Chief Product Officer (CPO)

Role Summary

The Chief Product Officer (CPO) leads the end-to-end product strategy, design, and lifecycle management of the organization's insurance portfolio. This role drives innovation, profitability, and customer-centric product development across life, health, and/or property & casualty lines, ensuring alignment with regulatory frameworks and market dynamics.

Key Responsibilities

1. Product Strategy & Vision

Define and execute the enterprise-wide insurance product strategy

Identify market opportunities, customer needs, and competitive positioning

Drive innovation across traditional and digital insurance offerings

1. Product Development & Lifecycle Management

Oversee design, development, launch, and optimization of insurance products

Ensure strong collaboration with underwriting, actuarial, distribution, and technology teams

Manage the full product lifecycle (concept launch growth retirement)

1. Pricing & Profitability

Partner with actuarial teams on pricing models and assumptions

Ensure product profitability, loss ratio targets, and portfolio performance

Optimize product mix and segmentation strategies

1. Regulatory & Compliance

Ensure all products comply with regulatory requirements and approvals

Align with frameworks such as IFRS 17 and local insurance regulations

Work closely with legal, compliance, and regulatory bodies

1. Customer & Market Insights

Leverage data analytics to understand customer behavior and preferences

Drive customer-centric product design and digital experience enhancements

Monitor market trends and competitor offerings

1. Distribution & Go-to-Market

Collaborate with sales and distribution channels (agency, bancassurance, digital)

Define go-to-market strategies and product positioning

Support channel enablement and product training

1. Digital & Innovation

Lead digital product transformation (embedded insurance, insurtech partnerships)

Integrate AI, analytics, and automation into product design and delivery

Foster a culture of innovation and agile product development

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Actuarial Science, or related field (MBA preferred)

15–20+ years of experience in insurance product management or underwriting

Strong understanding of life, health, and/or P&C insurance products

Proven track record in product innovation, profitability, and portfolio management

Experience working with actuarial, risk, and regulatory frameworks

Key Competencies

Strategic thinking and product vision

Strong commercial and financial acumen

Customer-centric mindset

Leadership and cross-functional collaboration

Innovation and digital transformation capability

Originally posted on Himalayas