Interview with Nico Cozzolino, Head of Business Development Lucerne

Welcome to the team, Nico! You’ve been Head of Business Development Lucerne for a few weeks now. How did the start go?

The start was very positive, fast-paced and I was warmly welcomed by my new colleagues. After a quick jump out of the starting gate and a few slalom turns to get used to it, I headed straight into the fast descent of my day-to-day work.

What prompted you to make the switch and what are you most looking forward to at Verlingue?

I worked for two insurers for over 20 years and then as a broker in sales and customer service for over eight years. During this time, I also trained in insurance economics, financial management, risk management and board management. I now have the opportunity to utilise my many years of experience in a new environment at Verlingue. I am looking forward to successfully implementing and developing this sales experience and expertise in my new management role with my employees and colleagues.

What professional background and added value for customers do you bring to the position?

Through my many years of experience in sales, I have developed a strongly customer-orientated way of working and established a partnership-based mindset. I also have extensive expertise and practical experience in the areas of insurance, risk management and finance, which I have acquired over the last 30 years. In collaboration with my colleagues from the specialist departments and management level, I am the ideal contact for comprehensive and customised risk and insurance management concepts for our customers and business partners.

Why is risk management so important for smaller companies and how can we at Verlingue help?

In small and medium-sized companies, insufficient attention is often paid to risk management due to a lack of time, financial resources and expertise. However, in this business segment in particular, where financial resources are limited, it is especially important to establish and operate an effective risk management system that is linked to customised insurance cover.

At Verlingue, we can offer our customers support and generate significant added value. We are working on the development of specialised risk management services and the introduction of a user-friendly risk management software solution. This will enable our clients to identify, assess and manage their risks holistically and, where possible, align their insurance cover accordingly. More information can be found at www.verlingue.ch/risikomanagement.

You have already worked for various insurers and a broker, how do you assess the current market and why should a company be supported by Verlingue?

In addition to traditional insurers, a large number of broker and advisory service providers are active in today’s insurance market. More and more foreign brokerage firms and investors are entering the Swiss market. At the same time, numerous local providers are merging to form new service organisations, are being taken over by third parties, and then split up again after a short time or are transferred to new owners. On the one hand, these developments promise customers more competition and new, attractive solutions. However, these constant market changes also bring unrest and a lack of transparency to the insurance market, where security, reliability and customer relationships based on partnership are usually emphasised. This makes the market environment increasingly confusing, even for industry experts. Choosing the right and reliable service provider is therefore becoming more and more of a challenge for the insurance layman or the decision-makers in companies.

For precisely these reasons, it is important in today’s market environment to have an experienced and established specialist partner at your side. This is where Verlingue, with around 120 employees, comes in – with many years of expertise and market experience in Switzerland and its own international network in a global environment.

From the customer’s point of view, it is also a clear added value to be supported by a service provider that enjoys a reliable reputation with the insurers and can look back on a long, cooperative partnership with the providers. This results in attractive price/benefit offers and needs-optimised cover concepts for customers, which are constantly adapted to changing circumstances as part of the collaboration.

 What do you do in your free time?

I enjoy spending my free time with family and friends, having good conversations and cheerful company, as well as biking and hiking in our beautiful region. I also enjoy cooking at home at the weekend or immersing my thoughts in an interesting textbook. I’m also a member of the Heini von Uri guild in Sursee and sometimes go for a leisurely moped ride with a moped group.

Thank you very much for the interview, Nico, and we hope you enjoy your new job at Verlingue.