In 2018, UNIQA made a strategic step to establish a corporate start-up in Bratislava. The primary objective was to provide services to the UNIQA headquarters in Vienna and all international business units in UNIQA’s core markets. Fast forward to 2023, and UNIQA 4WARD is celebrating its 5th anniversary, marking half a decade of remarkable achievements and growth.
The journey began with a clear vision to create a robust and versatile support hub for UNIQA. Bratislava was chosen from a long list of potential cities for its vibrant business environment and the presence of a highly skilled workforce. Nevertheless, Bratislava and Vienna have always had a special connection - beyond geographical proximity. As close as the twin cities are, so is UNIQA 4WARD to the Vienna-based UNIQA Group.
Over the last five years, the company has grown to about 40 employees working on international projects, with relevant touch points across the whole value chain.
Since 2018, the company has been managed by Manuel Radler. When asked about the beginnings, he says: "For the company's foundation we received a very tight deadline, but we managed it because of a tremendous cross-functional collaboration. It was an awe-inspiring example of the broad knowledge we have at UNIQA since you need expertise in Finance, Legal, HR, IT, and Real Estate for such a project." This collaborative spirit has been crucial to the company's continued success.
Initially residing in a co-working space in the western part of the Bratislava city center, UNIQA 4WARD celebrated an important milestone in 2021: Moving to a brand-new office space in the newly constructed SkyPark area in Slovakia's capital. The move was significant for shaping corporate culture, strengthening the team spirit, and providing employees with enough space for focused work and plenty of shared space. It proved challenging to manage a relocation during a global pandemic. Still, in the words of Manuel Radler, it was all worth it: "It was a very demanding project, but we can be very proud of the office we created."
UNIQA 4WARD is a community of passionate, open-minded and dedicated individuals connected by a common mission and strong values. We are acting as a small caring community – caring for each other and for our customers. This special mindset makes us different and unique on the market.
The idea of providing cross-border services centrally dates back to 2013, more specifically to the foundation of the Actuarial Partnership Program which is a virtual team providing in-house consultancy on complex Actuarial topics within the UNIQA Group. This successful proof of concept for cross-border collaboration was at the root of setting up a competence hub in Bratislava extending the scope beyond Actuarial services. Now the teams based in Bratislava work on interdisciplinary projects across borders and form multinational teams to overcome even the most complex challenges the insurance industry offers. That is why the term „internationality“ is not just a platitude but their daily business – to support the headquarters and various countries in Actuarial, Risk Management, Security, IT Security, HR, Brand & Communication, and Reinsurance areas.
Philip Plank, Head of Actuarial & Risk Cross-border, says: "UNIQA 4WARD is inspiring to many teams within the company. It shows one important thing: cross-border collaboration is possible and cross-border teams are a part of our structure."
In calculating insurance premiums, Actuaries are essential stakeholders in the product development. Furthermore, they evaluate technical reserves and the actuarial analysis for management purposes. This expertise has been in the service portfolio from the very beginning and is now developed further in the Pricing and UNIQuants Team.
"UNIQA 4WARD has had a close working relationship with Group Actuarial since its foundation. With automation and active support during peak loads, colleagues from UNIQA 4WARD have made a significant contribution to the stability of our ongoing processes and have significantly supported the management of the numerous challenges in our dynamic working environment," explains Roman Schneider, Head of Group Actuarial.
The Risk Management Team supports UNIQA departments in driving, steering, and evaluating their risk and control landscape. To comply with regulatory requirements, they maintain the internal control system and report the Group's risk exposure to various external and internal stakeholders.
Paul Buchner, Head of Group Risk Management, sums up: "UNIQA 4WARD supports us in all aspects of risk and security management and has significantly contributed to the success of many of the division's initiatives. Particularly mentioned is the implementation and roll-out of the new GRC tool in the last two years."
Without security, there can be no successful control. Security managers define, develop, and implement the minimum requirements and guidelines for UNIQA's reactions to present and future imminent threats and strategic security risks. Their areas of responsibility include physical security, cloud security, vulnerability management, business continuity, and information security.
