Yashish Dahiya

Yashish Dahiya is the co-founder of Policybazaar and currently serves as Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of its listed parent, PB Fintech.

Education and career before Policybazaar

Dahiya studied engineering at IIT Delhi, completed a postgraduate management programme at IIM Ahmedabad and later earned an MBA from INSEAD. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he worked with ITW Signode, Bain & Company and eBookers in the UK. PB Fintech’s official disclosures also record his association with CI2I Investments.

His first job gave him an early lesson he has spoken about publicly: he once lied about being sick to delay joining, and later said he learned not to cover mistakes with dishonesty. His career also included an earlier internet-based insurance venture before Policybazaar that did not develop as planned.

Why he started Policybazaar

The idea for Policybazaar came partly from seeing his father buy financial products without understanding the commissions and economics behind them. Dahiya concluded that Indian insurance distribution lacked transparency and that customers needed a way to compare products based on what was actually suitable for them.

In 2008, he started Policybazaar with Alok Bansal and Avaneesh Nirjar. The company initially operated as an insurance comparison and information platform before becoming a large online insurance marketplace. PB Fintech later expanded into lending through Paisabazaar and other financial-services businesses, and listed in India in 2021.

How he thinks about people and business

Dahiya often describes Policybazaar as an education platform, not simply a comparison website. His view is that long-term customer trust matters more than maximising short-term profit.

His hiring philosophy follows a similar pattern. He has publicly said that intent can matter more than talent: if a person genuinely puts the customer and organisation ahead of personal interest, skills can be developed. He has also spoken about grooming talent internally and giving people room to make decisions.

One recurring lesson in his public comments is to separate company-building from stock-market noise. After PB Fintech listed, he argued that management should focus on making the business stronger rather than trying to manage the share price. His operating style combines first-principles thinking, customer education, long-term trust and a willingness to accept uncertainty.