He was trained to be a lawyer but ended up being an insurance man. That was ten years ago when he joined the 50-billion-dollar German insurance giant, Allianz AG. Now as the CEO for its Asia Pacific operations, Michael Diekmann looks back at his career in insurance with fondness "" except for the fateful day last week when the Indian government dramatically withdrew the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) bill from being tabled in the Lok Sabha.
Diekmann was among the delegates in the capital attending a CII sponsored international conference on the insurance sector when the fiasco in the Parliament occurred. 'That is one day I would like to forget. The withdrawal of the bill was unfortunate. But we will wait patiently,' Diekmann said, displaying the grit of a thorough professional.
Deikmann's present brief is to oversee the start of Allianz's business in India. But despite the heady feeling of controlling the business of a mega-corporation like Allianz, Diekmann has not forgotten his humble beginnings. He says he has worked his way up in the organisation right from the lowest rung.'I began like most insurers selling insurance policies. That was a good experience because even though I am sitting at a senior position now, I am perfectly aware of the ground realities. This helps me in taking crucial decisions,' he says.
Despite pressing commitments, the German always finds time for his passion for nature and adventure sports like river rafting. He is planning to go on a rafting expedition at an exotic locale in Canada sometime next year. If all goes well on the 'policy' front, that is.