PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ERGO Group announced today that ERGO NEXT CEO Guy Goldstein will assume the newly created role of Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) on the Management Board of ERGO Group AG, effective October 1.
In this position, he will be responsible for the systematic implementation of artificial intelligence across the entire ERGO Group. At the same time, Mark Klein, currently Chief Digital Officer of ERGO Group AG, will leave the company at the end of the year at his own request.
Guy Goldstein will take on the new role of CAIO in addition to his position as CEO of ERGO NEXT in the United States. He founded the U.S. property and casualty insurer in Palo Alto in 2016, focusing on the specific needs of small business owners, and has built it into one of the leading digital insurers for small businesses in the United States.
ERGO NEXT has been fully integrated into ERGO since last year, following a partnership with ERGO and Munich Re that started in 2017.
“With the creation of the Chief AI Officer role, we are underscoring our strategic ambition to implement artificial intelligence systematically along our entire value chain and in all our markets,” says Markus Rieß, CEO of ERGO Group AG. “By appointing Guy Goldstein, we are entrusting this responsibility not only to a recognized AI visionary, but also to someone who has already successfully established one of the most innovative AI-driven insurance ventures in the market with ERGO NEXT. We now bring this innovative strength and outstanding experience to our Group Board, making it available across ERGO as a whole.”
“I am both very honored and excited to take on the role of Chief AI Officer at ERGO Group,” says Guy Goldstein, CEO of ERGO NEXT. “As part of the management team, I will focus on driving forward the Group’s ambition to establish a leadership position in the field of artificial intelligence – a key pillar of its strategic roadmap until 2030. Following the tremendous work carried out by Mark Klein and his teams for the digital transformation of ERGO over the past years, we will now take the next step to fully embed and scale the use of this groundbreaking technology across the business and the wider organization. To this end, we will leverage synergies stemming from my responsibilities at ERGO NEXT and the company’s growth trajectory in the U.S.”
Mark Klein has served as Chief Digital Officer at ERGO since 2016 – initially at ERGO Digital Ventures AG and, since 2024, as a member of the Management Board of ERGO Group AG. In his most recent role, he was responsible for all strategic digitalization initiatives, Group Marketing and global partnerships.
About ERGO NEXT Insurance
ERGO Next Insurance, previously known as NEXT Insurance, is a leading digital insurer transforming small business insurance with simple, digital coverage tailored to entrepreneurs. We offer a broad range of small business solutions including, General Liability, Business Owners Policies (BOP), Workers’ Compensation, Professional Liability, and other essential coverages designed to meet the needs of growing businesses.
We utilize AI and machine learning to simplify the purchasing process for coverage with 24/7 access to servicing, including Certificates of Insurance, additional insured, and more.
After years of close partnership with Munich Re, we were acquired in 2025 to become a part of their ERGO Group global insurance network. Together, we’re making small business insurance simpler and smarter to help more small businesses thrive.
For more information, visit NextInsurance.com. Stay up to date on the latest with NEXT on LinkedIn, Facebook and our blog.
Media Contact:
Matt Crawford
ERGO NEXT Insurance
975 California Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94304
pr@nextinsurance.com
