TAPAN SINGHEL ON REACHING THE TOP OF THE INSURANCE GAME

Tapan Singhel, the dynamic Managing Director and CEO of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, is a visionary leader in the insurance industry. With a remarkable career spanning over three decades in the insurance sector, Singhel has steered Bajaj Allianz towards unprecedented growth and innovation. His strategic insight and commitment to excellence have earned him recognition as a stalwart in the field. Singhel’s unwavering dedication to driving positive change makes him a formidable force, shaping the future of insurance in India and beyond. Our Editor-in-Chief, Ramesh Somani, took him on a drive in the BMW X7 to decode more of him and what has pushed him to be amongst the country’s top leaders and also wear the power hat of being the Chairman of the General Insurance Council of India.

- Ramesh Somani

Ramesh Somani: Before Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company (BAGIC), what was your story like?

Tapan Singhel: First and foremost, it’s my pleasure to be with you here. Before BAGIC, I was working in a PSU. However, I have always wanted to be a scientist, and when I did my M.Sc., my friends were competing for government exams, such as the IAS, banking PO, and insurance, and one of them bought an extra form and asked me to compete for the same. I was not interested, but they convinced me in the name of an IQ test, and I sat for the thrill of it. After the results, I was among the top who qualified for it, and I was relatively young to be a Class One officer. Somewhere around 1999-2000, the government allowed private companies to join hands in the insurance field, and as a result, a lot of private companies came in. Again, one of my friends said, why don’t you be a part of the initial team setting up an insurance company and challenged me to be a part of the start-up. I thought of giving it a shot, and that’s how I entered into insurance. If you look at my life, most of my decisions happen because of the thrill that excited me, which got me to wherever I am today.

RS: You once famously said you earned your MBA from the Street University. Had you done it from any Ivy League University, would your trajectory be different?