In 1973, the passionate and internationally successful regatta sailor Dieter Krautgartner founded BAVARIA. In the beginning, it was a hobby and a sideline, but then with the claim of not being a classic insurance broker, but a professional provider of special insurance for water sports.

What initially starts with a few regatta yachts quickly expands. At the beginning of the 1980s, Krautgartner, who among other things won the coveted Dragon Gold Cup, already insured the first larger yachts.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Sandra Ahrabian, the current chairwoman of the supervisory board of BAVARIA AG, joined the company. Initially, she worked part-time in the claims department while studying business administration, and in 1997 she was given power of attorney and responsibility for sales and claims.

Under her direction and that of her father, BAVARIA entered the aircraft insurance sector at the turn of the millennium and shocked its competitors with its extremely competitive offers. From gliders to helicopters and single- and twin-engine aircraft to private jets, BAVARIA has since covered almost all areas of private aviation and is one of the most important players in this segment of the insurance market. The “yacht” and “aircraft” segments also complement each other perfectly, as many owners own both assets. 

When Dieter Krautgartner died in an aviation accident in 2002, Sandra Ahrabian took over the fortunes of BAVARIA virtually overnight. She consistently continues the company’s course and immediately receives the trust of the major German insurers, with whom BAVARIA had maintained a long-standing business relationship.

Sandra Ahrabian adapts BAVARIA to the market environment at relatively short notice; separates sales and administration and makes BAVARIA more international – the Balearic Islands, Croatia and Slovenia move into focus as foreign sales territories.

“We pick up the owners where they have their boat,” says Ahrabian. Her benchmark is still her father’s credo – “Skill and commitment weather any storm!” – but growth is also important to her.

In 2006, the team is significantly expanded, the company result regularly increases by double-digit rates, new business premises in Grünwald also become necessary.

In 2012, Sandra Ahrabian decides to take an important step: she transforms the company into a well-capitalised public limited company. An even better public image and more trust among customers and insurers are her motives; Sandra Ahrabian is the main shareholder.

Since this reorganisation, BAVARIA AG has again grown strongly. The Munich-based specialist broker manages a portfolio of 54,000 policies and achieves an annual turnover of 20 million euros. 125 agents throughout Europe recommend BAVARIA AG’s insurance cover, and around 30 experts are on standby at all strategically important locations in yachting in the event of a claim.
BAVARIA AG is also excellently connected in the superyacht segment, has been involved as a sponsor of the German Superyacht Conference, among other things, has lots of large yachts under contract and is constantly developing this business area; the majority of the BAVARIA fleet, however, is between ten and 25 metres in length.

“Our key to success is the quick handling of claims, so of course word gets around. On the other hand, my employees are extremely competent in providing advice. Of the many hundreds of enquiries we receive every month, about 50 percent of the customers conclude their contracts with us,” Sandra Ahrabian explains the success. The Munich native and passionate water sports enthusiast also cultivates the personal touch of BAVARIA AG.

“We always have a human being answering the phone, not a machine.” She herself represents the company at numerous events at home and abroad, is involved in the Riva clubs of Germany, France and Italy (with her own Super Ariston, built in 1966) and is active in the Bavarian Yacht Club on Lake Starnberg, where she uses one of the rare motorboat licences and supports several regatta teams as a sponsor.

A new and thus the third segment that BAVARIA AG is currently developing is that of classic car insurance. This commitment is also based on a passion of the entrepreneurial family. This segment, like holiday property insurance, is relatively new to BAVARIA AG’s range of products, but is already being excellently received. “We combine the different aspects of our customers’ lifestyle,” says Sandra Ahrabian. “Our foundation is competence, trust and passion as well as a one hundred percent customer orientation.” 

The result of all ideas, measures and employee performance: BAVARIA AG is one of the market leaders as a specialist broker for yacht and aircraft insurance and enjoys the unreserved trust of its thousands of customers. Sandra Ahrabian: “We arrange the best insurance cover, which, by the way, can only be given by someone who knows exactly what you really need.”