Mercer appointed Norman Dreger as its new CEO in Germany

German IT firm Retarus announced the appointment of Valeska Spindler as HR Manager International, based in Munich, Germany. She joins Retarus from broker Profion where she worked as HR & Benefits Consultant for international corporate clients, after starting her career in the same company as Executive Management Assistant and Consultant for HR Services. Valeska holds a B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) in International Business from Hochschule Heilbronn, Germany, with a

Save the date ! Europe Day of the German construction industry 2019 The German provident fund for the construction industry, SOKA-BAU, on the afternoon of Tuesday 5 November 2019 organizes its “Europe Day 2019”, a half-day conference on “Vocational training for a digital labor market”. In addition to the requirements for sustainable vocational training, the reorientation of the European Social Fund (ESF) program will be a focus of the

It is important for German companies to position themselves as attractive employer brands, especially when competing for young talent in the job market. In today’s tight job market, factors that once promised reliable success in attracting new employees – remuneration, the number of leave days, pensions, company cars – are no longer the only things younger generations are looking for. Instead, non-monetary issues such as work-life balance, working atmosphere, and identification are of prime concern. These are the issues that companies should be projecting in their branding and benefits strategies.

Of the European countries, Germany has always had the strictest data protection rules. This includes the legal framework that governs employer’s rights to process personal information of their employees, e.g. to do their payroll, or establish benefit schemes, during recruitment or in workforce investigations. The statutory rules applicable in Germany until May 24, 2018, the Old Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz – BDSG-old), were based on the European data protection directive and provided for a comprehensive and restrictive scheme for the processing and transfer of personal data, including employees’ data in the workplace. On May 25, 2018, these rules were replaced by the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is binding in all EU member states.

German HR consulting firm Lurse in August 2018 announced the acquisition of the business interest of one of the partners of pension software provider Deutsche Pensions Group (DPG) who is retiring, while majority shareholders Ulrich Mix and Dr. Otmar Stüpp stay with the company. DPG will continue to be managed independently and be headed by Mr. Mix. A member of the Worldwide Broker Network (WBN), Lurse is an HR

Employee retention and recruiting are hot topics in Germany today. But exactly which long-term benefits should be offered by employers to attract new employees in times of acute shortages of skilled workers? The August 7, 2018, “Zurich Employee Benefits Dialog” seminar will focus on these issues. Topics include the Income Protection Gap Study together with Oxford University, Brexit and the impact on HR, current trends in occupational pension provision

Assicurazioni Generali in July 2018 sold an 89.9% stake in Generali Leben life insurance to a partnership which includes Viridium Gruppe and Hannover Re.  Viridium is owned by London-based private equity firm Cinven (80%) and global German reinsurer Hannover Re (20%). Generali Leben is valued at up to € 1 billion, including €125 million as earn-out in case of changes in the rules regulating the allocation to ZZR1 technical

Swiss Life Global Solutions in April 2018 announced the appointment of Arne Schweikhart as Relationship Manager in charge of multinationals based in Germany, strengthening its presence in the German market. Arne has a strong background in the German market as well as in the expatriate and cross-border business. He previously was corporate distribution manager Europe with Zurich Eurolife in Luxembourg; senior key account manager with IT services firm acarda;

Global broker, Marsh in October 2017 appointed Siegmund Fahrig as chief executive officer of its Continental Europe region, succeeding Flavio Piccolomini, who was recently appointed CEO of Marsh’s international division. Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, Fahrig will continue as CEO of Marsh Germany, reporting to Piccolomini. Fahrig previously served as CEO of Marsh’s operations in Germany, Central & Eastern Europe, and CIS. He began his career as an apprentice at

Dr. Klaus-Peter Röhler in September 2017 was named Chairman of the Management Board (CEO) at Allianz Deutschland, replacing Dr. Manfred Knof effective 1 January, 2018. Röhler, 52, has been CEO of Allianz Italia since 2015, a post he assumed after serving as CEO of Allianz Suisse for two years. Dr. Röhler holds a PhD, a degree in Law, and a diploma in Business Administration, and is a member of

Swiss Life in March 2017 announced the appointment of Jörg Arnold as the new CEO Germany and member of the Corporate Executive Board. He will replace Markus Leibundgut, CEO of Swiss Life Switzerland since April 2017. Jörg Arnold joins Swiss Life from AXA Group, where he was Global Head of Savings, Retirement & Distribution within the Life & Savings Global Business Line. He is 52 years old and has a

Marco Fattori has taken over the leadership of the account management team as Head of Account Management. In this new position he will be leading the client service teams of Allianz Global Benefits around the world. He will directly report to François Jacquemin, Head of Products & Solutions. Prior to this Marco Fattori has worked as an Account Manager since February 2014, servicing multinational corporations and global brokers in

Allianz Worldwide Care announced in October 2015 the appointment of Alexis Obligi as Director of Sales and Marketing and member of the Executive Committee, joining from Henner where he was Deputy Managing Director of International & Corporate Business Development. Obligi’s appointment follows that of Ida Luka-Lognoné as CEO in July 2015, succeeding Ron Buchan who retired and became chairman of the board. Obligi reports to the CEO and replaces

After leaving Allianz Deutschland, Dr. Markus Riess has joined Ergo as CEO and Munich Re’s management board. Ergo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Munich Re, which operates under the brand names Ergo, Victoria, DKV and others. Munich Re’s CEO Nikolaus von Bomhard has no known successor and has not announced any plans to retire, despite the fact that he will reach the mandatory retirement age of 60 in 2016.

IGP welcomes Gothaer Lebensversicherung AG as their new Network Partner in Germany. Previously, Victoria Lebensversicherung -part of Ergo group and no longer in existence as a separate brand- was IGP’s German partner. Ergo Germany is no longer a member of a pooling network. Gothaer Germany remains a member of the new AIG network (formerly known as ING Global Network).  

Dr. Manfred Knof has become CEO of Allianz Deutschland, succeeding Dr. Markus Riess, who joins Ergo as CEO and Munich Re’s management board. Ergo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Munich Re that operates under the brand names Ergo, Victoria, DKV, and others.