"We established our Group Security function closely to the time when UNIQA 4WARD was established. Thanks to this cooperation, we gained transparency in the area of security, and, from my point of view, this wouldn't be possible without UNIQA 4WARD," says Florian Polt, Head of Group Security.
Effective brand management hinges on the consistent and ongoing communication of the brand's message and fundamental values both within and outside the organization. Ensuring a unified appearance of the UNIQA brand over all regions and implementing the group wide communication strategy are the most challenging tasks of the Brand & Communication Team.
But ultimately, employees are a company's greatest asset. The mission of the People Team is to contribute to Group’s success by building a strong community of professionals. As an international platform within UNIQA, they bring people together by working across borders. In the high-trust and supportive work environment everybody can feel welcome and appreciated. Their focus is on setting up unified HR processes and systems and helping UNIQA countries with its implementation.
Just as an umbrella protects us from raindrops, reinsurance shields UNIQA from insurance risk storms. Since January 2023, UNIQA 4WARD also supports teams from UNIQA Re in Switzerland. By making sure the UNIQA insurance companies have effective coverage, our reinsurance experts act as single point of contact for external reinsurances and intermediaries. They deliver quick & simple solutions for all partners in the areas of Underwriting, Risk Management, Compliance & Accounting.
Ivana Stark, UNIQA Re CEO, explains: “UNIQA Re & UNIQA 4WARD teams work mostly virtual, are diverse, and composed of highly educated specialists. Teams achieved high level of cooperation and this is crucial for daily challenges and to solve many complex tasks."
The company has also nurtured successful partnerships with external entities, including the University of Economics in Bratislava. The cooperation enables UNIQA 4WARD to be prepared for the challenges of the ever-evolving labor market and to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical industry applications. It has proven mutually beneficial and provided UNIQA 4WARD access to a business and actuarial mathematics talent pool. Guest lectures, internships, and workplace visits have allowed students to look inside the company's functioning.
Michal Páleš, Head of the Department of Mathematics and Actuarial Science, University of Economics in Bratislava, explains: "In a way, fate wanted me to be at the origin of UNIQA 4WARD in Bratislava in 2018 from the perspective of academia. Over the past five years, excellent cooperation has been established with the company's management and all its staff in various areas such as textbook publishing, professional actuarial lectures at the faculty and Open Days. We consider UNIQA 4WARD to be one of our most relevant partners.”
Looking back, these five years were not just about setting up a new company. It was much more about the development of a new community. People with different personalities but with similar values coming and growing together to a diverse but united community. Like a tree where branches and leaves are different from each other, they all share the same roots, as we do share the same set of core values.
Kati Wallig-Pasztai, Group HR Expert, has been instrumental in shaping the company culture and overseeing HR-related matters since the very beginning. She sums up the company’s culture: „UNIQA 4WARD is a community of passionate, open-minded and dedicated individuals connected by a common mission and strong values. We are acting as a small caring community – caring for each other and for our customers. This special mindset makes us different and unique on the market.”
Each year, the teams continue to grow, and Manuel Radler notes: „For me, every onboarding of new colleagues is unique. It is a big privilege of my job that we can help people grow functionally and personally. And if people take this chance, it is a rewarding experience to see.“
Over 70 guests gathered at Bratislava Castle to celebrate five years in business in October. The anniversary party was an excellent opportunity to connect with internal and external partners, share some memories, and celebrate in an informal setting. They kicked off the evening with a guided tour of Bratislava Castle. Guests also had a chance to engage in a fun dinner game to get to know the different teams better.
Additionally, in line with UNIQA's focus on sustainability, each employee of UNIQA 4WARD received a meaningful gift: In a fitting metaphor for the company's growth, UNIQA 4WARD took on the role of a symbolic guardian of 39 trees in the Nature Reserve of Vlčia in eastern Slovakia, one for each employee. In the future, this number will grow with every new colleague.
It has been unique and very dynamic five years for the company. We hope UNIQA 4WARD will continue in developing its community and follow courageous plans in line with contributing to achieving UNIQA’s vision of “living better together”.
What do different stakeholders from several UNIQA markets wish UNIQA 4WARD for the next five years? Find out more in the following video:
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