Working remotely across borders:
"I have long had the desire to be able to work from anywhere"

Andre Bialowons: When I read shortly before Christmas in the Versicherungsmonitor by Herbert Fromme, a German insurance  publication, that Allianz allows working abroad, I directly looked at the AGCS career page and by chance they were looking for a candidate in Cologne with my background. I had long wanted the flexibility to be able to work from anywhere. On a trip around the world between two jobs in the industrial insurance sector, I met many people who were living this dream and working fully remotely. That was in 2012 and 2013 and long before the Corona crisis. Since then, I have been interested in alternative working models.

Andre Bialowons: During my self-employment as a consultant in InsurTech, I tried out these models for myself. I once worked for three weeks in a hostel in Lisbon that offered a special "co-living" concept. This concept takes the co-working concept even further and combines living and working areas. In this context, co means community, which is why a wide variety of event formats are also part of the concept. It includes everything from an open pitch night to joint bike rides. You meet people there from the most diverse fields and countries. I found this time extremely exciting and inspiring. It gives you new perspectives.

Andre Bialowons: As a Senior Multinational Client Service Technician, I work with people all over the world across different time zones. Roughly speaking, I am responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly with the internationally placed local policies that are part of an international insurance program. After working for French and Japanese industrial insurers, I was interested in a job with the market leader in international industrial insurance. The sheer number of international insurance programs alone is amazing.

Andre Bialowons: In my opinion, the daily work across different time zones lends itself well to a higher proportion of remote work. AGCS also has helpful tools for this, like GPS 2.0. In my opinion, the current focus on culture and rethinking it is important. From my experience in the InsurTech world, in addition to a high level of communication, a high level of trust in employees and a serious reorganization of processes and routines is needed. In other words, in addition to the technology, the whole mindset has to fit the changes. In my interviews, I felt that a lot of thought had been put into these things and that the topics are also lived at AGCS! It is not just lip service. That clearly speaks for AGCS!

Andre Bialowons: I now can bring my experience and knowledge to AGCS and combine it with my passion for travel. The Ways of Working (WoW) means I can determine time and place independently to a greater extent, and also means that maybe one day I will meet another AGCS or Allianz colleague  on site abroad.