Arjun Mallik
Previous roles
- MD of Prudential East Africa.
- CEO of Prudential Uganda.
- Global Strategy Prudential Group.
As MD of Prudential East Africa and CEO of Uganda, Arjun led Prudential Uganda to become the fastest growing life and health insurer for the last five years. Under his leadership, the business was deemed the most Innovative Life Insurer in the country by the regulator, assumed market leadership and grew market share to 20% (2020 GWP).
Arjun has been with the Prudential Group for nearly 12 years. Prior to establishing the business in Uganda and Kenya, Arjun was a member of the Prudential Group Strategy function, focussed on M&A and based in London.
Arjun previously worked in private equity and has BA in Economics from Eckerd College (USA) and an MBA from IE University (Spain), where he was noted among their 50 most transformative alumni worldwide.
“Gratitude is the key.”
Q&A WITH ARJUN
Define your experience in the IMBA in one word.
Impactful.
What were some of the main challenges that you encountered on your way? How did your master program and IE help you through these challenges?
An important lesson from the master’s was recognising that there is no perfect answer or solution, and no way to do everything within the short time between classes. In other words, the IE experience was a lesson in prioritising, and a reminder to find a balance between work and life in Madrid outside the classroom.
What is one thing you wished you knew, when you were a student? What advice would you give to students who are about to begin the program?
I would like to share the same advice I received gratefully when I joined. There is no way you will be able to complete the casework and the reading – start practicing where to focus your effort and never say no to impromptu drinks with your friends and colleagues. Avoid the perfection trap.
Can you provide a short quote on your experience for future students?
I found that it is important to create space to live the IE experience holistically. When in class, imagine you are a central character in each of the cases to get the most out of them. When in groups/teams, spend time observing your reaction to people and situations from different backgrounds and cultures. And most of all, I am grateful that I prioritised the new friendships that were formed against the backdrop of one of the worlds great cities.
As one of the contributors towards the Illuminated Bricks campaign, what made you give your first gift?
The motivation is to share the experience of living and learning at IE with another individual, who otherwise may not have had the opportunity.
In your opinion, why is it important to give back? What is your expectation from the programme?
Addressing the big issues facing us today (climate change, income inequality, political polarisation) requires recruiting like-minded people and equipping them with a global, progressive education.
Unlike those who are using their billions to fund private space travel, my hope is the students supported by the IE Foundation have more sympathy towards the human impact on climate and society here on Earth.
If you had a billboard you could display to the entire world, what you would put on it?
Gratitude is the key.