The Hartford expands roles for two key executives

The Hartford has expanded the roles of two key executives and announced a new organizational structure for its Technology and Operations functions.

Shekar Pannala was named the company’s chief information officer and leads Technology, as well as cyber security, infrastructure and cloud modernization.

Jeffery Hawkins was named chief data, AI and operations officer. In addition to his work overseeing data, analytics and AI, Hawkins now leads Operations.

Both Pannala and Hawkins report directly to The Hartford’s Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift, effective immediately.

Former CIO Deepa Soni has left The Hartford for an external opportunity and will support a smooth handoff to Shekar Pannala and Jeffery Hawkins. Pannala brings 30 years of tech leadership, including roles at Chubb, S&P Global, and BNY Mellon, while Hawkins has over 25 years of experience from CVS Health and Humana, where he led major tech and digital transformation efforts.