Vienna Insurance Group, the Austria-based insurer active across Central and Eastern Europe, has approved a set of leadership changes at group level and across its subsidiaries Wiener Städtische Versicherung and DONAU Versicherung.
The decisions were taken at Supervisory Board meetings on 14 April. All appointments and changes take effect on 1 July 2026.
At group level, Vienna Insurance Group will expand its Managing Board from seven members to eight. Judit Havasi and Sonja Raus will join the board, while Gerhard Lahner has been named Second Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
The terms of both current and newly appointed board members have been extended until 30 June 2031.
From July 2026, the Managing Board will consist of Hartwig Löger as Chief Executive Officer, Peter Höfinger as First Deputy CEO, Gerhard Lahner as Second Deputy CEO, and Judit Havasi, Liane Hirner, Gábor Lehel, Christoph Rath and Sonja Raus as board members. Harald Riener will leave the group board at the end of June 2026.
At Wiener Städtische Versicherung, Manuel Schalk will join the Managing Board, replacing Sonja Raus as she moves to the group board. Ralph Müller will remain at the head of the business.
The rest of the board will include Sonja Brandtmayer as Deputy CEO, together with Roland Gröll, Manuel Schalk, Gerald Weber and Doris Wendler.
At DONAU Versicherung, Harald Riener will take over as Chief Executive Officer from Judit Havasi. Riener has served on the Vienna Insurance Group Managing Board since 2020 and previously held senior management roles at DONAU.
From July 2026, the DONAU Managing Board will include Harald Riener as CEO, alongside Edeltraud Fichtenbauer, Roland Gröll, Wolfgang Petschko and Franz Zeiler.
The changes come through internal succession planning and a broader adjustment of leadership structures across the group and its subsidiaries.
The executives moving into new roles bring long experience from within the organisation and across the insurance market.