Guardian India names Karunakaran Azhisur as new country head

MUMBAI: A new chapter begins at Guardian India, and it comes with a familiar face at the helm. Guardian India Operations Private Limited, the global capability centre of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, has appointed Karunakaran “Karun” Azhisur as its country head for India.

In the expanded role, Azhisur will report to Michael Prestileo, chief strategy officer of Guardian and chair of the Guardian India Board, while continuing to serve as chief information officer for Guardian India. He will also work closely with Steve Rullo, chief digital and technology officer, to push forward technology-led transformation and operational excellence.

Guardian said Azhisur’s mix of global exposure and execution strength made him a natural fit for the role as the company sharpens its technology and innovation agenda. Prestileo noted that Azhisur’s experience in steering complex transformations would be key as Guardian advances its digital strategy for policyholders.

For Azhisur, the focus is firmly on people as much as platforms. “Guardian India’s strength lies in its people and culture,” he said, adding that the next phase of growth will centre on building leadership, nurturing talent and creating an environment where technology and teams evolve together.

With more than two decades of global technology and engineering leadership behind him, Azhisur has built and scaled software, data and platform teams across the US and India. His career spans senior roles in diversified global enterprises as well as Silicon Valley technology firms, with deep expertise in product-led operating models, enterprise-scale transformation and modern digital platforms.

Most recently, he has been leading AI-driven enterprise transformation initiatives, including the development of agentic AI capabilities, modernisation of core technology platforms and scaling globally distributed product and engineering teams.

As Guardian continues to deepen its India footprint, the appointment signals continuity at the top paired with a clear intent to accelerate innovation, one line of code at a time.