Guardian India appoints Karunakaran Azhisur as Country Head

Guardian India, the global capability centre for Guardian Life Insurance, has appointed Karunakaran (Karun) Azhisur as its Country Head – India, effective immediately. 

In his new role,  Azhisur will report to Michael Prestileo, Chief Strategy Officer and Chair of the Guardian India Board. He will also continue in his existing role as Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the GCC, working closely with Steve Rullo, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, to support technology-led initiatives and operational priorities.

Welcoming him in the new role, Prestileo said Azhisur's experience in leading complex transformations and managing large, globally distributed teams would be valuable as Guardian India advances its technology roadmap. "Karun’s extensive global experience and proven ability to drive complex transformations make him an ideal leader for Guardian India. His strategic vision and disciplined execution will be instrumental as we advance our technology strategy and accelerate innovation for our policyholders," he said. 

Azhisur said his focus in the role would be on strengthening teams, developing leadership capability, and aligning technology and talent to support the organisation’s next phase of growth. "Guardian India’s strength lies in its people and culture. As we move into the next phase of growth, my focus will be on building teams, nurturing leadership, and creating an environment where technology and talent come together to enable transformation,” he added.

Azhisur brings over two decades of experience in global technology and engineering leadership, with a background spanning senior roles across the U.S. and India. His experience includes building and scaling software, data, and platform teams, as well as leading enterprise-wide digital transformation initiatives.

Prior to Guardian, Azhisur held leadership roles at GE and GE Vernova, where he served as Global CIO for the Hydro Power business and held regional CIO responsibilities across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. He has also worked with companies including VMware, Juniper Networks, and Honeywell. 

On the academic front, Azhisur holds a postgraduate degree from IIM Bangalore and a B.Tech from Anna University. In recent years, his work has focused on AI-led enterprise transformation, core platform modernisation, and scaling global product and engineering organisations.