Changes to the Managing Boards of Vienna Insurance Group, Wiener Städtische and DONAU Versicherung
At the Supervisory Board meetings of Vienna Insurance Group, Wiener Städtische Versicherung and DONAU Versicherung on 14 April, the following changes to the Managing Boards were approved:
At the Supervisory Board meetings of Vienna Insurance Group, Wiener Städtische Versicherung and DONAU Versicherung on 14 April, the following changes to the Managing Boards were approved:
- Vienna Insurance Group: Judit Havasi and Sonja Raus were newly appointed to the Managing Board. Gerhard Lahner has been appointed Second Deputy CEO.
- Wiener Städtische Versicherung: Manuel Schalk will succeed Sonja Raus and join the Managing Board.
- DONAU Versicherung: Harald Riener will be the new CEO, succeeding Judit Havasi.
All changes will come into effect on 1 July 2026.
Expansion of the Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) Managing Board
In light of the Group’s expansion, the VIG Managing Board is being increased from 7 to 8 members. Judit Havasi and Sonja Raus, two top executives, are joining the Managing Board. Gerhard Lahner, the Group’s COO, has been appointed Second Deputy CEO. The new members of the Managing Board have been appointed until 30 June 2031. The terms of office of CEO Hartwig Löger, Peter Höfinger, Gerhard Lahner, Liane Hirner, Gabor Lehel and Christoph Rath have also been extended until 30 June 2031. Harald Riener will move from the VIG Managing Board to the DONAU Versicherung Managing Board at the end of June 2026 and will succeed Judit Havasi as CEO of DONAU.
With effect from 1 July 2026, the VIG Managing Board will be composed as follows:
- Hartwig Löger (CEO)
- Peter Höfinger (First Deputy CEO)
- Gerhard Lahner (Second Deputy CEO)
- Judit Havasi
- Liane Hirner
- Gábor Lehel
- Christoph Rath
- Sonja Raus
Change to the Wiener Städtische Versicherung (Wiener Städtische) Managing Board
Manuel Schalk, Head of the Legal Department at Wiener Städtische and DONAU Versicherung, is joining the Wiener Städtische Managing Board, succeeding Sonja Raus, who is joining the VIG Managing Board.
With effect from 1 July 2026, the Wiener Städtische Managing Board will be composed as follows:
- Ralph Müller (CEO)
- Sonja Brandtmayer (Deputy CEO)
- Roland Gröll
- Manuel Schalk
- Gerald Weber
- Doris Wendler
Change of CEO at DONAU Versicherung (DONAU)
Harald Riener, who has been a member of the VIG Managing Board since 2020, will join DONAU Versicherung as CEO in the middle of the year, succeeding Judit Havasi. Harald Riener is well acquainted with DONAU: Prior to joining the VIG Managing Board, he held various management positions at DONAU, including member of the Managing Board responsible for sales and marketing from 2014 to 2019.
With effect from 1 July 2026, the DONAU Managing Board will be composed as follows:
- Harald Riener (CEO)
- Edeltraud Fichtenbauer
- Roland Gröll
- Wolfgang Petschko
- Franz Zeiler
Professional overviews:
Judit Havasi studied law in Vienna and Budapest and has worked in the Group since 2000. She began her career at the Hungarian Group company UNION Biztosító, where she joined the Managing Board in 2005, before moving to the Wiener Städtische Managing Board in 2009 and then the VIG Holding Managing Board in 2016. Since 2020, Judit Havasi has been the CEO of DONAU Versicherung.
Gerhard Lahner studied business administration and has been working for VIG for 25 years. He was a member of the Managing Board of the Austrian Group companies Wiener Städtische and DONAU, and also of the Czech companies Kooperativa and ČPP. Gerhard Lahner has been a member of the VIG Managing Board since 2020 and, in his role as Chief Operations Officer, is responsible for areas including IT, asset management and capital management within the Group.
Sonja Raus studied law and business administration. In 2009, she took charge of VIG’s M&A activities, headed the Group’s subsidiaries department and has also held various Supervisory Board positions in Group companies. She joined the Wiener Städtische Managing Board in 2024, where her responsibilities include the life insurance line of business.
Harald Riener studied social and economic sciences and started his VIG career in 1998. Among others, he headed the Group’s marketing department and subsequently took on the role of CEO of the Croatian Group company. From 2014 to 2019, he was responsible for sales and marketing on the DONAU Managing Board. Harald Riener has been a member of the Managing Board of Vienna Insurance Group since 2020, where he is responsible for Retail Insurance Business Support & Customer Experience, as well as for Poland, the Baltic States and Ukraine.
Manuel Schalk studied law and, after passing his bar exam, became a partner at Schönherr. In 2014, he moved into the insurance industry. Since then, he has headed the legal department of Wiener Städtische and DONAU, and in 2024 he also took over as Chair of the Legal Committee of the Austrian Insurance Association (VVO).
