University Medal for Rolf-Peter Illigen

Dr Rolf-Peter Illigen, former member of the Executive Board of Gegenseitigkeit Versicherung Oldenburg (GVO), has been honoured with the University Medal. Prof Dr Bernd Siebenhüner, Vice President for Young Academics and Quality Management, presented the award at the annual conference of the Association for the Promotion of Insurance and Financial Mathematics at the University of Oldenburg.

Illigen received the award for his extraordinary and personal commitment to the mathematically and economically orientated teaching and research focus of the University of Oldenburg. According to Siebenhüner, he had initiated the founding of the Association for the Promotion of Insurance and Financial Mathematics and was extraordinarily committed to research in this field at the university, thus significantly advancing the networking of science with the insurance industry. It is thanks to his tireless commitment that the University of Oldenburg's insurance and financial mathematics is recognised far beyond the region's borders. Illigen was a member of the GVO board from 2002 until his retirement in July of this year and worked intensively to promote scientific co-operation between the university and the local insurance industry. At his suggestion, the university took part in an EU project that resulted in the Master's degree programme "Risk Management for Financial Service Providers". He was also instrumental in initiating and establishing the "Oldenburg Insurance Day". This annual event, organised by the School V - School of Mathematics and Science in co-operation with the Association for the Promotion of Insurance and Financial Mathematics, is regularly attended by high-profile speakers from academia, industry and German and European supervisory authorities.