Cover-More Group is a company with global scope. But amid the group’s focus on nations big and small, one country punches well above its weight in terms of influence and importance.

And that’s India.

Paras Kothari is Cover-More’s Global Head of Technology Services, with team members in Mumbai, Australia, Ireland, the UK and US. He also helps to oversee operations in India, where the focus is on IT operations and support for the business globally.

The team in India is rich in experience, development possibilities and career pathways, but one that’s always on the lookout for new members.

According to Paras, who joined the company in 2017 – when he was new to travel but not to insurance – attracting the right mix of talent comes down to factors such as increasing brand awareness in India, aligning to the market and speaking to the strength of Cover-More Group’s global network.

“In Australia and New Zealand, Cover-More is a big name in the travel insurance and assistance space, but it doesn’t have that same profile in India,” he said.

This means that when it comes to shortlisting candidates, they need to be able to appreciate the bigger picture view – that while the brand’s visibility may be low at home, they will be part of a team focused at a regional and global level.

“We’re working on some of the company’s key international projects and interacting with stakeholders who are global, so that definitely helps in terms of career growth and visibility across regions,” Paras said.

Throw in the name recognition of parent company Zurich Insurance Group and one thing clearly emerges: “There are a lot of positives for potential candidates.”

These positives only look set to grow.

Paras said a key role for the Indian-based team was service management, with support for 24×7 operations across regions including Australia, New Zealand, Europe and soon North America.

It’s a remit that requires a diverse array of skills, with the ease of recruitment depending on the particular position.

“Some of the profiles like quality assurance specialists are easier to help quickly close,” he said. “However, more difficult to recruit are business analysts, telephony and engineering developers on key technology platforms, alongside some of the niche technologies like Drupal.”

He explained part of it came down to the company’s infrastructure: “We are using some technologies which are different from what is prevalent in India, but are being used for us at a global level.”

For people with the right skills, it’s a great opportunity to join a company that believes in continued and ongoing staff development through knowledge and training across avenues such as LinkedIn Learning.

With Cover-More Group almost serving – in travel parlance – as a bit of a hidden employment gem, Paras encourages would-be employees in India to consider his own experience. “What I’ve seen across my tenure in Cover-More is that it’s a great global organisation to work with, having multiple platforms of showcasing one’s talent at the global scale and equal level of recognition for an individual contribution,” he said.

What’s more, when people do join the team – where benefits include an incentive plan, and medical coverage for families as well as staff – they don’t want to leave.

“The core foundation team, for example, where we had about 22-25 people, nearly all of them are still there,” Paras said.

“There’s no issue with attrition, which is very low. So stickiness is not an issue. It’s more about getting people in the door to start with.”

If you’re interested in joining the team at Cover-More Group in India, you can reach out via careers@covermore.com or search for open roles and apply directly through covermore.elmotalent.com.au/careers/careers/jobs. Learn more about our Indian team at our new site covermoregroup.com/india.