“Letting people grow is essential for any organisation” - Silke Lautenschläger, CEO of DKV
Letting people grow is essential for any organisation”
Silke Lautenschläger, CEO of DKV, experienced a rather challenging start when she became CEO of both DKV Belgium and company in run-off ERGO Belgium. She reflects on lessons learned from the past and on the future of the organization and the insurance sector as digitalisation, customer-centricity, prevention and diversity have become major key points.
In 2018, you became CEO of 2 companies, of which 1 is in run-off. How difficult was it for you to take over in a foreign country without speaking the language and successfully lead the companies through this transition? How did you and your team manage?
Silke Lautenschläger:Because of the variety of nationalities in Brussels, it was easy for me to integrate. However, if I were to do it all over again, I would take an intensive Dutch and French language course prior to the job. Because when I started this job, I soon realized there was no time left to learn a new language. Two years of COVID made it even more difficult to acquire a language as there was a lack of opportunity for real practice.
You are leading a company in run-off. Is this the first time you are doing something like this as a CEO?
Silke Lautenschläger:As CEO, yes. Before I was always responsible for all operations, for claims management for life and health business. In Germany, we also put part of the life business in a “closed book” and another part with specific new products we are still running successfully. When you’re starting up abroad, it’s essential to take into account all the regulations of the new country and to follow up on discussions with the supervisory board, the supervisory authorities and the regulators.
Why do you think you were chosen for this difficult job? What were the capabilities that made you stand out?
Silke Lautenschläger:My ability to manage change, to focus on the transition of large organisations, to implement strict values in terms of governance and my openness to work with different stakeholders have been important aspects, I believe. Being openminded and driving digitalisation was important too. Finally, it was also an advantage to have been part of the ERGO group for a long time. I know the group’s values and strategy through and through. Therefore, I could really focus on the Belgian companies and didn’t have to learn how to interact with other stakeholders.
What are the lessons learned so far from the runoff and from leading DKV?
Silke Lautenschläger:When companies are transforming, learning is always an ongoing process. For the moment, our digital transformation is very important. How to improve our legacy systems and how to digitise and automate is sometimes rather challenging but at the same time, it’s a very interesting process and a key learning area for the whole company.
What do you currently find to be the greatest challenges in your job?
Silke Lautenschläger:Digitalisation is essential but it’s also a challenge when used to improve customer-centricity. At the same time, following up on all regulatory requirements is important in the highly regulated insurance industry. Over the last few years, there has been strong digital progress in our sector. DKV Belgium has always been a frontrunner with MyDKV portal. We will keep improving the portal as we think powerful, fast and accessible interaction with our clients is essential.
In 2018, you became CEO of 2 companies, of which 1 is in run-off. How difficult was it for you to take over in a foreign country without speaking the language and successfully lead the companies through this transition? How did you and your team manage?
Silke Lautenschläger:Because of the variety of nationalities in Brussels, it was easy for me to integrate. However, if I were to do it all over again, I would take an intensive Dutch and French language course prior to the job. Because when I started this job, I soon realized there was no time left to learn a new language. Two years of COVID made it even more difficult to acquire a language as there was a lack of opportunity for real practice.
You are leading a company in run-off. Is this the first time you are doing something like this as a CEO?
Silke Lautenschläger:As CEO, yes. Before I was always responsible for all operations, for claims management for life and health business. In Germany, we also put part of the life business in a “closed book” and another part with specific new products we are still running successfully. When you’re starting up abroad, it’s essential to take into account all the regulations of the new country and to follow up on discussions with the supervisory board, the supervisory authorities and the regulators.
Why do you think you were chosen for this difficult job? What were the capabilities that made you stand out?
Silke Lautenschläger:My ability to manage change, to focus on the transition of large organisations, to implement strict values in terms of governance and my openness to work with different stakeholders have been important aspects, I believe. Being openminded and driving digitalisation was important too. Finally, it was also an advantage to have been part of the ERGO group for a long time. I know the group’s values and strategy through and through. Therefore, I could really focus on the Belgian companies and didn’t have to learn how to interact with other stakeholders.
What are the lessons learned so far from the runoff and from leading DKV?
Silke Lautenschläger:When companies are transforming, learning is always an ongoing process. For the moment, our digital transformation is very important. How to improve our legacy systems and how to digitise and automate is sometimes rather challenging but at the same time, it’s a very interesting process and a key learning area for the whole company.
What do you currently find to be the greatest challenges in your job?
Silke Lautenschläger:Digitalisation is essential but it’s also a challenge when used to improve customer-centricity. At the same time, following up on all regulatory requirements is important in the highly regulated insurance industry. Over the last few years, there has been strong digital progress in our sector. DKV Belgium has always been a frontrunner with MyDKV portal. We will keep improving the portal as we think powerful, fast and accessible interaction with our clients is essential.
“Belgium has a better mix of male and female leaders in the insurance industry as compared to other countries.” - Silke Lautenschläger, CEO of DKV
How do you look at gender equality/diversity in the insurance sector (wages, career potential)? Are we there yet?
Silke Lautenschläger:Personally, I think Belgium has a better mix of male and female leaders in the insurance industry as compared to other countries. This becomes clear from, for instance, the Board of Directors and Management Committee of Assuralia. Overall, the insurance sector is clearly changing as more female managers stand up. Examples are Erika Van Dyck (DAS, also ERGO Group), Hilde Vernaillen (P&V Group and President of Assuralia), Kathleen Van den Eynde (Allianz), Heidi Delobelle (AG) Rebecca Ramboer (Protect), Sophie Misselyn (P&V), and Mireille Urlus (ARAG). Despite this improvement, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender parity at C-1 levels. That’s why we’ve joined the “Women in Finance Belgium” initiative. As for the Ergo group and the situation in Belgium with DAS, DKV and Ergo, the Ergo Group has signed the “Charta der Vielfalt” (Diversity Charter). The charter is a commitment to creating a working environment free of prejudice and exclusion, in which employees are valued regardless of their gender, nationality, religious beliefs, disabilities, age, and sexual orientation or identity. Our Code of Conduct is applied to all employees at all company levels and underlines our commitment to diversity. The Code requires all our employees to respect fundamental rules and principles in their behaviour, and bans all forms of discrimination. Also, regulations for reporting violations are laid out. We strongly believe diversity should be a priority and continuous improvement and clear targets are essential. Our next step is to implement additional measures promoting diversity. The culture of our company is key in this respect and I believe we can still perform even better. Offering flexibility and tailored work, and respecting working hours can improve the work-life balance and offer equal opportunities to men and women.
How do you see the insurance sector evolving in the coming years, in general?
Silke Lautenschläger:Digitalisation will unquestionably play a key role in the future. On top of that, there’s the continuous increase in outpatient care in Belgium. The latest OECD figures point out that private expenditure on outpatient care is very high: out of a total of 11.8 billion euros of private expenditure on health in 2019 in Belgium, 6.9 billion euros were spent for outpatient care. Another essential focus point is prevention. We strive to be a health partner giving solid advice to clients. Only by doing so, will we become a key player in the future of healthcare. Moreover, telemedicine will also grow in importance in the future. COVID-19 has been driving this type of care (there were almost 4 million teleconsultations during the first Covid-19 wave (March to May 2020) and it is clear that teleconsultations will remain after COVID-19. Finally, supplementary health insurance will play an important role as the statutory health insurance will never cover all customer needs. Whenever necessary, we are there to provide our clients with additional comfort.
