Tobias Sonndorfer (VIG Re): Decentralization isn't chaos. Chaos is running a global company from a single desk

Tobias Sonndorfer took over leadership of VIG Re on January 1, 2025, succeeding long-serving CEO Johannes Martin Hartmann. In this conversation, he openly describes what “moving to the next level” means in the reinsurance business: globalizing the company, bringing decision-making closer to clients, while catching up with the technological wave reshaping underwriting. And he adds a warning that's often ignored in practice: decentralization isn't “freedom” — it's a combination of empowerment and hard accountability, without a culture of fear, and backed by data.

A global game of diversification

Tobias Sonndorfer is taking over VIG Re in good shape — and he sees that as exactly the risk. When a company is working well, the easiest thing to do is keep going in the same mode. But reinsurance is a global game of diversification: risk scenarios differ by region, client, and geopolitics. That's why he understands “next level” as a shift from a successful European reinsurer to a more globalized player — one that has to earn trust outside Europe (US/LatAm/Asia) every single day, without shortcuts like “one size fits all.”

From central to decentral

Inside the company, this means a cultural shift “from central to decentral”: decision-making should move closer to the client and local realities. The critical trade-off is obvious: more autonomy increases variability and the risk of inconsistency (risk appetite, underwriting standards, governance). Sonndorfer's counterargument to naive decentralization is clear: empowerment has to be balanced with accountability and clear rules. Mistakes are acceptable as a source of learning, but they can't repeat; the company shouldn't push people into making decisions out of fear.

Digitalization as a transformation of the business foundation

The second driver of change is digitalization. Sonndorfer doesn't paint it as an “AI buzzword,” but as a transformation of the business foundation: data and technology need to feed directly into the underwriting process, both speeding up and sharpening ongoing risk assessment. At the same time, he notes this isn't a straightforward transformation — in practice, it runs into data quality and availability issues, explainability requirements, changing people's habits, and the risk that the technology stays locked away inside IT. That's why he pushes for tighter integration between the business and technology; otherwise, use cases stay as demos with no real impact on results.

Culture as a daily decision

He treats culture pragmatically (“deliberate”). The One VIG Re program is meant to provide a framework for values and collaboration, but it only works if it shows up in everyday decisions; otherwise it just becomes “corporate wallpaper.” He backs the change with concrete engagement rituals (recurring Q&A formats, breakfasts with the CEO, leadership exchanges, social active days). He sees diversity (roughly 30 nationalities across 200 people) as an advantage, while also flagging the need to verify meanings instead of assuming them, and to choose leaders who know how to lead across cultures.

What else will you find answered in the podcast?

• Why did a long, planned handover of the role work in his favor — and what did he get out of roughly 18 months spent able to “shadow and follow” the outgoing CEO?
• What exactly does the shift “from central to decentral” mean in a business where decisions are directly tied to risk and big numbers?
• How do you set up empowerment and accountability so decision-making stays consistent — and how do you turn mistakes into a source of learning, not fear?
• Why does Tobias Sonndorfer frame digitalization more as working with data and technology (with AI as part of it) — and which early AI use cases in underwriting are already being tested?
• How can 30 nationalities speed up decision-making — and when, on the other hand, does it slow things down because of unverified assumptions?
• What 2–3 priorities does he see for VIG Re over the coming years: culture, technology, and strategic expansion of its footprint.