US insurer The Hartford opens first India global tech centre in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: US-based insurance player The Hartford on Monday opened its first global technology centre in India, spread over 1.6 lakh sq ft at Hyderabad’s Financial District, and it is expected to scale up to nearly 1,200 employees over the next few years.The 200-year-old American insurer said the Hyderabad GCC will play a key role in its enterprise-wide technology transformation, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), digital innovation and engineering excellence.The facility is designed to operate in a start-up-like environment and will focus on rapid prototyping and agile development, while enabling collaboration across time zones with The Hartford’s technology hubs in Hartford, Charlotte, Chicago and Columbus, it said.Inaugurating the facility, Sridhar Babu said The Hartford’s choice of Hyderabad reflects a pattern seen with other global firms. He cited Microsoft’s first major development centre outside the US, Google’s largest campus outside Mountain View, and more recent global capability centres set up by companies such as McDonald’s, Vanguard, Dai-ichi Life and Marriott International.“In Hyderabad, we measure our success by the impact we help global institutions create, and we welcome The Hartford as a partner in building the next chapter of digital innovation,” he said.During the visit, the minister toured the facility and met The Hartford’s leadership team, including President Morris Tooker, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Claire Burns, Chief Information Officer Shekar Pannala, Managing Director and Head of Hartford India Surya Thammiraju, Chief Technology Officer Imran Malik, and Chief Human Resources Officer Lori Rodden.Pannala said the centre would strengthen the company’s digital and AI capabilities and serve as a magnet for engineering talent in India. “By building our world-class workforce with this technology centre in Hyderabad, we are not only creating new digital and AI capabilities but also shaping the future of insurance technology.”