HORIZON Risk Thought >> Fast Forward

Our HORIZON initiative has always stood as a beacon for those who dare to strive forward in business. HORIZON is a platform where boundaries are pushed and the future is envisioned with clarity and determination.

This year, we embrace a renewed spirit of courage – a quality that is not simply admirable in business, but essential. This campaign brings together thinkers and innovators who are challenging the status quo across key areas – risk, sustainability, social change, technology, and governance. Their reflections invite you to consider what courage means personally: how it shapes your ambitions, fuels your imagination, and helps transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

In the risk management context of these systemic transformations, we classified these “risk changers” that directly affect a company and use the terms:

  • “Environment in danger” for ecological,
  • “Beyond globalisation” for geopolitical,
  • “Digital transition” for technological and
  • “Social disruption” for social transformation.

We have created Horizon, firstly as a print publication and now as a platform for sharing the latest insights about ongoing transformations. Our risk specialists will continue to provide their expertise and knowledge to shine a light on the challenges of the future.

We have created HORIZON to share the latest insights about ongoing transformations.
Our risk specialists provide their expertise and knowledge to shine a light on the challenges of the future.

Discover all their latest insights, thoughts and viewpoints, or choose from our systemic risk categories to find out more.

Georg Winter discussed with Hartwig Löger, CEO of VIG, whether our societies are risk literate enough and why organisations don’t shout about transforming social aspects of their organisations.
Since 2004, property prices in Austria have exploded. The consequences of this situation are far-reaching.
The future of claims and underwriting in the insurance industry is set to be revolutionised by AI and digital technologies, driven significantly by the tech-savvy Gen Z workforce.
The Zoomer´s approach to risk management is influenced by their heightened awareness of global issues, digital fluency, and sense of community.
As Gen Z enters the workforce, they bring a strong sense of social responsibility and a deep commitment to sustainability.
Arjeta Puca, an entrepreneur and founder of Timak talks about challenging gender norms and advancing gender equality.
Gabriele Andratschke met with Kaido Kepp, Head of IIZI Finance and Administration to discuss their investment in innovative approaches and carefully designed solutions.
Is it a cliché to think women must work harder to succeed in male-dominated industries?
In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, leading diverse teams poses unique challenges, particularly when managing different generations.
Steffen Robbi tells Laura Hochegger about how digitalization can contribute to a sustainable transformation and risk minimization in the construction and real estate industry, especially in the circular economy and in the refurbishment of existing buildings.
In the light of impending annual ESG reporting, the challenges in the dimensions of sustainability cannot be fully met by the existing certificates. The requirements of the EU taxonomy and the growing demand on the real estate market for climate-friendly buildings require uniform assessment criteria and thus indirectly a harmonization of assessment systems.
Concrete is one of the most influential building materials of our time. It is durable, versatile and has outstanding structural and physical properties. Nevertheless, this building material has one major disadvantage: it is responsible for eight percent of global CO2 emissions. 
Rosenbauer Group is a thought leader and technology and innovation front-runner in the firefighting industry. Sebastian Wolf, CEO at Rosenbauer International, discusses with Argun Zia-Dam, Account Manager at GrECo, how Rosenbauer Group is blazing a trail in this industry and why cities in the future will rely on electrically powered firefighting vehicles.
The risk of water scarcity is one of the key considerations in the risk management and ESG policies of food and agriculture companies.  But where there’s acute risks, there are huge opportunities for change: Water scarcity concerns are driving innovation in the food industry and with members of the public.
In an interview with Laura Hochegger, Martin Schiefer explains why public clients have the strongest leverage for a sustainable future.
According to Michael Porter’s and Mark Kramer’s shared value concept, the solution lies precisely in resolving this conflict of objectives: The aim is to create economic value in such a way that it simultaneously benefits society.
Future-oriented action strengthens strategic resilience.
The challenges facing Austrian agriculture are diverse and complex. Prok. Dr Mario Winkler, Head of Communications at Österreichische Hagelversicherung, talks with Laura Hochegger, Executive Assistant Strategy, Sustainability, Innovation at GrECo Group
