Cliff Falkenhagen will succeed Wolfgang Jöbkes, who retires after more than 46 years with the DEVK Group, as Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) of the German insurance company’s reinsurance subsidiary DEVK RE.
Since 1987, Jöbkes has successfully led DEVK’s sub-reinsurance division. After the creation of DEVK Rückversicherungs- und Beteiligungs-AG in 2001, he assumed responsibility for the development of incoming reinsurance business.
His long and influential career culminates in his current leadership position as CUO and General Representative.
Dr. Fabian Pütz, Member of the Executive Board, commented: “Wolfgang Jöbkes has developed incoming reinsurance from a niche business into a profitable growth engine and has made a significant contribution to DEVK RE’s success, with written premiums in non-DEVK RE’s business exceeding €1 billion in the 2025 financial year.”
Falkenhagen will take over as CUO on January 1, 2026, and Jöbkes will retire at the end of February 2026. This will ensure a two-month transition period.
The executive has been with the DEVK Group for 20 years since 2005 as a combined degree student and associate underwriter. He was promoted to Manager of the Incoming Reinsurance Team and made significant contributions to the reinsurance business in Europe and North America.
He was appointed Executive Vice President in early 2023 and currently oversees three underwriting divisions (DACH, UK & CEE, North America) as well as the Analytics & Controls division.
“Cliff Falkenhagen knows our business and our team inside out and has played a decisive role in shaping the DEVK RE 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 strength to an even more successful future.”