AXA Global Business Services (AXA GBS), a subsidiary of the multinational insurance group AXA headquartered in France, is increasingly relying on local expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), data science and technology to support AXA’s global growth. In an interview with TechCircle, Michele Rochefort, CEO, AXA GBS, talks about how the company is leveraging India’s technical talent to achieve its strategic goals, the role of automation and AI in reshaping operations sales and improving the customer experience. Edited extracts.
Can you briefly tell us about your company and its key functions within the AXA group?
AXA is a leading global provider of insurance and financial services, employing 145,000 people in 51 countries and serving nearly 100 million customers. It is the largest commercial insurer in the world and the second largest in Europe. AXA BGS, a wholly owned subsidiary, serves 35 AXA entities worldwide. Founded over 25 years ago as a business process outsourcing provider focused on insurance and finance, AXA BGS has recently transformed its services to include technology, data, AI, automation, security and advice. The objective is to increase the share of these services from 20% to 60% by 2029, in line with the AXA Group’s “Unlock the Future” initiative, which prioritizes data as a key insurance skill. AXA BGS in India plays a crucial role in supporting this strategy.
How does India fit into your global strategy and why is it an important location?
India has long been a key hub for skilled talent. With more than 25 years of presence in the country, we are among the first players to establish a solid base there. Today, the engineering capabilities emerging from India’s top universities provide us with a valuable talent pool.
While efficiency and cost savings have traditionally driven investments in India, our approach has changed. We are now focused on leveraging India’s deep technical capabilities to achieve our strategic objectives, particularly in the areas of data science and engineering. For us, India remains essential to achieving our ambitions.
You recently opened an office in Pune. What are the main objectives of this extension?
We are committed to supporting our team of 4,500 employees and plan to create an additional 1,500 positions as part of our strategic growth, with a focus on high value-added areas. To attract, retain and support this talent, we recognize the need for modern facilities that promote collaboration and innovation. Our hybrid work model includes two days in the office and three days remotely each week. To make workdays meaningful and productive, we invest in spaces that encourage team members to engage, collaborate and generate value for the organization.
Pune is a key part of this plan, and we will later expand these improvements to Bangalore. Despite the shift toward virtual work, we believe physical spaces still play a crucial role in building connections and fostering a productive environment.
What are your growth plans for India over the next 5 years?
At AXA Global Business Services, we anticipate a shift toward roles emphasizing high-value skills and advanced capabilities. By 2026, our strategic plan plans to add 1,500 new positions focused on these areas. This change aligns with the evolution of our portfolio from a traditional BPO approach to a technology and data-centric strategy. As a result, the composition of our workforce will adapt to meet these new demands, reflecting our commitment to growth in higher value-added roles.
How does AXA GBS align its corporate technology strategy with the group’s broader digital transformation objectives?
This approach has two main components. Firstly, in terms of BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) operations, we manage the key processes of insurance and other operations for the AXA Group. Our goal is to digitalize 30% of these processes by 2029, which will impact many transactional roles. A newly created automation team is focused on using industrial automation to streamline and digitize long-standing processes. As roles evolve, employees reskill both in their current fields and in new technical areas.
Second, we are co-developing technology capabilities with AXA entities in key areas, including AI. Our Data Analytics and AI (DAS) division collaborates with AXA Group to drive innovations such as AI operations management. Together, we focus on advancing AI applications and implementing emerging technologies. We also follow group level guidelines and work closely with our entities to deliver tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of their markets.
How is your organization using advanced data analytics, machine learning or AI to improve decision-making across operations?
AXA GBS uses data to improve internal processes and help our entities make data more accessible and useful for their operations. We host hackathons and other initiatives where our GBS teams develop AI-driven applications aimed at improving human resources, risk management and other key processes across our portfolio. Many of these projects rely on large language models, which have proven to improve efficiency and align with our operating model.
Additionally, our teams collaborate with AXA Group’s global data team to create data mesh architectures and data product frameworks that support AXA’s broader data strategy. This partnership strengthens AXA’s overall approach to technology and data management across the organization.
How do you see AI reshaping your business operations and improving customer experience and other areas?
Our clientele is diversified and focuses on AXA entities spread across different countries, such as AXA France, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain. We leverage data and AI to optimize the processes of these entities, improving contracts, data management and internal operations for better collaboration. In addition, we use AI to improve services for AXA Group’s 94 million end customers. Each AXA entity, such as AXA Switzerland, implements specific initiatives, such as the use of AI tools for claims processing, supported by AXA Global Business Services for centralized resources and expertise.
We also simplify complex insurance processes, including claims using AI. One application is in document processing, where we clarify terms for customers and support teams. Our secure ChatGPT platform provides an intuitive interface for rapid responses to policy inquiries, improving the customer experience through call centers and self-service options.
Additionally, we use AI to improve actuarial models, particularly in risk assessment. AI helps us analyze and connect large data sets more efficiently, reducing the need for traditional modeling methods. Beyond these examples, we currently have 57 AI-based use cases in progress across the organization.
What do you think is the future of technology in the insurance industry and how is your company preparing for these changes?
At AXA GBS, our role is to support our entities in advancing their own strategies. Traditionally, insurance companies use data to assess and calculate risk. Our goal now is to make data more accessible and usable within AXA by leveraging technologies such as Databricks and Data Mesh. This is a critical part of our strategic plan and AXA Global Business Services plays a key role in supporting it.
Another critical area for us is increasing our ability to “insure what cannot be insured.” This involves advancing our data capabilities and refining our actuarial models to improve our understanding of complex risks. By improving these models, we aim to underwrite risks that were previously excluded or difficult to insure. AXA has a dedicated team working on this topic, aiming to unlock new coverage opportunities through in-depth application of data, benefiting communities and industries around the world.
