About Us
Our Approach
When MAI was established in 1991, the company’s key mission was to provide world class service and modern insurance products to our clients. We achieved this by attracting and retaining the most talented insurance professionals and support them with state-of-the-art systems and products to provide a seamless service to clients requiring insurance in the CEE, CIS and Caucuses regions.
These principles are still key to our company. The talent that the company is able to deploy on our clients’ behalf is world-class, our reputation is established, and our back office and placement systems are so effective we are able to use them to develop and support innovative insurance products anywhere in the region.
Depth and breadth of experience
All the members of MAI’s senior management team bring a wealth of experience to their roles. Their backgrounds include all the best-known names in the broking industry, as well as many of the most recognised insurers, both internationally and in the CEE Region.
But good talent goes much further than just industry experience. Our management team includes experience in areas outside insurance; business, financial services, energy, transportation and defence, to name just a few.
Building of mutually beneficial long term relations is the prime aim of our management, rather than the next quarterly report, and where you are assured that your business will be recognised and understood by a senior member of the management team in the country or speciality practice.
There is volatility in the CEE region, and many of the cultural practices, which vary from country to country will seem strange to outsiders. Working with MAI clients have the comfort of being able to relax in the knowledge that our team knows the ropes, and will always act in the best interests of the client: we recognise that in the long term, such a relationship will always be beneficial for both parties.
Our teams are made up of professionals committed to the region, and committed to building trust and long term relationships: offering continuity and stability in a changing and often transient environment. Such professionalism also allows us to empower our teams, allowing them to respond faster to the needs of the client.
Meet the Team
Piotr Cieslak
Piotr joined MAI Poland in 1999 and became the General Manager and President of the Board in January 2012. A licenced broker since 1997, he has over 19 years’ experience in insurance broking, including time at Marsh, Sedgwick and JLT.
Piotr’s key specialisations are P&C, CAR and Renewable Energy for which he acts as the centre of excellence for MAI CEE. He also sits on the Board of MAI CEE. Piotr is fluent in Polish, English and Russian.
Jaroslaw Wodnicki
Jaroslaw joined MAI Group in May 2020 and in October 2020 was appointed as the Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Management Board of MAI CEE Group. He has master degree in Economics from the Warsaw University. He started his professional career as auditor in KPMG than joined Polish PZU Group and Dutch Achmea BV Group occupying top managerial positions in the finance area. More than 10 years he used to work abroad in Ukraine, Russia and Romania.
Since 2016 is licenced insurance broker. He fluently speaks Polish, Russian and English.
Akos Pal
Akos joined MAI Hungary as General Manager in 2000 from AIG Hungary, where he had been the senior property underwriter. Apart from classic Property&Casualty insurance lines, Akos specialises in setting up MGAs and providing capacity and wholesale products to other local insurance brokers.
He also sits on the Board of MAI CEE. Akos is fluent in Hungarian, English and German.
Natalia Zaborovska
Natalia is the Network Director of MAI CEE and a member of the Board. She graduated in 1994 from Riga Technical University, where she studied International Economic Relations. Her graduate thesis was “The Potential Directions of Development of the Latvian Insurance Market”. Upon graduation she joined the Latvian insurance company “Helga” where she worked for three years.
Natalia has been involved in opening and developing a number of MAI CEE’s offices, however her main task was always the development of relations with international broker companies, as well as coordination of MAI CEE offices’ work on international accounts. Natalia is fluent in Russian, Latvian and English.
Jan Stok
Jan Stok holds a master’s degree in International Business from the University of Economics in Prague and received his MBA from DePaul University of Chicago. He started his business career as an analyst at Czech Export Bank in 1998 and he moved into insurance to work for the boutique surety broker TR Structured Finance in 2001.
He joined MAI in 2002 and two years later was appointed as the country manager for MAI Czech Republic. Due to his success in the Czech Republic, he was given the additional responsibility for the commercial development of MAI Slovakia as well as becoming the Practice Leader for MAI CEE Claims Practice. Jan joined the MAI CEE Management Board in 2008. Jan is fluent in Czech and English and competent in German, Polish and Russian.