On January 1^st, 2002, Dr Klien succeded Herbert Schimetschek in the position of Chairman of Autria’s largest insurance group. Schimetschek, the “architect” of today’s UNIQA Group, retired from his post on grounds of age together with the long-serving Board Member for Sales, Hubert Schatzdorfer.

New structure of the Board
The generation change at the top – Dr.Klien was born in 1951- brought in its wake a completely new structure of the Management Board.

“The former model in which all Chairmen of the Boards of the operating domestic companies –UNIQA Sachversicherung (non-life insurance), Uniqa Personenversicherung ( insurance of persons) and Raiffeisenversicherung – were at the same time Members of the Holding Board was certainly one of the success factors in the UNIQA project”, declared Dr Klien. In the phase of merger, consolidation and positioning of the UNIQA brand, this type of concentration was the only correct and most efficient form of group leadership”.

“Today, UNIQA is with no doubt the leading insurance company in Austria. New challenges and objectives, however, require new structures, without neglecting the significance of the brand for economic success” added Dr Klien when explaining UNIQA Group’s new structure. In order to guarantee future success and implement the profit and growth objectives in the years to come, UNIQA has given itself a modern organisational structure which meets the European challenge.

The clear separation between the Holding Company and its operating units has led to a substantial reduction in the number of Members on the Management Board which now has five instead of eight members. The classical role of a holding company as a concentrated service provider and strategic umbrella is reflected in the tasks of its five Board Members: 

• Dr Konstantin Klien, Chairman, in charge of strategic operations, sales policy, personnel, marketing, communication, actuary, internal auditing.
• Dr Gottfried Wanitschek, in charge of finances, participations and real estate.
• Mag Hannes Bogner, in charge of finances and controlling.
• Dr Andreas Brandstetter, in charge of international operations and direct sales.
• Karl Unger, in charge of information technology and client services.

The above mentioned departments within the Holding will have central steering and servicing functions for all domestic and international operating companies and safeguard the fullest possible exploitation of synergies.

The technical key competences will be assumed by three competence centres which operate in the key lines of the business and are managed by the chairmen of UNIQA’s operating companies: 

• Dr Peter Eichler, competence centre health insurance (UNIQA Personenversicherung AG)
• Karl Unger, competence centre life and casualty insurance (UNIQA Personenversicherungen AG)
• Dr Johannes Hajek, competence centre non-life insurance (UNIQA Sachversicherung AG)

Similar to the competence centres and their responsibility for the key insurance lines, two other competence centres will be in charge of sales activities on the domestic and international markets. They will also be managed by chairmen of operating companies: 

• Dr Christian Sedlnitzky, competence centre for bank marketing (Raiffeisen Versicherung AG)
• Dr Andreas Brandstetter, competence centre for direct sales (Call Direct Versicherung AG).

“Raiffeisen Versicherung, one of UNIQA’s operating companies, is not only one of the strongest pillars of the Group but also Austria’s largest bank assurance and life insurance company.

We would like to repeat its success on the various markets of Central Europe, of course in a modified form in line with local conditions. Christian Sedlnitzky’s expertise in this particular field will certainly provide great support for the company”, added Dr Klien. “Although direct sales within a network of partners has not yet reached the volume of the other business lines, this particular system will certainly grow in all the regions in the long-term perspective. By creating a special competence centre for this particular sales channel we want to prove our dedication to future developments”.

The regions will play a particularly important role in UNIQA’s new organisation. This significance of equal ranking and importance will not only bear on UNIQA’s companies in the growing markets of Central Europe (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia), but also on all other international companies and on regional domestic head offices. They will be assigned a wide range of competences in order to guide them into a new type of autonomy with full responsibility for their operational results and profitability.

“In the internal hierarchy, the regional head offices throughout Austria, from Vorarlberg to Burgenland, will have the same position as our international operating units, with no regard to their legal status as companies”, Dr Klien explained with regard to UNIQA’s new focus on its regional units.

With its new organisational structure, UNIQA Versicherungen AG, the holding company, is in a better position to concentrate on the core objectives of the Group, namely to improve the profit situation in Austria, to generate faster growth in the markets of Central Europe and to strengthen its position as a regional player in the field of health insurance within the mature European markets.

Dr Klien believes “that our main objective must be to achieve improved operating results comparable to international standards to ensure the independence of UNIQA as an Austrian company of European dimensions. The new structure is a necessary first step in this direction”.