"At the Beginning of Insurance, There is Risk Consulting!"

Interview with Thomas Lackner, CEO of HDI Insurance AG

Thomas Lackner, CEO of HDI Insurance AG
Thomas Lackner, CEO of HDI Insurance AG

The world has become riskier - insurance companies are affected in several ways: not only because this changes the probability of damage events and their severity, but also because many corporate customers need much more comprehensive consulting. Thomas Lackner, CEO of HDI Insurance AG for Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia, spoke with Wirtschaftsforum about the current market developments.

"In the retail sector, we are widely known as one of the most competent private insurers – from the simple design of our products to claims settlement, the actual moment of truth," summarizes Thomas Lackner, CEO of HDI Versicherung AG, the market position of his company in the retail customer business.

However, corporate customers face significantly more complex risks and therefore have much more intricate requirements for their insurers – a challenge that HDI is happy to take on: "About 60% of our premium volume in Austria is attributed to the industrial business; in Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, we are even exclusively engaged in this segment," says Thomas Lackner.

More Complex Risks

The risks that almost every company must thoroughly deal with have become even more layered and intertwined in recent years: The pandemic disrupted supply chains, there is war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and attacks off the African coast impede free maritime traffic – circumstances that all influence the property, liability, and transport exposure, and which nearly all larger and medium-sized companies are exposed to. In addition, damage from natural disasters has increased significantly, which will become even more frequent and severe as a result of climate change.

Consulting is the Key

In order to support its partners not only with targeted insurance solutions but also directly share its grown expertise, HDI relies on consistent consulting services well beyond the contract initiation: "Insurance starts with us with a thorough risk analysis and a comprehensive search for opportunities to minimize or completely eliminate the given exposure. On this basis, we then put together an individual product that matches the specific circumstances of our corporate customer as closely as possible," explains Thomas Lackner the central approach of his company.

This knowledge-intensive business field will also remain an important unique selling point in the future: "This competence cannot be built up overnight by our competitors. Similarly, we remain dependent on the expertise of our female employees – and therefore as an industry, we must even more sustainably highlight the numerous exciting aspects of various professional fields from underwriting to risk technology," says Thomas Lackner.

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