Letter from the Chairman

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Last year, the insurance sector witnessed a whole raft of important events clamouring for attention. At a challenging time of legal rules and regulations, product innovations and claim settlements, Česká pojišťovna spared no effort to make the grade in the eyes of its clients and business partners in 2014.

The fact that Česká pojišťovna is progressively becoming an increasingly prominent part of Generali’s international insurance group means we are in a position to actively exploit and develop our know-how while concentrating on all specificities of the Czech Republic – the market Česká pojišťovna has called home for more than 188 years. The values the Company lives by are geared towards improving the lives of clients both today and tomorrow. We are aware that that we affect people’s quality of life and we are proud to have done a lot of work in this area in 2014.

Last year was extraordinarily taxing, especially in the realm of motor insurance. The new Civil Code entered into force on 1 January and affected most aspects associated, in particular, with liability insurance. Česká pojišťovna was well prepared for the enactment of this legislation, successfully putting into practice many measures related to its product range and the actual process of insurance contracting and claim settlement. This far-reaching and complex agenda was – and remains – a major challenge. It was pleasing to see us cope with it so smoothly and I am glad that we actively offer private and corporate clients assistance as they adapt to the new conditions.

Nor did we here at Česká pojišťovna lose sight of innovation in 2014. This is an area which sets us apart from the competition and delivers added value to clients. We enhanced our insurance of multi-family buildings and embellished our long-running highly specific equine insurance. We put a lot of effort into raising awareness of the liability component in our insurance for businesses. Most importantly of all, however we unveiled our new generation of life insurance, marketed under the telling name of “My Life” (Můj život), delivering qualities unexampled on the Czech insurance market and appealing to the general public and professionals alike.

We also actively seek out and nurture opportunities for communication with our clients. Our watchwords here are coherence, candour and maximum customisation. The fledgeling results of our analyses show that channelling so much effort into the development of client services is a rich seam ripe for mining.

Česká pojišťovna, as the Czech insurance market leader, is constantly polishing its professional expertise. I have every right to feel pleased when I look back at the results achieved in top industry competitions in 2014. For the fourth year running, we were named the Insurance Company of the Year in the prestigious Fincentrum Bank of the Year contest. Likewise, Česká pojišťovna held sway in the “Life Insurance” category with its Můj život insurance, while its Premium MTPL insurance came a commendable third in the “Vehicle Insurance” category.

In the extremely tough Best Insurance Company 2014 survey by Hospodářské noviny, not only did we win the Best Non-life Insurance Company category, but we were also – and perhaps more importantly – named the Most Customer Friendly Non-life Insurance Company of the Year. These fantastic results would be virtually unthinkable without those who motivate us the most – the clients who give us their custom and feedback.

Speaking on behalf of the Company’s management, I would like to thank all employees and agents who played a hand in Česká pojišťovna’s success in 2014 and, in doing so, helped to cement our mindset – that insurance is a matter of the heart for us.

I would also like to express my gratitude wholeheartedly to our business partners for their custom and the vibrancy they provide us with.

In particular, I extend my thanks to our clients. We view the faith they place in us as a commitment to deliver service beyond their expectations.

Luciano Cirinà
Chairman of the Board of Directors