Anup Rau is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited, a joint venture between the Future Group and Generali of Italy. Anup has done his MBA in Marketing from the University of Bombay and holds an Honours Degree in Economics from the University of Delhi.
An industry veteran, Anup has had a rich career spanning over 23 years of which the last 20 have been with India’s leading insurance companies. He started his career journey in the year 1995 as a Sales Engineer with Gilson Medical Electronics in Delhi, where he was responsible for sales and service of pipettes. Post which, he joined DCW Home products as a Sales Officer where he was responsible for selling to shopkeepers in Hooghly, West Bengal “Captain Cook” brand salt and flour.
Anup’s excursion to the corner office has experienced the salt godowns of Sasaram in Bihar and Renukut in Uttar Pradesh and selling tea for Duncan’s.
Post the stints at DCW Home products and Duncans Tea Limited in Mumbai as an Area Sales Manager, he joined ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, a career choice he made, after falling in love with the architectural design of the then ICICI Prudential building at Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai. He worked with them for 10 years, starting as a front-line sales executive and rose through the ranks to become Head – Sales and Distribution. ICICI Prudential marked the beginning of his career in the insurance space. In the last 10 years, he has held unique positions to lead companies in both Life and Non-Life Insurance sector with companies like HDFC Life Insurance as a Chief Distribution Officer, and Reliance Nippon Life Insurance and Edelweiss General Insurance: both places as CEO. Though ICICI Prudential and HDFC Life were organizations that established the firm framework of his career, it was Reliance Nippon Life where he made an imprint. During his 4 year tenure, arguably the most difficult period for the Life Insurance Industry since privatisation, the revenue of the company grew in twofold digits on the individual weighted received premium basis, while the industry declined in double digits, year on year, in the same period. From being the 3rd largest non-bank promoted Life Insurance Company, Anup catapulted Reliance Life to the largest by far and 5th largest among all players. It was the only “non-banca” company among the top 8 in that period.
In the year 2019, Anup Rau took over as an MD and CEO of Future Generali India Insurance. Under his leadership, the company has delivered higher-than-industry growth, improved profitability, became a player of serious scale and consequence in the retail health space and showed an enhanced focus on customer-centricity. Under his watch, the company been certified as a “Great Place to Work” 2 years in a row, is the industry benchmark on NPS, and an ET “Best Brand”.
Anup, like most Indians, has a passion for cricket. Besides being a Pink Floyd fan, he is a prolific reader with his library of over 4000 books, and over 400 rare and unusual menu cards. He supports an orphanage on the outskirts of Mumbai. He is also involved in encouraging adoption of the Indian Pariah and indigenous dogs and has a Rajapalayam as a pet.
He is an industry thought leader, an impactful CEO and the recipient of multiple accolades, including The Economic Times – Most Promising Business Leader in Asia award in the year 2020 and the Best Young CEOs (India’s Hottest Executive list) by Business Today conferred in the year 2014.
