Vibha Padalkar believes the pandemic helped her company emerge stronger because of its strong underlying digital DNA. “It was a very difficult situation. We emerged stronger, resilient, as we took a very holistic approach,” says Padalkar, MD and CEO of HDFC Life Insurance. Proof of the pudding: HDFC Life’s profits rose from Rs 1,295 crore in FY20 to Rs 1,360 crore in FY21. Her next objective? “We need to have a lot of our core processes, systems and products digital-ready. We need to continue to innovate because there are newer emerging risks and the pandemic is here to stay.” Tech that.