The Hartford appoints new executives and restructures technology and operations divisions

The Hartford, a provider of insurance and financial services, has announced significant changes within its executive team and the introduction of a new organisational structure for its Technology and Operations functions.

Shekar Pannala has been appointed as the company’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), where he will oversee the Technology division, including cybersecurity, infrastructure, and cloud modernisation initiatives.

Jeffery Hawkins has been named Chief Data, AI, and Operations Officer, and in this enhanced role, he will continue to lead the company’s data, analytics, and AI efforts, in addition to managing Operations.

Both Pannala and Hawkins will report directly to Christopher Swift, Chairman and CEO of The Hartford, effective immediately.

Deepa Soni, who previously held the position of Chief Information and Operations Officer, has resigned to pursue a new external opportunity. She will collaborate with Pannala and Hawkins during the transition period.

“Over the past several years, we have made tremendous progress on our Technology and Operations strategy, including digitising processes, modernising foundational technology infrastructure and investing in cloud, data and AI,” Swift said.

“Our new structure enables us to focus more deeply on our critical technology-and-operations priorities and build on our competitive advantages.”

Pannala brings over 30 years of technology leadership to The Hartford. Before joining the company, he served as the Global CIO at Chubb, managing enterprise-wide technology. His experience also includes being Chief Technology Officer at S&P Global and holding senior positions at BNY Mellon, where he was Executive Vice President and Divisional CIO responsible for asset servicing technology.

Hawkins, with more than 25 years of experience in technology, previously served as CIO at CVS Health, leading a major technology transformation. Prior to his role at CVS, Hawkins spent two decades at Humana, where he played a pivotal role in driving digital transformation and enhancing customer experiences through senior leadership roles.

“Shekar has shaped the technology strategy for our property-and-casualty business units, and with his invaluable industry experience, he is uniquely suited for this newly created role,” Swift added.

“Jeff brings strong technical expertise and strategic leadership skills, making him ideal for this new role embedding data, analytics and AI into Operations and across the enterprise. I look forward to working closely with Shekar and Jeff as we continue to advance our technological capabilities to enhance the experience we deliver to our customers and distribution partners.”

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