Global Business Leader & Eminent Risk Management Expert
Born as the third generation of the reputable J.B. Boda Group – India’s largest insurance and reinsurance brokers – the illustrious Mr. Gautam Boda inherited a rich legacy of over seven decades. He proved his mettle when he developed complex risk management strategies for clients in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions. As Group Vice Chairman today, he is at the forefront of driving forward the rapidly developing global insurance and reinsurance industry with his life-long commitment to innovation and high-quality solutions.
A young Gautam joined the family business when he was just 21 years old, straight after graduation from Mumbai University, as his father wanted to start Gautam’s professional training in the best possible way – under his watchful eyes.
“If I am to summarize my journey till now, I will say I am how my father, a great visionary, and a wonderful human being, honed me. Where I have reached, what I have attained, what I have developed, is nothing but my father’s blessing, his grooming, the values he inculcated, and the business principles which I imbibed from him. I feel content when our colleagues and clients see his reflection in my work, as for me, he is the epitome of a great philanthropic business leader,” shares a proud Gautam.
The J.B. Boda group was already thriving when Gautam joined, thus his main challenge was to understand the ethos of the group and take it a notch higher. He did this by channelizing his efforts in expanding a global presence for the group. “From joining until now, the only idea was to take the group to greater heights with utmost dedication, discipline and efforts from my side,” he says.
Gautam has three decades of experience in risk management, insurance, reinsurance, and project management in various industries such as banking, transportation logistics, emerging sectors, and retail. With a strong commercial acumen and excellent management skills, he is responsible for driving the group’s global branding initiatives.
“While professionally I would like our group to be synonymous with Global Insurance, personally, I would like it to be a vibrant place where we are rising collectively and enjoying every moment of the journey,” he tells us.
For him, the Boda group’s foundation of compassion and human values of humility, sincerity, co-operation and benevolence are their biggest strength. “I am passionate about my J.B. Boda family and every day, I get up with a new vigour to do something which makes the journey easier and more comfortable for all of us,” he adds.
An industry and thought leader, we ask Gautam the secret behind his inspiring leadership. He answers: “A leader is a motivator, a good communicator, a better listener, a good decision maker, yet never a critic but a constructive template to follow for his team members. He must make everyone around him feel that he is one of them, working towards the same goals. Everyone must be given the opportunity and support to be a leader, and then they must be liberated to charter their own course.”
Gautam’s unwavering dedication to excel has seen him bestowed with countless honours – Indian Achievers Forum’s Business Leadership Award 2021-22; Asia One Magazine’s One of India’s Greatest Business Leaders in 2021-22; CNA Award for being a Valued Partner and Excellence in International Solutions-2019; Interviewed by Leader’s Edge Magazine in March 2020; Interview published in the leading and finest media in the insurance fraternity ‘Asia Insurance Review’ to prepare for business challenges post pandemic in August 2020.
As our interaction draws to a close, we ask Gautam for a message for our readers, and he obliged: “I would like to say that stay true to your roots, stay attached to them and grow immensely. Whatever potential one has, must be tapped to its maximum capacity as you are your own judge; you know your limitations, you know how to break them, when and where. You know your strengths too, make them the decisive factor. There must not be an after moment where you feel you lacked effort. Failure can happen, but if in those moments you have given your best, then it is sure that the next new turn is round the corner and you must stand taller on the wisdom of past experiences. This is life, nothing ends till you think so. So, wherever we are, we must make every second count.”
