Lockdown – and then a new job in another company. That is not easy, especially not when you take over the chairmanship of the board. Sylvia Eichelberger, head of Gothaer health insurance in Cologne since January 1, 2021, has made a virtue out of necessity. She traveled digitally through Germany and worked virtually with the employees.
The start under Corona conditions was a real challenge, says Eichelberg. She had to think about how she could get to know the organization, the customers and the employees. She would have loved to greet everyone personally at the Cologne headquarters and travel to the offices, but that was not possible. “I’m someone who likes to look people in the eye when they get to know each other.” She also had to do without another important test: How tight is the handshake of the person opposite you?
In return, she was able to come into contact with many people online, much more than she could have done with personal visits. In the workforce of Gothaer Krankenversicherung at the Cologne headquarters and the regional locations, she practiced virtually at many workstations by being switched to the computer. “I can then talk to the employees about what topics they are dealing with, where there is a problem with their work, what ideas they have,” says Eichelberger. This is often even easier than when she is physically sitting next to people.
The digital exchange was due to the pandemic, but observing itself was not new for the 41-year-old. “I’ve done that over and over again in the past.”
She showed an early interest in insurance
Eichelberg studied law in Münster and Mexico City and decided early on to specialize in insurance, while many fellow students preferred to turn to the banks. Her professional positions include the research center for insurance in Münster, the major law firm Noerr and the US insurer Chubb, for whom she was in Australia. In Germany, she first worked for the Ergo Group in Düsseldorf and then moved to Axa in Cologne. The doctor of law is married, has two daughters and is an enthusiastic hobby gardener.
At Axa, she was in charge of corporate banking before moving to Gothaer. Gothaer is one of the medium-sized insurers, with a focus on the insurance of small and medium-sized companies. So that wasn’t new for Eichelberg. She knew private health insurance indirectly from Axa and Ergo, both groups have large health insurers. However, she has not previously been active in the management of such a company. “I find the subject of health very attractive, it is close to people.”
This is particularly evident in the Corona crisis. “Despite the difficult economic situation, people do not save on their health, they do not terminate their contracts,” she stated. Gothaer Krankenversicherung was able to increase the number of insured persons by 8.9 percent in the past year. This was solely due to the supplementary insurance. In contrast, in the most important field of full insurance for the industry, the company had to accept a decline of 2.8 percent to 130,000 insured persons.
It went well in company health insurance. In doing so, employers take out private supplementary insurance for the workforce or parts thereof as a supplement to the insurance provided by the statutory health insurance.
“The Corona issue gave us a lot of tailwind.”
On the one hand, company health insurance serves to attract and retain employees. On the other hand, the companies are hoping for better health care for their workforce and, as a result, lower downtime costs. “The Corona issue gave us a lot of tailwind.”
As a result of the pandemic, Gothaer Krankenversicherung is also seeing increased customer interest in digital services. “Telemedical offers such as video consultation are more widely accepted.”
Like many other private health insurers, the Cologne-based company aims to position itself as a health service provider for customers and to take an active role in their care. Digitization is becoming more and more important. A subsidiary has just developed an app that provides customers with information on all aspects of health, but above all provides targeted support during treatment and accompanies them through the individual care steps.
The insurer relies not only on in-house developments, but also on partnerships. “When we see that someone has a good concept, we don’t have to do it ourselves, we buy the service.” Eichelberg wants the insurer to keep moving. You shouldn’t stick to a solution for 20 years just because you have implemented it at some point, she emphasizes. When you no longer need something, you have to say goodbye to it and create space for new things. Eichelberg’s motto: “If you let go, your hands are free.”