Andreas Brandstetter, chairman & CEO of the UNIQA Insurance Group, Austria, was elected president of Insurance Europe in May 2018. Andreas holds a master’s degree (1992) and a PhD (1994) in political science from the University of Vienna, Austria including a one-year scholarship at the University of California, San Diego, USA. In 1993, he joined the cabinet of the then vice chancellor of the Republic of Austria, before becoming managing director of the Austrian People’s Party. In 1995, he was appointed head of the EU office of the Austrian Raiffeisen Association in Brussels and Vienna. Andreas joined the insurance industry in 1997 as assistant to the CEO of UNIQA’s predecessor company, becoming member of the management board responsible for international markets and mergers & acquisitions in 2002. In the same year, he finished his MBA at California State University, Hayward/IMADEC. In July 2011, he was appointed chairman and CEO of UNIQA Insurance Group.

After degrees in engineering and management, Frédéric de Courtois began his career with CGI Informatique in 1990, before moving to UAP in 1993 (which merged with AXA in 1996), working in the finance department before moving to the group controlling department in 1997. In 2000, he became vice-president of AXA Conseil, a sales channel with 1 500 employees. In 2001, he became deputy CEO of AXA Re, heading the finance, legal and claims areas. De Courtois became chief financial officer of AXA Japan in 2003, before being appointed deputy CEO of AXA Life Japan and then CEO of AXA Japan and Asia Pacific P&C in 2006. In 2007, he returned to Europe, becoming CEO of AXA MPS Assicurazioni Vita and Danni and chairman of AXA MPS Financial. He was made CEO of AXA Assicurazioni in July 2013 and later assumed responsibility for its Greek and Serbian markets. He was also on the board of AXA Life and Savings. In 2016, he joined the Generali Group as CEO of global business lines and international, with responsibility for the global lines, the EMEA, Asia and Americas regions and bancassurance. In July 2018, he was appointed general manager of the Group, overseeing insurance, finance, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, strategy and business development, operations and marketing. On 1 June 2019 he started a three-year mandate as vice-president of Insurance Europe.

Michaela Koller is director general of Insurance Europe, the European insurance and reinsurance federation. She is currently also secretary general of the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA). Michaela has worked in Brussels for the last 28 years. Prior to joining Insurance Europe in February 2007, she held management positions in different banking trade bodies. Michaela has served as a member of various consumer/industry groups and advisory groups established by the European Commission. She has also been a member of both stakeholder groups of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA): the Insurance and Reinsurance stakeholder group (IRSG) and the Occupational Pension stakeholder group (OPSG). She currently chairs EIOPA’s IRSG. Michaela testifies regularly at hearings organised by EU institutions. She is a German national and holds a law degree from Augsburg University.

Michaela Koller is director general of Insurance Europe, the European insurance and reinsurance federation. She is currently also secretary general of the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA). Michaela has worked in Brussels for the last 28 years. Prior to joining Insurance Europe in February 2007, she held management positions in different banking trade bodies. Michaela has served as a member of various consumer/industry groups and advisory groups established by the European Commission. She has also been a member of both stakeholder groups of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA): the Insurance and Reinsurance stakeholder group (IRSG) and the Occupational Pension stakeholder group (OPSG). She currently chairs EIOPA’s IRSG. Michaela testifies regularly at hearings organised by EU institutions. She is a German national and holds a law degree from Augsburg University.

Olav Jones is the Deputy Director General & Director Economics and Finance at Insurance Europe, the federation which represents the European insurance industry. He is based in Brussels and responsible for all issues relating to Prudential Regulation, Financial Reporting, Investments and International Affairs. He is also a member of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)’s Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group (OPSG). After studying Engineering and then Finance, he started his career as a consultant to the financial services industry with Oliver, Wyman and Company. He then spent 15 years in the insurance industry working at Prudential Plc, Fortis Insurance and Ageas in roles relating to risk, capital management and strategy including Group Chief Risk Officer.