Emerging risks and new threats that are hard to grasp and estimate are a much-discussed topic. Add to that today’s increasing number of Black Swan events. These are unprecedented and unexpected events which nobody could have imagined, making them almost impossible to predict.
According to the International Monetary Fund food and energy are the main drivers of today’s inflation. That is obvious to each of us as we pay more for both food and energy these days.
Max Pernsteiner, Vice President Global Purchasing & Supply Chain at ENGEL Austria GmbH, spoke with Johannes Vogl, General Manager at GrECo Risk Engineering GmbH, about supply chains and their risks.
In the last two years, supply chains were exposed to unforeseen risks. The impact of the pandemic, Evergiven’s blockade of the Suez Canal, or the recent disruptions as a result of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, to name a few. What else must we prepare for?
Krystle Lippert, Strategic Sales Manager at GrECo in Austria, has spoken with Dr. Gerald Dums, Head of Purchase of Technical Equipment & Logistics at Donau Chemie AG about supply chain problems and procurement and logistics resilience.
Our multipolar world and its myriad of geopolitical forces presents us and our clients with a vast, multidimensional array of risks. As bleak as this may sound, geopolitics and its impact on energy also offers a number of opportunities.
With the aftershocks of the pandemic, the ripple effects of the Ukraine war, and more frequent and severe natural catastrophes that affect our climate and today’s population, we are at a crossroads, and the construction sector is no exception.
For the past years and certainly since 24 February 2022, we have had many opportunities to witness the power of geopolitics, its decisive impact on domestic and international politics and the supply of energy throughout the world.
All over the world, uncertainty prevails. Action must be taken in the face of these turbulences while exploiting every possibility provided by available instruments.
Finding the right speed and assessing the market correctly is the biggest challenge. Transformation must take place, but at what speed?
DECCI is a Czech energy group founded in 2007, focused on modern and renewable energy sources. DECCI pioneered renewables with one of the first solar power plants in the Czech Republic.
Nearly one in four companies in Romania (23%) has already experienced a cyberattack, yet many still treat the risk as moderate until disruption becomes real.
Daniel’s message to companies is simple: give people with disabilities the chance to do an apprenticeship, show appreciation, and make work assistance available. 
The courageous move is not the grand statement. It is the willingness to be inconvenienced, today, for fairness, and to take responsibility for impact, not just intent. 
Fragmentation is usually discussed as a weakness. However, I believe that for the Georgian insurance market, it can also be an advantage.  
Through directives and requirements, we try to improve cybersecurity in general. But in cybersecurity, the courage to transform does not lie only in adopting new technologies.
What the world faces currently is not a single crisis. Some will define it as a “reset” – not a conspiratorial event, but a fundamental restructuring of economic rules, valuations, and mechanisms.
Lukáš Vodička, Group Practice Leader Trade Credit Specialties at GrECo Holding speaks with Gejza Trgiňa, Senior Underwriter at Atradius about what Czech exporters need to watch today and what it takes to build resilience when geopolitical unrest becomes a business issue, not background noise. 
We are excited to announce the release of the 5th Horizon Risk Thought » Fast Forward publication!
In this exclusive interview, we bring together two leading voices on digital transformation in Central and Eastern Europe: Ursula Deschka, CEO of ERGO Baltics and Georg Winter, CEO of GrECo Group.
Peter Papp, sat down with Peter Bešina, founder of Paralla and Cryptodiggers, to discuss the evolution of cryptocurrencies.
Fear appeal is a common tactic to highlight the dangers of unsafe cyber behaviour in many cybersecurity awareness campaigns.
One practical application of AI is in the digitalization of HR processes. Tasks such as document management and onboarding can be streamlined, reducing errors and saving time.
Excessive reliance on devices is leading to “digital dementia,” a rise in memory lapses, diminished focus, and cognitive fatigue – even among youth and the workforce.
Digital transformation is reshaping higher education, but what does that really look like for universities on the ground?
The new rules mean senior executives face increased scrutiny, greater personal liability, and must pay close attention to the role of D&O insurance in this new era of digital risk.
IT employees are under constant pressure. The threat landscape is dynamic, complex and often unpredictable

Dive deep into our HORIZON print edition which focuses on various transformations and looks at all the challenges they pose from different angles.

Georg Winter

CEO GrECo Group

T +43 664 962 39 06