Oona Insurance has appointed Praveen Paladugu as group head of agency distribution to lead its agency operations across Indonesia and the Philippines.
The company stated that Paladugu’s role will focus on enhancing agent networks, improving distribution efficiency, and driving growth in these markets.
Paladugu brings over 20 years of experience in agency distribution leadership. His previous roles include chief of distribution strategy at FWD Insurance Indonesia, where he worked to expand agency capabilities and distribution channels.
Oona highlighted the strategic role of its digital platform, “Kahoona,” in improving agent operations and productivity.
Launched in the Philippines in late 2023, the platform provides agents with tools for tracking performance, managing sales, and streamlining underwriting processes.
According to Oona, Kahoona supports various insurance products, including travel insurance, motor coverage, and compulsory third-party liability policies for the Philippine market. The platform integrates features like real-time performance dashboards and optical character recognition for risk assessment, designed to make workflows more efficient.
Abhishek Bhatia, Oona’s founder and group CEO, emphasised the company’s investment in leadership and technology.
“With Praveen at the helm of our agency distribution strategy, complemented by transformative tools like Kahoona, we are poised to redefine how insurance is distributed. This marks an exciting new chapter in Oona’s mission to empower agents and deliver exceptional value to customers,” Bhatia said.
The leadership change follows Oona’s partnership with GCash, a leading mobile payment provider in the Philippines, to offer its Smart Flight Delay insurance product.
Available through the GInsure marketplace on the GCash app, the product provides travellers with access to airport lounges for delays of at least one hour.
Winsley Bangit, vice president and head of the new business group at GCash, stated that the collaboration addresses a growing need for accessible travel insurance options, particularly as travel activity increases.
“We expect a lot of our GCash users to travel to many destinations and for them to have insurance coverage against a real pain point, in what is supposed to be an exciting and much anticipated trip, is definitely a game-changer,” he said.
With over 81 million users, GCash is one of the largest digital wallets in the Philippines. The partnership aligns with Oona’s strategy to integrate its products into digital ecosystems, making them more accessible to consumers.
