Photos: Florian Sonntag, Anna Mutter
The Team of the Year 2024: Oliver Schoeller and Dr. Andreas Eurich, both Co-CEOs of BarmeniaGothaer (from left)
As part of the Cash.GALA on September 20th in Hamburg, the Head of the Year award was presented – this year with a special feature.
With the Head of the Year award, the Cash. Board of Directors and the Cash. editorial team recognize individuals for outstanding entrepreneurial achievements each year. For the first time in many years, a Team of the Year was honored at the Cash. GALA. Oliver Schoeller, former CEO of Gothaer, and Dr. Andreas Eurich, former CEO of Barmenia, were honored for the merger of the two companies to form BarmeniaGothaer Finanzholding AG. Both are now co-CEOs of BarmeniaGothaer.
In his laudation, Cash. board member Gerhard Langstein emphasized: “As an enthusiastic sailor and skier, Oliver Schoeller, together with his co-award winner Dr. Andreas Eurich, set out on a course to position their two companies broadly and solidly. However, this form of diversification, according to Schoeller, requires excellence in every business segment.”
Cash. board member Gerhard Langstein with the two winners of the Team of the Year 2024 Oliver Schoeller and Dr. Andreas Eurich (from left)
And both of our award-winning companies embody exactly this excellence, says Langstein, adding: “One is a leader in the field of private health insurance, while the other is considered a strong composite insurer.”
The merger would also make both companies significantly more attractive in terms of sales, as they would jointly offer a much broader range of products. In addition, their respective exclusive organizations would merge to form one of the largest sales structures in the German insurance industry. Under these conditions, the merger of the two companies is a great win for everyone involved.” He continued: “BaFin recently approved the merger. With the entry in the commercial register on September 3, 2024, the merger of the two insurers has now also been legally completed – and in record time.” This is the first merger of two large independent insurers in Germany in more than 20 years. “With the merger, the new company will become a top 10 insurer with an annual premium volume of around eight billion euros,” said Langstein.
During their humorous acceptance speeches, the award winners passed the “word balls” to each other with wit and humor, thus contributing to the already good mood of the gala guests in the ballroom on the Süllberg in Hamburg.
