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.

Jürgen Spari spoke to Georg Knill about the challenges of the energy transition for the industrial sector and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on domestic companies.
Europe needs to cover gas demand with alternative sources. The EU energy security is compromised if there is no diversification to cover Russian gas imports.
Since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic two years ago, disrupted supply chains have threatened the existence of many companies.
The value of intangible relative to tangible cor­porate assets has steadily increased. Emerging risks threaten the value of both tangible and intangible assets.
Insurers are faced with a challenge during the energy transition. The past loss experience can no longer be used for predictive scenarios. New risks will emerge.
Comprehensive risk analyses combined with a presentation of the risks will be necessary for a successful renewal.
Amongst those most affected by decarbonisation efforts is the financial services industry, such as equity investors, lenders and insurers.
New modelling and technical tools are being utilised more than ever as insurers want to understand the complex technicalities of cargo risks.
 The insurance sector has adopted the ESG targets with every company developing an ESG strategy. The sector is particularly affected by climate change,
“The important thing here is that managers not only need continuity, but also openness to innovation and change. At the same time, they must stand on a foundation of values and principles that is stable.” – interview with Heimo Scheuch, CEO at wienerberger.
From one of the leading hotels in Innsbruck we learn how the world’s focus on ESG is affecting the hospitality industry and what businesses can do about the increased pressure to change.
Michael Groiss, CFO at F/LIST, talked with Norbert Bucher, Account Manager of F/LIST at GrECo Austria, about how they balance their vision of handcrafting the future of interiors with the growing demand for sustainable production.
HR alone cannot promote the openness to this learning journey; it needs ambassadors to help anchor the green mindset in the corporate culture.
With many countries across the world looking at coal and oil substitutes, renewable energy sources are becoming an increasing part of insurers’ and brokers’ portfolios.
In the face of growing environmental challenges and climate change, insurance companies like UNIQA Group are taking significant steps to embrace sustainability.
“At Erste Group, we have an ESG Office, a dedicated unit focused on sustainability. We are situated within the strategy department, and our main responsibility is to implement the entire regulatory framework of the EU Green Deal within the bank. ”
Procredit Bank, compared to its competitors in Georgia, is leading the charge when it comes to reducing the Georgia’s environmental footprint.
If carefully designed and managed, a captive is a tool in the risk manager’s toolbox for large companies that can help build resilience to future transformation risks as a result of climate change, amongst other things.
In einer Zeit, die von geopolitischen Umbrüchen, wirtschaftlicher Volatilität und zunehmendem ökologischen Druck geprägt ist, sehen sich österreichische Unternehmen mit einem immer komplexer werdenden Risikoumfeld konfrontiert.
Ist es ein Klischee zu glauben, dass Frauen härter arbeiten müssen, um in männerdominierten Branchen erfolgreich zu sein?
Under the title “Environment in danger”, our upcoming HORIZON series concentrates on the ecological transformation and therefore looks at all its challenges from various angles.
Other crises, the climate crisis being a prominent example, are more likely to emerge as developments that gradually manifest themselves.
An effective risk management process is a basic requirement for tackling transformation risks.
Mariana Kühnel, Deputy General Secretary of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce spoke about staying calm in these unpredictable times and how Europe can gain comparative advantages.
Economic sanctions used for foreign policy purposes are economic penalties – such as prohibiting trade, stopping financial transactions or barring economic and military assistance – used to influence a nation and provide incentives for obedience with the rule of law or other governing rules and regulations.
This article will provoke thoughts and create awareness about the new political world order, the changing influence of Western and Eastern powers as well as the emergence and formation of a new centre of gravity in the global economy. It takes a close look at an emerging geopolitical dominance and focuses on the new crossroads between the West and the East – the New Silk Roads.
Plans are underway to construct a new power plant fuelled by waste material on the premises of Rondo Ganahl AG as part of the Initiative “Energy Autonomy Frastanz”. The new plant in Austria’s most western province will cover the future thermal energy demand of the Rondo paper mill and corrugated board plant and will also supply other businesses and private households.
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. 
In a world rapidly advancing toward quantum computing, have we underestimated the risks and will our reluctance to act now leave our digital world exposed and vulnerable?
How technology will contribute to increasing resilience and why personal responsibility is an important part of risk management.
In an era where artificial intelligence is woven into every aspect of business, the hidden dangers of unsanctioned AI tools are increasingly coming to light.
During a recent panel discussion organised by GrECo Czech Republic, experts in insurance and cyber security examined the most critical cybersecurity challenges and strategies.
The insurance industry is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by the rapid adoption of AI and predictive analytics.
Within healthcare, many doctors and nurses see AI as a promising tool to ease their heavy administrative workload and are eagerly anticipating further advancements.
In an era where artificial intelligence is woven into every aspect of business, the hidden dangers of unsanctioned AI tools are increasingly coming to light.
José Luis Abad Garcia, Competence Center Manager Motor, at GrECo Austria shares GrECo’s groundbreaking journey in integrating AI to transform motor insurance claims processing.
In an unpredictable global landscape, the resilience of food supply chains is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

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