Andreas E. Hofer (33) joined the company founded more than 70 years ago, on 1 July 2019 as a newcomer. The shareholders expect him to add new impetus in the areas of digitisation and loss prevention. The native Upper Austrian has the required know-how, as he has been attracted to the transport logistics industry ever since, as he says.
Therefore, he gained his first professional experience in the forwarding sector after the successful completion of the commercial academy in Lambach. For the past eight and a half years, Andreas E. Hofer has been Head of Risk Management with responsibility for the areas of insurance, dangerous goods and quality management at Dachser Austria.
At the same time, he completed his studies for International Logistics Management (ILM) at the FH Upper Austria in Steyr. In addition, one and a half years ago, he took the examination as a sworn and court-certified expert for transport damage and logistics.
This is an ideal complement to the expert experience of Josef Traxler, even more so where there are only a few such experts in the segment of freight forwarding and freight liability insurance. But as if that were not already enough expertise, Andreas E. Hofer wants to complete the DTLM master’s degree course in the next 2 years.
Josef Traxler finds only words of praise for the practical experience and high qualification of his new colleague in the management board of the insurance office Fiala. He lacks the time to familiarise a newcomer with the details of the matter. In addition, the main focus of the long-established company on a partnership customer care.
The insurance office Dr. Ignaz Fiala GmbH sees itself as a full service provider for freight forwarders, logisticians and transport companies in all liability and insurance matters, and was founded by Ignaz Fiala in 1947. There was a need for a forwarding and liability insurance specially designed for this sector, as the forwarding industry expanded rapidly after the Second World War. Now the company can look back on more than 70 years of experience. With effect from January 1, 2003, the company name, which was previously owned by the family for two generations, was sold to three participating insurers, retaining the company name; Allianz Elementar Versicherungs-AG, Wiener Städtische Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG and UNIQA Sachversicherungs-AG, who own one-third each as owners or partners.
