Dr Ulf Spessert to become new Chief Financial Officer of OVB Holding AG

• Dr Ulf Spessert appointed Chief Financial Officer of OVB Holding AG effective 1 January 2027
• Currently CFO of Markel Insurance SE and Managing Director of Markel Holdings GmbH
• Management experience at international insurance groups, including AXA XL 

Cologne, 20 May 2026 – The Supervisory Board of OVB Holding AG has appointed Dr Ulf Spessert (42) as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with effect from 1 January 2027. He will assume responsibility for OVB Holding AG’s finance department.

Dr Spessert has many years of management experience in the
insurance and finance sectors, as well as proven expertise in financial management, accounting and insurance law. He currently works as Chief Financial Officer at Markel Insurance SE, a European specialist insurance provider and member of the Markel Group with offices in the Netherlands, France, Spain, Switzerland, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining Markel, he held various senior roles at AXA XL, XL Catlin and Catlin, in both Germany-specific and international contexts. He began his career working in auditing at Deloitte.

In addition to his work as CFO, Dr Spessert currently lectures in tax law as part of the insurance degree programme at Cologne University of Applied Sciences and volunteers as a commercial judge.

Dr Spessert holds a degree in business administration from a university of applied sciences, is a qualified tax advisor and has obtained MBA (Master of Business Administration) and an LL.M (Master of Laws – Insurance Law) qualifications. 
He also earned a PhD from the University of Wuppertal.

“In Dr Spessert, we are gaining an experienced Chief Financial Officer with proven expertise in the insurance sector. His extensive experience in international corporate structures will play a key role in supporting OVB’s ongoing development,” commented Michael Johnigk, Chair of the Supervisory Board of OVB Holding AG.

“Dr Spessert has extensive international experience in finance and
insurance, with a keen eye for strategic development. My colleague Heinrich Fritzlar and I are very much looking forward to working with Dr Spessert,” added Mario Freis, CEO of OVB Holding AG.

About the OVB Group

The OVB Group, with its holding company headquarters in Cologne, is one of Europe’s leading financial advisory groups. Since its foundation in 1970, OVB’s business activities have focused on providing long-term, comprehensive and, above all, client-oriented financial advice to private households. OVB works with more than 100 high-performance providers and fulfils its clients’ individual needs with competitive products – from basic protection for financial security and property/asset insurance to pensions, asset generation and wealth management. 

OVB currently operates in 16 European countries. It has 6,558 full-time financial advisors serving 4.94 million clients. OVB Holding AG and its subsidiaries generated brokerage income of €437.2 million and EBIT of €10.6 million in 2025. OVB Holding AG has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard, ISIN DE0006286560) since July 2006.