Jasleen Kohli - The Biggest Challenge Is to Unlearn the Past and Approach Everything With Child-Like Enthusiasm (Chief Distribution Officer - Go Digit General Insurance)

From being a Management Trainee to being on the initial team of Digit, my journey has humbled me as it takes me through understanding larger organizations to the smallest of shops in our country’s hinterland, from big corporate customers to the person who has bought their first phone! Very fulfilling.

1. Tell us about your background, upbringing, and journey.

Born in Punjab, a north Indian state in the city of Chandigarh where my family is still based, I completed my high school & graduated from there and joined a business school in Mumbai city for a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 2000. During that time, the insurance sector has just opened up and I drew towards it. Two decades later, insurance is a part of my acquired DNA!

From being a Management Trainee to being on the initial team of Digit, my journey has humbled me as it takes me through understanding larger organizations to the smallest of shops in our country’s hinterland, from big corporate customers to the person who has bought their first phone! Very fulfilling.

My journey to Digit was almost like I was destined to learn the challenges of all departments before I could apply those learnings at Digit and empathize with the different teams I lead today. I have worked and led across functions; distribution, direct to the customer, customer retention and servicing, operations, process re-engineering & IT Services...


All this led me to understand the complexities and thus opportunities of the business. This understanding led me to Digit Insurance. Being a part of the initial team, our objective was to ‘simplify insurance’. I have been leading Digit’s distribution channel, expanding it across the country, reaching out to 17 million customers, and counting.

Enjoying the journey till now and looking forward to exciting transformations in the future.

2. When & how did you get clarity on what you wanted to do and how did this idea come to you?

Leading the IT services revealed the power of technology to me; how technology can drive & scale the insurance business.

This is also the reason why I am at Digit today.

As I mentioned, I believe destiny plays a role in what we do, during that time, my mentor Kamesh Goyal conceived the idea of simpler insurance, an insurance powered by technology and differentiated by high standards of service.

And then, there was no looking back for us!

3. What have been your biggest challenges as the management team of Digit & what advice would you give to others to avoid them?

The biggest challenge is to unlearn the past and approach everything with child-like enthusiasm. Experiment, build, make mistakes and keep trying.

My advice would be not to avoid any challenge, there is no textbook answer to setting up a company. One should have conviction and resources to really take the plunge.

4. What is your advice to an early-stage founder looking to build an ESOP program today?

Identify a great team-first that will back you up irrespective of adversities. People who work together with a sense of ownership can build a great organization. Hence ESOP program should have medium to long-term benefits driven by performance & end results. The idea should be to create wealth for everyone when the company delivers fantastic results.

Qapita helps founders, CFOs and CHROs to organize their equity ownership record at one place making it the single source of truth. You can use Qapita to run scenarios, issue ESOPs and communicate their value to employees, run buyback or liquidity programs and engage with your employees effectively. Do click here for a demo. 

5. When should one consider raising funds, according to you is the right time?

Raising funds should be linked to milestones a company crosses. The solid performance will ensure you find capital to fuel growth. Hence, always have a plan which is 2, 5, 7-year horizon and capital requirements identified for each juncture the company reaches.

6. What does your typical day look like and how do you handle setbacks?

I am an early riser, my day starts at 6:30 am with playtime with my pet, June. Then a short fitness routine plus catch up on news & reading. Work starts around 9 am where I review past day performance and make notes on areas I find require my time. This is typically an hour for me and then I start with calls with my colleagues. I follow this as I feel personal touch with colleagues is a must, especially in these times.

On meeting setbacks, I prefer to take a step back and huddle with the team to understand what went wrong. This enables a free flow of thoughts and one gets to understand perspectives around the issue. Resentment & ruing over setbacks have no room in my schedule. There is always more one can do!

7. Which is your favorite book and why?

Ikigai by Francesc Miralles, Hector Garcia, it helps you find your true purpose.

Qapita helps founders, CFOs and CHROs to organize their equity ownership record at one place making it the single source of truth. You can use Qapita to run scenarios, issue ESOPs and communicate their value to employees, run buyback or liquidity programs and engage with your employees effectively. Do click here for a demo.