Senior Manager - Business Solutions
“Why join ELEMENT? You will be intrigued by ELEMENT’s business model, which is not just innovative and dynamic, but an ardent challenger of the status quo focused on reshaping the future of insurance. The flat hierarchies at ELEMENT eliminate unnecessary layers of management, improve coordination and communication among employees, ensuring everyone gets the support needed to grow and thrive together”.
At ELEMENT, we are committed to making insurance 100% digital with our holistic combination of modern technology and a smart approach to data. Our “Eye on ELEMENT” series dives into the amazing people dedicated to making this a reality. We also explore what they do, their passion and what drives them to succeed,
This edition, our guest is Praveen Pillai who is a Senior Manager – Business Solutions in our International Business Team
Tell us what you do at ELEMENT.
Everyone contributes actively to ELEMENT's success, no matter the department, by picking up meaningful tasks which convert to growth. I belong to the sales team, but I wear multiple hats as part of my role. I get involved as a mediator, representing the sales team for platform-tech relevant topics, strategic sales focus areas, core insurance solutions and many more. Currently, I am tasked to make Aggregator a successful business for ELEMENT. This includes our products'performance analysis, competitor analysis, product iteration decision, business process definition together with the relevant stakeholders etc. The next project I'm looking forward to is building something that will help us integrate into the E-Commerce platforms; this will be a new distribution channel to be created for us from scratch.
How has your career progression been like since joining ELEMENT?
While my time at ELEMENT has been but a few months, I can confidently say that the tasks I have undertaken so far have been very inquisitive with boundless learning opportunities. There is a lot to achieve in what I do every day, and I am happy that my tasks have helped ELEMENT strategize and recognize pivotal business areas to focus to drive its success long term. I have also taken over some responsibilities which were de-prioritized but still important to be done. I am sure there is a lot more to contribute in the months/years to come, which eventually will be reflected in the company’s growth/volume and revenue.
What skills have helped you succeed in your personal and professional development?
The most essential skill that I admire and believe is adaptability, a problem-solving mindset (in an unsophisticated way) and finally communication. I find it easy to get adapted to whatever situation I’m required to get into comfortably. There are problems everywhere. If you have any difficulty or challenge, you can solve it by making the utmost use of all the resources available to you.
Personally, I believe that solving challenges is not just enough, but solving it in an unsophisticated way is the key. Has it occurred that a 10-year-old can also solve some of our complex problems by sticking to basics and asking some rudimentary questions like ‘Why’ in every possible case? Unfortunately, this childlike sense of wonder, curiosity, and ability to see the problems through fresh eyes is often lost in adulthood, which I think is a need of the hour.
I guess I don’t need to explain the importance of communication. Frequently the message which needs to be passed over is lost on the way, resulting in a breakdown of communication. You may think that you’re able to communicate the problem effectively, but it is equally vital to ensure that the problem has been understood, and all parties comprehend what you're saying.
Which of our values resonate with you and why?
I’d say all the values at ELEMENT resonate with my personality. However, I pick ‘One’ and ‘Real’ to be on the top of my list. One is simply our belief in celebrating and supporting each other. Why ‘One’?because I’m the person who loves sharing what I learn and if one is interested in learning from me, I will go above and beyond to pass down the knowledge. Learning and growing together is what I believe in.
Real is our foundational value of walking the talk. its simple translation is ‘Do what you say and say what you can do’. I don’t know if that phrase exists, but essentially the whole point of a successful business is trust and promise. I inculcate it in my professional life daily.
What are three things that many people don’t know about you
Well, there will always be something that you cannot know about someone and for a reason 😊. In my case however,I don’t have 3 things to point out, but I can say 1. I tend to hold my opinions and thoughts about any subject until everyone has had a chance to share theirs, be it in a business or personal meeting. I don’t exactly know the reason, but that is how I operate.
Is there anything you want to say to a potential candidate looking to apply to ELEMENT?
Why join ELEMENT? You will be intrigued by ELEMENT’s business model, which is not just innovative and dynamic, but an ardent challenger of the status quo focused on reshaping the future of insurance. The flat hierarchies at ELEMENT eliminate unnecessary layers of management, improve coordination and communication among employees, ensuring everyone gets the support needed to grow and thrive together.
I believe, having an entrepreneurial mindset will guarantee that you are able to learn and contribute freely to the ELEMENT’s success by taking up challenging tasks and coming up with nouvelle solutions.
As always, we would like to thank Praveen for taking his time to answer questions and give us the scoop on his personal/professional life. Praveen’s continued hard work at ELEMENT has been significant in helping us shape the future of insurance.
We are always looking for talented people to join our team and grow with us. Head on over to our careers page to check out what new positions we are hiring for.
This interview was conducted by
Jacob Aryee
Jacob is part of the Marketing and Communications team and heads up ELEMENT’S Employer Branding and Internal Communications. Originally from Ghana but currently based in Berlin, he has a background in Communication, Marketing, and Psychology. When he is not caught up in cat videos, halloumi and listening to Prince, he spends his time globe-trotting in search of good food and exploring amazing cultures.