Unum Group appoints new chief information and digital officer

Unum Group has named Puneet Bhasin as its new chief information and digital officer, effective March 8.

Bhasin will arrive at the U.S. and U.K. workplace insurance benefits provider after two years as executive vice president of corporate operations for Waste Management. He joined the environmental services firm back in 2009 as senior vice president and chief information officer.

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A technician uses a laptop computer to control data storage servers while working in the server room of the Sberbank PJSC data processing center (DPC) at the Skolkovo Innovation Center, on Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2017. Sberbank PJSC, Russia’s most valuable company, will boost its dividend payout to 50 percent of profit or higher, just not as quickly as some investors had hoped. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg 
Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

Bhasin will now take over managing Unum’s ongoing IT strategy, and lead the carrier’s multi-year digital transformation project aimed at developing a technology, product and services roadmap. The company declined to comment further on specifics of the initiative. Bhasin will report directly to President and CEO Rick McKenney.

“Puneet is a proactive, strategic leader with a vision for technology’s central role in achieving long-term business objectives,” said McKenney, in a statement. “I’m confident he will be an asset to our senior leadership team, and I look forward to his contributions to our long-term digital and technology strategy.”

Back in 2016, Unum launched an integrated HR & benefits platform for its policyholders. The roll out, leveraging compliance software from insurtech Flock, granted small businesses access to coverage plans on the startup’s Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) and Benefits Administration platform. HRIS also incorporates employee, manager and broker self-service portals. Other digital initiatives launched by the disability insurer recently include a mobile claims app and a core revamp with Majesco.

Also see: Unum CISO Lynda Fleury wins 2016 Women in Insurance Leadership award

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