On 24 November Vienna hosted a series of business and cultural events organized on the occasion of the 200 years Anniversary of the parent company of Vienna Insurance Group, Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein. What began from just offering fire insurance in Austria, has become an insurance group that is the CEE market leader.
The roots of Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein date back to 1824. The founding of the first company "Wechselseitige k.k. privilegierte Brandschaden Versicherungs-Anstalt" involved 364 public figures from nobility, industry and the church. The Group was one of the first Western European insurance groups to take the opportunity to expand to the Eastern European countries after the fall of the “Iron Curtain”. At the end of October 1990, VIG participated in the founding of the former Czechoslovakian cooperative insurance company Kooperativa in Bratislava. Kooperativa was the first private insurance company in the reform states, and it developed very well from the beginning. Step by step, the Group expanded to other countries in the CEE region. Today Vienna Insurance Group is the market leader in the CEE region with more than 50 insurance companies and pension funds in 30 countries. Around 30,000 employees in VIG take care of the day-to-day needs of around 32 million customers. Courage, solidarity and togetherness reflect the values that Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein has always stood for and that have been the roots for the Group's success.
The anniversary celebrations on 24th November attended by CEOs from all of VIG’s 30 markets, as well as numerous companions of the Group, representatives from business, politics and culture, were also marked by togetherness. The choice of artists also emphasizes the importance of and connection to the CEE region.
At a matinee performance at the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Latvian-born lv mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca, tenor Rolando Villazón, the Slovakian Janoska Ensemble, Hubert von Goisern, and Federspiel impressed the guests.
After the opening speech of host Robert Lasshofer, Chairman of Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein, congratulatory messages by Austrian Federal President Alexander van der Bellen, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Minister of Economic Affairs Martin Kocher and Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig emphasized the achievements of the Group for Austria and Europe, with a focus on the economies in CEE, as well as the high level of responsibility and social commitment, with the wish that all this be maintained for the next 200 years.
Fotocredit: © Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein / Richard Tanzer
