Implementing the cultural transformation
is a cornerstone of Gert’s role. Carsten echoes
these thoughts on the ongoing evolution of
the company and looks back to when he
became CFO in 2017: “I had to really pick
up speed and get on the same page as the
rest of the team. I say this with a twinkle
in my eye because it has been a wonderful
experience and I rely on a super team.”
For Carsten, achieving balance is
all-important. “The biggest challenge
will be how we can provide financial value
management while having more than the
existing old cornerstones of the core business;
converting the bets we are playing in the
market and making them value contributors.”
Baloise will continue pursuing the Simply
Safe strategy until 2021, when its strategic
direction will be reviewed. It is looking topour up to CHF2 billion cash in, to continue
its attractive shareholder policy, while also
investing in growth and innovation. The
company has implemented a range of ideas
to keep generating fresh concepts; it holds
regular hackathons to brainstorm possible
new initiatives. It has also introduced ‘Baloise
story in action’, a bottom-up program where
around 300 employees look for ways to
implement greater transparency and openness
across the company. Another break from
tradition is the company’s move to ditch
individual goals in favour of team objectives.
Back in 1863, the year Baloise was
established, French poet Charles Baudelaire
wrote that genius was nothing more than the
ability to capture childhood at will. Today,
this idea remains relevant at Baloise, which
is aiming to offer radically simple insurance
products for an increasingly complex society.
“I look at what kids can do and how
creative they can be and how open they are
for the future,” Carsten says. “I take a lot
of inspiration from my daughter and the
kids around her. I try to transfer this into
my own attitude and actions. I look around
the firm and I think I see this around me.
The curiosity, courage and trust are there
and, with that, we can move mountains.”94 | theceomagazine.com
INNOVATE | Interview