Anil Wadhwani

Anil Wadhwani became Group CEO of Prudential plc in February 2023, leading the London-listed life insurer that has been transformed into a pure-play Asian and African insurance company. This is a different company from Prudential Financial (PRU) in the United States — Prudential plc (PRU.L) is a British heritage company that has deliberately concentrated all its operations in high-growth emerging markets. Following the demerger of M&G (UK and European asset management and insurance) in 2019 and the complete exit from the Jackson Financial US annuity business, Prudential plc now operates exclusively in 24 markets across Asia and Africa. The company is one of the largest life insurers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and several African markets. Asia's structural under-insurance provides an enormous growth opportunity — insurance penetration in most Asian markets is a fraction of Western levels. Wadhwani, who previously held senior roles at Citigroup and Manulife in Asia, brings deep knowledge of Asian financial services markets. His strategic priorities include accelerating digital distribution (particularly through bancassurance partnerships and digital platforms), product innovation in health and protection, and expansion in underpenetrated markets. Key stock drivers include new business value growth across Asian markets, China recovery (Prudential has a significant mainland China business), Hong Kong customer activity, agent productivity improvements, and the pace of insurance market development across Southeast Asia and Africa.