VIG Re has named Catrina Gemmerich (pictured,right) as successor to Stephan Wirz (pictured, left), who will complete his mandate as member of the board of management and chief business officer on March 1, 2027. Gemmerich currently serves as managing director of VIG Re Germany and market head of DACH, Nordics, and Southern Europe. She will assume the CBO role on the same date following a structured handover period, subject to regulatory approval.
The appointment is an internal promotion from a commercially critical position. Since February 2023, Gemmerich has led VIG Re's German branch, built the Munich operation into a significant commercial hub and assembled a new underwriting team, expanding the company's market presence across DACH and the Nordics.
Before joining VIG Re, she spent almost a decade at Munich Re in underwriting and client management, most recently as client manager for multinational insurance companies in Continental Europe.
Gemmerich holds a double master's degree in Economics and International Management from Rotterdam School of Management and Bocconi University. VIG Re ranked seventh among P&C reinsurers in Continental Europe in the 2025 NMG Consulting brand study - the market Gemmerich built her career in and now leads commercially at board level.
Tobias Sonndorfer, chairman and chief executive officer of VIG Re, said Gemmerich "combines excellent market expertise, strong leadership qualities and a deep understanding of our business." Gemmerich framed her own mandate in terms that reflect the commercial environment she is stepping into: "clients expect reinsurers to bring more than capacity, they value expertise, perspective and long-term partnership."
Wirz, meanwhile, joined VIG Re on May 1, 2021, bringing nearly three decades of experience, including 24 years at Swiss Re across headquarters and branches in Korea, Japan, and the Middle East. His departure reason was not disclosed. VIG Re stated only that he will "complete his mandate."
The transition takes effect at the start of VIG Re's second year under VIGRe28, the three-year strategy launched alongside its 2025 full-year results. Those results gave Gemmerich a solid base: gross written premiums of €995.6 million and profit before tax up 17.8% to €49 million, with a net combined ratio of 85.7% and disciplined underwriting through a year of low European catastrophe activity.
The CBO role sits at the intersection of client relationships and market development. Gemmerich steps into it as January 2027 renewals approach in a softening market, with cedants holding greater negotiating power than at any point in the current cycle. VIG Re services approximately 660 insurance companies across nearly 70 countries, with third-party clients now accounting for 63% of assumed risk premium - up from a base weighted towards VIG Group companies as the reinsurer continues to grow its external book.
Peter Höfinger, chairman of the VIG Re supervisory board, said the board has "full trust" in Gemmerich and sees her as "the ideal candidate for this role." The supervisory board vote to formally appoint her is still to take place.
