1946: Renewal Across the Board- Dr. Werner Berndt Joins the Firm

The year 1946 is one of renewal, not only socially and politically, but also within the firm of Mund & Fester. Upon the resignation of Edgar von Borries, who leaves to found a firm of his own, Dr. Werner Bernd, director of the Allianz, joins the firm as a partner. This marks a decisive point in the history of the company.

As there is no one in either the Mund or Fester family suitable to lead the firm, it falls to Dr. Werner Bernd, who stems from Mühlhausen in Thuringia, to start a new family line of owners. Enticing Dr. Werner Bernd to leave the Allianz at that time is an audacious coup for Mund & Fester: This was modern “Head-hunting”; for to resign from an important firm like Allianz in that era was not a step one took lightly. As one would expect, the Allianz reacts initially with a bit of pique but, in the long run, the relations between the companies remain warm.

All in all, it is an important step for Dr. Werner Bernd, who had worked his way up from humble beginnings and studied in Munich. He maintains especially good contacts to the Swiss National Insurance Company in Basel- indispensable when dealing with foreign currencies during this period in which there was no reliable German currency. Dr. Bernd is also a skilled sales agent, and so the firm prospers anew, especially after the introduction of the Deutschmark.