The Digital India Podcast | Kirti Patil, CTO, Kotak Life | Mohd Ujaley | Episode 05

Tech Observer

The Indian life insurance industry is on a meteoric rise, projected to hit $200 billion by 2027. But with 73% of policyholders now preferring digital-first interactions (EY Survey), legacy players must evolve—or risk extinction.

In this episode of The Digital India Podcast, Mohd Ujaley (Editorial Director, Tech Observer Magazine) sits down with Kirti Patil, Joint President & CTO of Kotak Life Insurance, to unravel how the company’s "hollow the core" strategy has turbocharged digital adoption—shifting 80% of service requests to digital channels (up from just 25% pre-pandemic).

🔹 Jungle Mapping in Tech: Kirti compares her *30+ years in tech leadership* to navigating an uncharted jungle—where every step is a risk, a revolution or a bear trap.
🔹 AI’s Surprising Evolution: From email implementation in the '90s to today’s AI revolution—how conversational AI is reshaping insurance CX.
🔹 Phased Modernisation Wins: Why Kotak’s incremental approach—not Big Bang overhauls—is key to stable, scalable transformation.
🔹 Empathy in Automation: Can *AI-driven interactions* retain human warmth? How Kotak ensures *"human-in-the-loop"* design.
🔹 Leadership in Setbacks: As a woman in tech, Kirti shares how she steers teams through failures while keeping morale high.

Tune in for a masterclass in *digital resilience, strategic patience and tech-led empathy*—straight from one of India’s most seasoned insurance tech leaders.

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#DigitalTransformation #InsuranceTech #WomenInTech #AI #KotakLife #TechLeadership