Legal expert Eithan Wolf came to Hamburg to shake up the international medical insurance sector – and enjoy a glass of wine by Lake Alster

    1. How was 2020 for your company and what do you expect for the future?
      2020 was an incredible launch year for our German market. We decided to go ahead with our plans despite the COVID-19 pandemic in order to provide our solutions and services to the German market. This year we are adding yet another layer of innovation to the health insurance market with our new autonomous insurance app that complements our card payment solution. This app gives full details of local medical providers and can be used to pay the medical provider directly with the insurer’s funds very simply. This is a totally new perception in health insurance that makes health services even more accessible to our insured members.
    2. Do you expect growth for your company? What does this mean for the Hamburg site?
      We expect our operations to grow dramatically within the near future. Our approach is innovative not only due to the intellectual property and technology that is integrated into our systems but mainly due to our service approach to attend customers’ needs in the channel of their choice. Customers who want to speak with us are answered 24/7 from Hamburg within ten seconds and not forwarded to an off-site contact center.
    3. Is there anything that has truly scared you?
      The last relocation to Hamburg was definitely a game changer, but I was lucky to have been trusted and guided by the visionary president and founder of the DavidShield-Passport- Card group, Alon Ketzef.
    4. What was the last business achievement that still makes you proud?
      We recently signed an exclusive collaboration with TK, Germany’s biggest HMO, with TK recommending our products for its international customers and providing a joint mechanism to streamline their reimbursement entitlement under their social healthcare coverage. We are extremely honoured to be recommended by TK and are planning future collaborations.
    5. How do you recruit? Has your approach been changed by the expectations of the new generation?
      We see that more and more recruiting is attributed to recommendations of our current employees. We really believe that if someone likes working with us, they will simply share it with their network of friends.
    6. Are there any differences for you between working life between Germany and in your home country?
      As a German myself, who also worked many years abroad, I would emphasise the important work-life balance that employees maintain in Germany. We are happy to support our employees with off-work activities (at the moment, mostly via digital means).
    7. Apart from Hamburg, which are your three favourite cities worldwide?
      Tel Aviv, New York and Rome.
    8. Are there any technological developments that will have a particular influence on your business development?
      We have been integrating AI and machine learning abilities into our systems and payment methods, that enable the customer to pay autonomously with the insurer’s funds, while a great deal of automatic back office mechanisms are applied seamlessly within seconds. I believe this creates a revolution in the consumption of health insurance and would only continue to evolve with our following solutions.
    9. What’s your favourite spot in Hamburg?
      Lockdown is definitely making it difficult, but there is nothing like having a glass of red wine next to the Alster lake, preferably with good company.
    10. Where do you consider home?
      By now – Hamburg
    11. Any advice for young people embarking on a career?
      If one is doing a good job, it shows. Fear less, be sensitive to your peers, listen humbly to your surroundings but be decisive and courageous.
    12. Where do you take friends visiting you in Hamburg?
      The river Elbe in the sunset.
    13. Which characteristic do you value most in your employees?
      Loyalty, dedication and consideration
    14. What drives you? What motivates you to keep developing your business?
      One of the special features of the DavidShield-Passport-Card group is the DNA of its team members. For us it is not merely a job. We believe in doing good for the benefit of others and having also a successful business model.
    15. How do you get into your current career path?
      I started my career as a corporate legal attorney, and was involved in drafting and amending the Israeli corporate law. I worked mainly on M&A and corporate business with high profile investors and decided to turn down an offer to work with the president of the Israeli’s supreme court to engage in business. I was proud to launch the Innovation and Digital division of a Tier 1 bank with 12,000 employees. The chairman referred me to the David- Shield-PassportCard insurance group who entrusted me with heading their German operations.

Eithan Wolf
Wolf, CEO of Passportcard Deutschland GmbH, part of a market-leading international private health insurance group, joined the DavidShield-PassportCard group in 2018 after launching the Innovation and Digital division of a Tier 1 bank with worldwide operations. Prior to this, Wolf was involved in the corporate law amendment process in the Israeli parliament and was head legal counsel of a leading news cooperative. Wolf holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and MBA with honours (UN Scholar).