Kleist Versicherungsmakler

What Kleist Versicherungsmakler does

Kleist Versicherungsmakler GmbH is an independent, family-owned insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler) headquartered in Münster, Germany, founded in 1927 and operating for nearly a century under continuous owner-management. The firm specializes in complex commercial insurance and risk advisory for industrial enterprises and financial service providers, with named managing directors Prof. Dr. Martin Schulze Schwienhorst, Dr. Rebecca Julia Koch, and Dr. Leo Schulze Schwienhorst, LL.M. (the latter appointed October 2022), supported by a credentialed specialist bench of LL.M. holders and PhDs.

Kleist generates revenue through insurance brokerage commissions on placed policies — a transaction-fee model in which the firm designs, negotiates, and manages bespoke coverage on behalf of clients. Its portfolio spans core commercial lines (D&O, cyber, fidelity/Vertrauensschaden, industrial liability, product liability, property, transport/fleet) and a growing set of specialized products tied to regulated verticals (DORA/NIS-2-aligned cyber and D&O for financial institutions, EdW-compatible fidelity insurance, Vermögensschaden-Haftpflicht for trustees of security assets, infrastructure insurance for network operators, and IPA/project insurance for large construction). Operations are structured through three entities: Kleist Versicherungsmakler GmbH (commercial brokerage), Kleist Unternehmensberatung GmbH (management consulting), and Kleist Privat- und Geschäftskunden GmbH (private-client brokerage for entrepreneur families). Distribution is exclusively direct advisory, with no public pricing and no disclosed revenue.

Kleist’s go-to-market relies on deep specialist expertise, academic engagement with the University of Münster (including a co-developed LL.M. Versicherungsrecht program and ongoing scholarly commentary across Beck, De Gruyter, and Carl Heymanns Verlag publications), and long-tenured client relationships — primarily with nationally and internationally active family-owned and regulated enterprises. Client segments are vertically targeted: industrial companies (primary), financial institutions (primary), network operators (secondary), and private clients from entrepreneur families (secondary). No funding, M&A, or external ownership changes are disclosed.

Name

Kleist Versicherungsmakler

Legal name

Kleist Versicherungsmakler GmbH

Website

https://kleist-versicherungsmakler.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kleist Versicherungsmakler is a family-owned insurance broker founded in 1927 in Münster, Germany, specializing in complex commercial insurance and risk advisory for industrial enterprises and financial institutions, with additional services for network operators and entrepreneur families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Management Liability (D&O/EPL/Fiduciary) (FSAJAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD), Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability (FSAJADAF)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Industrial insurance solutions
• D&O insurance advisory
• Cyber insurance coverage
• Financial lines insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Münster

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Kleist operates as an insurance broker (Versicherungsmakler), mediating insurance contracts between clients and insurance companies. Revenue is generated through commissions paid by insurance providers on placed policies. The company represents client interests and helps design, negotiate, and manage insurance coverage for complex corporate risks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kleist Versicherungsmakler is an independent insurance broker that designs, negotiates, and manages complex commercial insurance programs for industrial enterprises, financial institutions, and network operators. Core placements include D&O, cyber, liability, property, fidelity/Vertrauensschaden, transport/fleet, and large-project (IPA) insurance, with specialized lines such as EdW-compatible fidelity coverage, trustee liability, and commission repayment insurance. Services are delivered by qualified legal and insurance specialists who act as an extended arm of clients' legal departments.

Product overview

Kleist Versicherungsmakler is an independent, family-owned insurance broker specializing in commercial insurance for industrial enterprises and financial services companies. The portfolio centers on complex commercial lines: D&O (Directors & Officers) and cyber insurance for financial institutions and regulated entities; fidelity/ trust indemnity insurance; industrial liability and product liability coverage including the extended coverage needed for digital/AI products; property (Sachversicherung) and transport/fleet insurance; as well as specialized coverage for network operators, trustees of security assets, and construction projects using collaborative models (IPA). The offerings are delivered through three operating entities: Kleist Versicherungsmakler GmbH (commercial insurance brokerage), Kleist Unternehmensberatung GmbH (management consulting), and Kleist Privat- und Geschäftskunden GmbH (private client brokerage). Educational offerings include an LL.M. in Insurance Law delivered in partnership with JurGrad at the University of Münster.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• D&O Insurance (Directors & Officers)
• Cyber Insurance
• Fidelity Insurance (Vertrauensschadenversicherung)
• Industrial Liability Insurance (Betriebliche Haftpflichtversicherung)
• Product Liability Insurance (Produkthaftpflichtversicherung)
• Property Insurance (Sachversicherung)
• Transport and Fleet Insurance
• Project Insurance for Large Construction Projects (IPA/Großbauprojekte)
• Cost-Increase Coverage for Insurance Companies (Mehrkostendeckung)
• Trustee Property Liability Insurance (Vermögensschaden-Haftpflichtversicherung für Treuhänder)
• Commission Repayment Insurance (Provisionsrückzahlungsversicherung)
• Network Operator Insurance Coverage (Versicherungsschutz für Netzbetreiber)
• Kleist Privat- und Geschäftskunden (Private and Business Customer Brand)
• Kleist Unternehmensberatung (Management Consulting)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Münster (JurGrad)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKleist has an extensive partnership with the University of Münster's JurGrad for the LL.M. Versicherungsrecht (Insurance Law Master) program. Executive team members Prof. Dr. Martin Schulze Schwienhorst and Dr. Rebecca Julia Koch serve as lecturers. Numerous Kleist employees have completed the program, and it is integrated into the trainee program. The company supports employees through study leave and tuition reimbursement.
• Strong Partners (Betriebssport)minorOthersExternal partner for corporate health management services, providing bootcamps, yoga sessions and other fitness programs for Kleist employees.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Howden Group: Howden is a London-headquartered specialty insurance broker with rapidly expanding European operations. Increasingly competes in DACH specialty and financial-lines segments where Kleist operates, though with broader geographic reach and larger specialty practice areas.

Broad incumbents

• Aon: Aon is a global commercial insurance and risk-management leader with a well-established German practice in D&O, cyber, and financial lines. Direct overlap with Kleist's D&O/cyber specialty for German financial institutions and large industrial clients.
• Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG): Arthur J. Gallagher is a global commercial insurance broker with European specialty practices overlapping Kleist's D&O, cyber, and complex commercial liability placements. Competes in the same German mid-market and large-enterprise segments.
• Marsh: Marsh is the world's largest commercial insurance broker, part of Marsh McLennan, with a substantial German operation. Competes for the same large industrial and financial-institution accounts that Kleist serves, but with a global program-placement capability set.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): WTW is a global commercial insurance brokerage and advisory firm with strong German and European financial-lines practices. Comparable on financial-lines placement for financial institutions and industrial-product liability, at significantly greater scale.

Direct peers

• MRH Trowe: MRH Trowe is a Frankfurt-based independent German commercial insurance broker specializing in complex industrial and financial-lines risks. Closely comparable in client focus (industrial/financial institution specialty) and independent ownership model.
• Funk Gruppe: Funk is a family-owned, Hamburg-headquartered commercial insurance broker with deep German Mittelstand and industrial-client focus. Most directly comparable German peer: family ownership, specialty-line emphasis, and century-spanning presence mirror Kleist's positioning.
• Ecclesia Group: Ecclesia is a Detmold-based German specialty insurance broker with strong regulated-sector and institutional-client orientation, including financial lines. Kleist and Ecclesia compete in D&O/financial-lines placements for German regulated entities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kleist Versicherungsmakler