Size does not actually matter

Chennai: In fifty years of its existence export credit insurance major Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited (ECGC) has for the first time got an industry professional as its head honcho.

A qualified chartered accountant and company secretary A V Muralidharan is a science graduate. He has also passed associate level exams conducted by the Insurance Institute of India. Joining the insurance industry in 1976 as a direct recruit officer, he gradually rose up in the ranks within New India Assurance.

Along the way he headed operational offices. In 1999 he went to the Kolkata-based National Insurance Company Limited as assistant general manager and from there to GIC in the same cadre. In 2004 he came back to New India Assurance as its general manager and in 2005 was inducted into the board. At the fag end of 2006 he was selected for the current position.

How does he feel about the shift from the country's numero uno non-life insurer earning a premium income over Rs4,750 crore; 20,000 employees and over 2,000 branches to ECGC which is much smaller in size – FY 07 premium income around Rs620 crore, 600 employees and 51 branches.

"For me size of the company does not matter much. I have shifted from a company that has varied business lines to a company that is focused on a niche product line. My aim is to take ECGC forward. We work towards achieving the mandate given by our owner-Government of India, Ministry of Commerce- which is to work towards increasing India's exports."

His own four year target to ECGC is touch a premium income of Rs1,000 crore. Towards that he has charted some interesting strategies.