The Hartford has announced a significant restructuring initiative, combining its operations and technology sectors under the leadership of Deepa Soni, the current chief information officer and head of Technology, Data, Analytics & Cyber.
Effective immediately, Deepa Soni’s expanded role will now include oversight of Operations, marking a strategic move by The Hartford to streamline its organisational framework. John Kinney, who has been at The Hartford since 2003 and served as the head of Claims and Operations since 2021, will be departing the company effective April 5. Following Kinney’s departure, Steve Deane, The Hartford’s chief claims officer, will directly report to Chairman and CEO Christopher Swift.
Deepa Soni, who joined The Hartford in 2019 with a background in the banking sector, has been instrumental in driving the company’s technological advancements. Since assuming her current role in 2021, she has spearheaded The Hartford’s technology transformation, facilitating the migration to cloud-based digital platforms and championing the increased use of automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced data analytics.
During his tenure since 2003, John Kinney held various roles of increasing responsibility and emerged as a key figure within The Hartford’s leadership team. Kinney’s contributions include leveraging claims data to enhance outcomes for claimants and employers, as well as advocating for diversity and inclusion across the organization. Notably, he served as the executive sponsor of The Hartford’s Black Insurance Professionals Network (BIPN) employee resource group since 2019.
The Hartford’s new organizational structure reflects its commitment to adaptability and efficiency in the ever-evolving landscape of insurance and technology integration.
“Over the past several years, we have invested aggressively in technology – expanding digital capabilities, simplifying processes and platforms, and applying data, analytics and artificial intelligence to enhance products, services and customer experience across the enterprise,” said
“Combining customer-facing operations with our technology centers of expertise accelerates the benefits of our investments and supports the company’s ambitious growth agenda.”
Swift added, “I am personally grateful for John’s leadership and deeply value his many contributions to The Hartford. The organisational changes announced today demonstrate our disciplined approach to leader development and succession planning. I am confident in our talented management team and excited about all that lies ahead for our company.”
