Bernhard Kotanko

Partner
EMEA

Bernhard Florian Kotanko is Head of Oliver Wyman’s EMEA Insurance practice and a Partner in the firm’s Zurich Office. He is also Market Manager for the firm’s German-speaking European region and is a Member of the global Management Committee and the European Management Team. Bernhard has worked with major financial institutions in more than 30 countries on the full strategy and operations spectrum with emphasis on group strategy and organization, post-merger integration, emerging markets, life insurance, distribution and marketing as well as cost efficiency management.

Bernhard’s most recent project engagements include:

  • Strategy development and transformation advice, focused on re-organization, cost management and program steering for a leading German composite insurer
  • Market entry strategy into India and joint-venture negotiation support for a European life insurer
  • Growth strategy development and business case support for a Russian domestic insurer
  • Restructuring and optimization of investment strategy and asset management post-crisis for a global life insurer
  • Author of a global study on the systemic relevance of the insurance sector and specific insurance activities for the Geneva Association

Bernhard is author of a number of reports, including "Game change. General Account Investment Management in a Post-Crisis World," "Customer Centricity," "The Cost House in Insurance," "The Future of Life Insurance: Going on the offensive" and "Reborn Identity: Bringing Emotion to Insurance."

He joined the firm in 2004 from sister company Mercer Management Consulting where he had served as consultant since 1998 covering strategy topics mainly in the financial services, aviation and retail industry.
 
Bernhard graduated from the Harvard Business School Executive General Management Program (GMP#8) and holds a Master’s degree in international trade from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration with a Joint Study MBA program with the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.