Pressemitteilung vom 18.12.2025

Cliff Falkenhagen appointed as Chief Underwriting Officer at DEVK RE

In June 2025, Dr. Fabian Pütz (age 34) became the Executive Board member responsible for reinsurance at DEVK. Now, another generational change will take place at the helm of the reinsurance division. Long-standing Chief Underwriting Officer Wolfgang Jöbkes (age 66) will retire effective March 1, 2026. Wolfgang Jöbkes’ responsibilities will be assumed by current Executive Vice President Cliff Falkenhagen (age 41) on January 1, 2026.

After more than 46 years with the DEVK Group, Wolfgang Jöbkes will retire at the end of February 2026. He has been successfully leading DEVK's ceded reinsurance department since 1987. Following the establishment of DEVK Rückversicherungs- und Beteiligungs-AG, he has been responsible for developing the incoming reinsurance activities since 2001. Wolfgang Jöbkes has thus shaped key strategic areas of DEVK RE over many decades – all the way to his current leadership role as Chief Underwriting Officer and General Representative. Member of the Executive Board Dr. Fabian Pütz emphasizes this lifetime achievement: "Wolfgang Jöbkes has developed incoming reinsurance from a niche business into a profitable growth engine and has contributed significantly to the success story of DEVK RE with premiums written exceeding EUR 1 billion premium from non-DEVK business in the 2025 financial year."

From student to head of the department

DEVK RE will stay focused on continuity and expertise: Cliff Falkenhagen will take over Wolfgang Jöbkes’ responsibilities on January 1, 2026, ensuring a two-month transition period. The new Chief Underwriting Officer has been working for the DEVK Group for 20 years. Cliff Falkenhagen began his career in 2005 as an integrated degree student. He studied insurance management at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne and started his career as an assistant underwriter. Through various positions, he developed into team manager for incoming reinsurance. Cliff has played a key role in building and managing the reinsurance business in Europe and particularly in North America. He was appointed Executive Vice President at the beginning of 2023. In this role, he is currently responsible for three underwriting divisions (DACH; UK & CEE; North America), as well as the analytics and controlling departments. Cliff is regarded as a manager with in-depth expertise and international experience. "Cliff Falkenhagen knowns our business and the team inside out and has already played a decisive role in shaping DEVK RE’s underwriting organization in recent years," says Dr. Fabian Pütz. "I look forward to working with him and the entire team to lead DEVK RE from a position of strength into an even more successful future."

From niche to growth driver

With this succession plan, DEVK Group is set to continue the success story of its reinsurance operations. Started in 1997, incoming reinsurance now contributes roughly a quarter of the Group's premium, making it the main driver of the group’s growth. DEVK RE, based in Cologne, Germany (www.devk-re.com ), and Echo RE in Zurich, Switzerland (www.echore.com ), together now reinsure around 1,000 insurance companies in over 120 countries around the world. There is also a German press release of this article.

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Wolfgang Jöbkes und Cliff Falkenhagen
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Wolfgang Jöbkes und Cliff Falkenhagen
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Cliff Falkenhagen
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Cliff Falkenhagen
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Wolfgang Jöbkes
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Wolfgang Jöbkes
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Dr. Fabian Pütz
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Dr. Fabian Pütz
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About DEVK

The best feeling is when nothing happens. And if something does happen, DEVK provides fast and personal assistance. Founded almost 140 years ago by railway workers for railway workers, today around 7,500 people work in operations and sales. They take care of around 4.2 million customers nationwide. Of these, 577,000 are members, i.e. employees of the transport industry and their dependents. In total, DEVK insures more than 15.3 million risks in all lines of business. Measured by the number of policies, it is Germany's fourth-largest home content insurer, fifth-largest auto insurer, and sixth-largest liability insurer.

Über die DEVK

Das beste Gefühl ist, wenn einfach nichts passiert. Und wenn doch mal was ist, hilft die DEVK schnell und persönlich weiter. Vor fast 140 Jahren von Eisenbahnern für Eisenbahner gegründet krempeln heute rund 7.500 Menschen im Innen- und Außendienst die Ärmel hoch. Sie kümmern sich um die Anliegen von bundesweit rund 4,2 Millionen Kundinnen und Kunden. Davon sind 577.000 Mitglieder, also Beschäftigte der Verkehrsbranche und deren Angehörige. Insgesamt versichert die DEVK mehr als 15,3 Millionen Risiken in allen Sparten. Nach der Anzahl der Verträge ist sie Deutschlands viertgrößter Hausrat-, fünftgrößter Pkw- und sechstgrößter Haftpflichtversicherer.