BusinessMirror
  • News
    • News
    • Top News
    • Regions
    • Nation
    • World
    • Asia Today
  • Business
    • Business
    • Agri-Commodities
    • Asean Economic Community
    • Banking & Finance
    • Companies
    • Economy
    • Entrepreneur
    • Executive Views
    • Export Unlimited
    • Harvard Management Update
    • Monday Morning
    • Mutual Funds
    • Stock Market Outlook
    • The Integrity Initiative
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Editorial cartoon
  • Life
    • Life
    • Art
    • Design&Space
    • Digital Life
    • Journey
    • Motoring
    • 360° Review
    • Property
    • Show
    • Tech
    • Tourism
    • Y2Z
  • Features
    • Biodiversity
    • Education
    • Envoys & Expats
    • Explainer
    • Faith
    • Green
    • Health & Fitness
    • Mission: PHL
    • Our Time
    • Perspective
    • Photo Gallery
    • Science
    • Today in History
    • Tony&Nick
    • When I Was 25
    • Wine & Dine
  • BMPlus
    • BMPlus
    • SoundStrip
    • Live & In Quarantine
    • Bulletin Board
    • Marketing
    • Public Service
    • CSR
  • The Broader Look

Today’s front page, Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Subscribe
BusinessMirror
BusinessMirror
  • News
    • News
    • Top News
    • Regions
    • Nation
    • World
    • Asia Today
  • Business
    • Business
    • Agri-Commodities
    • Asean Economic Community
    • Banking & Finance
    • Companies
    • Economy
    • Entrepreneur
    • Executive Views
    • Export Unlimited
    • Harvard Management Update
    • Monday Morning
    • Mutual Funds
    • Stock Market Outlook
    • The Integrity Initiative
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Editorial cartoon
  • Life
    • Life
    • Art
    • Design&Space
    • Digital Life
    • Journey
    • Motoring
    • 360° Review
    • Property
    • Show
    • Tech
    • Tourism
    • Y2Z
  • Features
    • Biodiversity
    • Education
    • Envoys & Expats
    • Explainer
    • Faith
    • Green
    • Health & Fitness
    • Mission: PHL
    • Our Time
    • Perspective
    • Photo Gallery
    • Science
    • Today in History
    • Tony&Nick
    • When I Was 25
    • Wine & Dine
  • BMPlus
    • BMPlus
    • SoundStrip
    • Live & In Quarantine
    • Bulletin Board
    • Marketing
    • Public Service
    • CSR
  • The Broader Look
  • Executive Views

Dr. Olaf Kliesow: Great CEOs know how to play ball

  • BusinessMirror
  • October 8, 2017
  • 895 views
  • 4 minute read

AS if required of every German, Dr. Olaf Kliesow learned to play football with passion, motivation and strategy. The game makes the toughest players on and off the pitch. If you master it, according to him, you can make everything happen to hit the goal.

In Photo: Allianz PNB Life executives with four of the five football players who were sent to the 2017 Allianz Junior Football Camp in Bali, Indonesia. Two of the kids, Jan Mayer Mitra and Aeron Christian Tennolar, were later sent to Munich Germany. (From left to right) Alexander Grenz, Chief Operating Officer, Allianz PNB Life; Mitra; Jasper Beruan; Dr. Olaf Kliesow, President and Chief Executive Officer, Allianz PNB Life; Joefrey Fresado; Tennolar; and Efren Caringal, Chief FinancialOfficer, Allianz PNB Life.

As the chief executive officer and president of Allianz PNB Life, he is in-charge of a seventeen-year old company forged with a joint venture between Munich-based global insurance company Allianz and the life insurance subsidiary of the Philippine National Bank (PNB), one the country’s largest private local commercial banks in terms of assets and deposits.

A corporate lawyer, Dr. Kliesow spent majority of his 20-career in the finance consulting industry working in top management positions of companies from Germany to Japan and now, the Philippines.

Beyond kicking a football and crunching numbers, Business Mirror sat down with Dr. Kliesow to pick the wisdom of a seasoned corporate leader, whose goal through his company’s life and health insurance expertise, is to secure substantial financial gains for Filipinos and their families.

How is the partnership of Allianz and PNB?

WE have been together for a year now and the collaboration is working very well. We are happy with the direction we are taking with PNB.

What do you think of the Filipinos’ awareness and acceptance of insurance compared to other Asian countries?

THE drive of the business here is similar with other Asian countries, where the nations are very young with very big population. The awareness level about insurance is still low, so a lot of people are underinsured. That’s why we’re here to give Filipinos the choice and reduce the “protection gap” in every family here.

What do you mean when you say “protection gap”?

FAMILIES in the Philippines continue to face the threat of substantial financial hardship should the breadwinner pass away, which we refer to as the ‘protection gap. In the Philippines, this protection gap is estimated to be at Php24 trillion (USD480 billion) or Php1.17 million per household. This financial instability is worrisome, as it makes Filipino families vulnerable to life events such as critical illnesses. Allianz is also looking into expanding its portfolio to include more health and micro-insurance products to help Filipinos reduce the protection gap.

We learned that Allianz PNB Life has a strong corporate social responsibility project geared on sports, specifically football. How does it relate to what you are doing in the Philippines?

ALLIANZ is deeply involved and engaged in football. As a company, we have brand activities related to football all over the globe. We have the Allianz Junior Football Camp (AJFC) as our biggest youth development project that happens every year. Since there are a lot of companies worldwide that are participating, there are pre-selection camps. In the Philippines, we had a nationwide game that gathered 24 teams and we did a one-day pre-selection that was supported by the Philippine Football Federation. They selected the five (5) kids we sent to Bali. Right after, we sent two (2) of them to Munich. The kids trained with Bayern Munich coaches. They watched a Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. The whole week was everything about football and developing the kids.

