The Son Takes Over

Michael Berndt, still dealing with the tragic death of his father, is now obliged to take up the reins at Mund & Fester. His years as apprentice at Mund & Fester at the side of his dominating father had been anything but easy.

Under his father’s patriarchal leadership, he had been obliged to learn the insurance business from the bottom up, without any privileges. This iron-fisted approach leads to frequent conflicts between father and son but it also allows Michael to develop into an extremely capable manager, who truly knows the “nuts and bolts” of the industry.

Additionally, Michael matures to become a commercial judge, a member of the plenum of the chamber of commerce, and head of the Netherlands Relief Fund (Niederländische Armencasse).