Cristina is the head of prudential regulation & international affairs. She and her team are responsible for developing positions on a range of topics, and then representing those positions to the European institutions, as well as a wide range of international organisations and standard-setting bodies, including the IAIS, the OECD and the FSB. The key files that fall under the responsibility of her team include: Solvency II, the global Insurance Capital Standard, investments, as well as trade and market access issues. Cristina joined Insurance Europe in 2012 as a policy advisor on investments. In 2014, she became the head of the international affairs and reinsurance department, and assumed responsibility for the prudential team in 2017. Earlier in her career, Cristina worked as an asset manager for the French insurer Groupama, where her team was responsible for managing a €200m asset portfolio. Before joining Groupama, Cristina worked in the derivatives division of Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking in Paris. She holds a master’s degree in financial engineering and risk management from HEC Lausanne, Switzerland, and is a CFA© chartholder.

Olav Jones is the Deputy Director General & Director Economics and Finance at Insurance Europe, the federation which represents the European insurance industry. He is based in Brussels and responsible for all issues relating to Prudential Regulation, Financial Reporting, Investments and International Affairs. He is also a member of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA)’s Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group (OPSG). After studying Engineering and then Finance, he started his career as a consultant to the financial services industry with Oliver, Wyman and Company. He then spent 15 years in the insurance industry working at Prudential Plc, Fortis Insurance and Ageas in roles relating to risk, capital management and strategy including Group Chief Risk Officer.

As head of Insurance Europe’s personal and general insurance department, Nicolas Jeanmart contributes to the global and European debates affecting the non-life and life insurance sectors. He is also involved in the discussions on financial stability, with a particular focus on the question of systemic risk in insurance. Prior to joining Insurance Europe in November 2010, Nicolas worked for the European Savings Banks Group (ESBG), where he held various positions, culminating in four years as head of the banking supervision and economic affairs department. This position entailed notably the responsibility for representing the interests of Europe’s savings and retail banks in the discussions on global bank capital requirements frameworks (Basel II and Basel III). During his time at the ESBG, he also acted as the secretariat for various working groups and committees of the European Banking Industry Committee, the platform representing the entire European banking industry. In his earlier career he provided consultancy and training services, primarily to the financial sector, in Belgium and Luxembourg. Nicolas is a Belgian/French national. He holds a master’s degree in business engineering, as well as degrees in European integration and development and in computer sciences.

As head of the conduct of business department, William Vidonja contributes to the global and European debates on legal and consumer protection issues, including insurance distribution, data protection, differentiation, contract law, competition issues and financial education. William is also part of the employers’ delegation of the Insurance Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee (ISSDC), the only forum at European level in which insurance employer and employee representatives discuss topics of common interest with the support of the European Commission. He joined Insurance Europe as a trainee in 2002. After his traineeship he was hired as deputy manager of the insurance of the person department before moving to the conduct of business department. William is a French national and holds a law degree from the University of Paris XII.

Michaela Koller is director general of Insurance Europe, the European insurance and reinsurance federation. She is currently also secretary general of the Global Federation of Insurance Associations (GFIA). Michaela has worked in Brussels for the last 28 years. Prior to joining Insurance Europe in February 2007, she held management positions in different banking trade bodies. Michaela has served as a member of various consumer/industry groups and advisory groups established by the European Commission. She has also been a member of both stakeholder groups of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA): the Insurance and Reinsurance stakeholder group (IRSG) and the Occupational Pension stakeholder group (OPSG). She currently chairs EIOPA’s IRSG. Michaela testifies regularly at hearings organised by EU institutions. She is a German national and holds a law degree from Augsburg University.

Koen Ameye is the head of support services, managing human resources, finance and IT since he joined Insurance Europe in 2007. Prior to joining Insurance Europe, Koen worked for several years as a human resources manager for a large Belgian healthcare organisation and for the human capital management team at Deloitte & Touche. Koen holds a master’s degree in industrial and organisational psychology from the University of Ghent, a postgraduate qualification in business management from the University of Brussels and a degree from the University of Brussels in social security law.