the appointment, Suresh Agarwal, Managing Director & CEO, Mahindra Manulife Insurance, said, “Nilesh brings deep life insurance expertise and a strong combination of financial stewardship, strategic thinking and transformation experience. As we build Mahindra Manulife, establishing strong financial foundations while creating an organization designed for the future will be critical. Nilesh’s experience across financial strategy, capital and solvency management, governance and technology-led transformation will play an important role as we build a sustainable, agile and future-ready life insurance business.”
Sharing his vision for the new role, Nilesh Kothari, Chief Financial Officer, Mahindra Manulife Insurance, said, “I am delighted to join Mahindra Manulife at this exciting stage as we prepare to launch a future-ready life insurance company. By combining the strength of both the trusted brands – Mahindra and Manulife with AI, technology and data-led capabilities, we have a compelling opportunity to reimagine customer experience and build a scalable, agile and sustainable business. I look forward to partnering with the leadership team to create value for customers, shareholders and employees.”
Nilesh was recognized 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.