Do you play football? What is your assessment of our young Filipino football players?

I have been a football player like probably every German boy. And I did that for many years. But never close to even anything professional, so just for fun. I enjoy playing and occasionally, I still play. I’ve seen them (Filipino players) play I’ve spent the entire day when we did the nationwide game in May. In the end, it is very similar, as all across the world, if you have young boys and girls running after the ball. They are very enthusiastic, they love it, they are very passionate, and they are having a lot of fun.

What makes football a good foundation for kids?

Football, like in other sports, is about technique and skills. But it should not be limited to that. I mean, in the end what really counts and what can make the difference, is the passion, the motivation, and the strategy that you have. And in the end, football is a team sport, you can’t achieve anything on your own. Just having one strong player will not bring you anywhere. So, it is really about motivating the team. You have to master the game and you can make anything happen.

Are the skills you acquire from playing football applicable in business?

I think that you can mirror that into business. Like in business, you need to have a strategy, of course. We have to look at our competitors. In football, you have to study your opponents. You have to see what’s their weak point, where you could possibly beat them. But the most important part is to motivate the team, score goals and then you can make everything happen. If you bring the team together, there are great success stories of underdog teams that make great victory, even though nobody was expecting that.

In a nutshell, what is your short-term and long-term plan here in the Philippines?

OUR immediate goal is to develop the partnership with PNB. For our long-term goal, we really need to support, develop, and to close the protection gap here in the Philippines. There are many people, as I’ve said, who are underinsured. There is a long-term project also supported by the government of eradicating poverty here. And Allianz is very strong in health insurance, and that’s a risk that many people are not aware of here, when it comes to medical expenses. So, we would like to contribute in promoting and making sure that if many Filipino families are well protected, they can continue their journey to prosperity and well being.

0
0
1
0
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 1
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Featured

Know more

Know more
  • 655
  • 5 min
  • Executive Views

Xavier Marzan steers Filinvest Group’s path to self-disruption and innovation

  • Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
  • July 31, 2023
Know more
  • 1.6K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

Atty. Jesus ‘Bong’ Suntay: Cleanfuel ready to expand to Mindanao

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • April 10, 2023
Know more
  • 4.2K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

Sto. Tomas City, Batangas Mayor Aarth Jhun A. Marasigan: A public servant with a mission

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • February 20, 2023
Know more
  • 3.6K
  • 7 min
  • Executive Views

Gel Gomez, Hotel101 General Manager : Leading Hotel 101’s global transformation

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • February 13, 2023
Know more
  • 1.2K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

Swissotel’s Alex Aquino: The prince of hotel openings

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • December 19, 2022
Know more
  • 4K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

A man of his word: Dr. Eduardo S. Eseque, President, ManilaMed

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • September 26, 2022
Know more
  • 1K
  • 3 min
  • Executive Views

Heritage Built on Passion, Legacy, Service: ManilaMed celebrates 55th anniversary

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • September 26, 2022
Know more
  • 5.6K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

Mayor Dennis Felipe C. Hain’s “Bagong Cabuyao”: Training for good governance and equal opportunities in education and health

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • August 8, 2022
Know more
  • 1K
  • 5 min
  • Companies
  • Executive Views
  • Motoring
  • Outlook

General Motors CEO Mary Barra talks electric vehicles, future

  • The Associated Press
  • July 20, 2022
Know more
  • 7.3K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

Accidental hotelier finds his way to Bagac, Bataan

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • July 4, 2022
Know more
  • 2.2K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

Mayor Vincent L. Soriano: Pakil’s resolute dreamer

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • January 31, 2022
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla
Know more
  • 1.2K
  • 3 min
  • Executive Views

Pfizer chief Albert Bourla wins $1-million Genesis Prize

  • The Associated Press
  • January 19, 2022
Know more
  • 2.7K
  • 6 min
  • Executive Views

Biñan City’s Action Man

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • December 13, 2021
Know more
  • 2.8K
  • 8 min
  • Executive Views

A visionary, entrepreneur all rolled into one

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • November 15, 2021
Know more
  • 2.8K
  • 7 min
  • Executive Views

Exciting times ahead for InLife

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • November 8, 2021
Know more
  • 2.4K
  • 7 min
  • Executive Views

Of start-ups and scale-ups

  • Anne Ruth Dela Cruz
  • November 1, 2021
Know more
  • 962
  • 4 min
  • Executive Views

TAKING FLIGHT

  • Maan D'Asis Pamaran
  • December 14, 2020
Know more
  • 5.1K
  • 5 min
  • Executive Views

BUCKING THE ODDS | SMDC president Jose Mari Banzon on the role that real estate will play in restarting the economy and rebuilding the nation

  • JT Nisay
  • November 9, 2020
Know more
  • 808
  • 5 min
  • Executive Views

IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE | SAHAR expands capabilities to fight COVID-19

  • Stephanie Joy Ching
  • November 2, 2020
Know more
  • 1.2K
  • 2 min
  • Bulletin Board
  • Entrepreneur
  • Executive Views
  • Marketing

Re-calibrate your strategies for 2021

  • BusinessMirror
  • October 30, 2020

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe

BusinessMirror
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Podcast
  • Text-Only Homepage

Input your search keywords and press Enter.