Meet Maximiliane
The former EXPLORER loves working with people who want to make a difference.
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Just three years after Dr. Maximiliane Gerstner joined Munich Re with the EXPLORE trainee programme, she took over as head of the "Financial Reporting and Investor Relations" department at ERGO. It all started with an internship.
After completing my bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in econometrics, I had gained my first practical experience in the insurance industry through an internship at Munich Re. During my subsequent doctorate, I investigated the question of the extent to which educational background influences the choice and use of health insurance. I have always had an affinity for complex issues and mathematical challenges. With these passions, the insurance industry is a great place to be.
When I learned about the then newly established EXPLORE trainee programme, it was clear to me that this programme would allow me to further build and expand my knowledge. Because it promised in a unique way to get to know many different topics, interfaces and cultures of an insurance group. So I became an EXPLORER and learned how processes work, how different areas cooperate and how primary insurance, reinsurance and asset management interact.
Sooner than expected: the dream job
When, after a little more than a year, the company was looking for an assistant to a member of the Board of Management at Munich Re, I left the trainee programme early. To me, this job was the logical continuation of the experience I had previously gained as an EXPLORER. This was because I was working at Munich Re for the CEO of ERGO, who was also responsible for MEAG’s Third Party Asset Management. So, like the trainee programme, my first job subsequently touched on all three companies that make up Munich Re Group.
I’ve always had an affinity for complex issues and mathematical challenges. With these passions, you’re in the best place in the insurance industry.
About two years later, I started my current position at ERGO in Düsseldorf. The decision to continue my career in primary insurance was not a difficult one. ERGO has achieved an impressive turnaround in the past five years. Above all there are people working here from whom I can learn a great deal. By that I don’t just mean specialist knowledge, but also strategic and process-related aspects. It’s exciting to work with people who want to make a difference.
In my current position, I benefit greatly from the network I was able to establish both as an EXPLORER and during my time as an executive assistant. It makes my work so much easier to know whom to contact with specific questions. I also still have close ties with my former co-trainees. We meet regularly, at least online, to tell each other about the latest events in our lives and careers.
Curiosity and openness are important
If you want to get a really comprehensive overview of the insurance business, EXPLORE is the right place for you. And those who are curious and open during their up to eight stints at Munich Re, ERGO and MEAG will benefit from a wealth of experience and a broad network.