Hack{IT}Over at Talanx: insurer hosts hackathon in Hannover

Hannover, 22 February 2018

Talanx is still pressing ahead with digitalisation: the insurer is hosting hackathon Hack{IT}Over in Hannover from 27 to 29 April. The atrium of Talanx's head office at HDI-Platz 1 will become a meeting point for programmers: around 120 students, graduates and experienced professionals from the Hannover region and throughout Germany will tackle three different coding challenges there on the last weekend in April. Participants will work in teams to address problems on the topics of 'mobility', 'speech recognition' and 'the future world of work'. The hackathon is particularly aimed at talented individuals working in business computing, mathematics, business administration and IT, as well as engineers and UX/UI designers. In addition to non-cash and special awards, the three winning teams will receive between 2,500 and 10,000 euros in prize money. The event is being supported by numerous partners and sponsors such as SAP, GitHub and figo.

'The digital transformation offers huge opportunities for the insurance industry. Thanks to customer portals and sales and claims apps, we can come into closer contact with our customers. Digitalisation also enables us to automate processes, making them faster, cheaper and more efficient. The use of artificial intelligence also harbours great potential. We are looking forward to seeing what innovative solutions the teams at Hack{IT}Over come up with for our insurance company', says Herbert K. Haas, Chairman of the Board of Management at Talanx AG and patron of the event.

'We would also like to show up-and-coming IT professionals that having an insurer from Hannover as an employer is anything but boring. Talanx offers exciting job opportunities in areas such as project management, Java or web development and information security management. More and more flexible, interdisciplinary project work is being carried out and we run an IT trainee programme with a guaranteed job at the end', adds Haas. Anyone interested can speak to Talanx employees and HR staff during the hackathon and find out about vacancies at Talanx Systeme AG, the Talanx Group's own IT service provider. At the Talanx subsidiary, over 1,000 employees work on software development, application operation and infrastructure, but they also address strategic issues.

The event organiser sees the Talanx hackathon as much more than a programming competition. 'Its main focus is having fun working together creatively on and with technological solutions in a very special atmosphere. Not only the programming skills, but also the idea, concept and teamwork will be the main criteria for choosing the winners', explains jury member Peter Klingspor, Head of Group Strategy and Corporate Development at Talanx AG. As well as a full catering service, the company is also offering participants a 'midnight special' and camp beds for resting because, based on experience, the teams will be programming through the night from Saturday to Sunday.

Apart from Hack{IT}Over, Talanx is organising many other initiatives to press ahead with digitalisation in the Group. For example, the insurer is working with fintechs Startupbootcamp from London and Plug and Play from California. With their help, Talanx has already made contact with over 100 start-ups, and the company is currently reviewing partnerships for several digital projects. Innovative solutions are developed for customers in the Group's own experimental Digital Lab. In addition to all manner of apps and options for taking out insurance online from Talanx's subsidiaries all over the world, a new telematics app is set to be launched in Germany.

Visit www.hackitover.com for more information and to sign up for the hackathon.

Disclaimer
This news release contains forward-looking statements which are based on certain assumptions, expectations and opinions of the Talanx AG management. These statements are, therefore, subject to certain known or unknown risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond Talanx AG's control, affect Talanx AG's business activities, business strategy, results, performance and achievements. Should one or more of these factors or risks or uncertainties materialise, actual results, performance or achievements of Talanx AG may vary materially from those expressed or implied in the relevant forward-looking statement. Talanx AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does Talanx AG accept any responsibility for the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. Talanx AG neither intends, nor assumes any obligation, to update or revise these forward-looking statements in light of developments which differ from those anticipated.