Minister of Social Protection Signe Riisalo confirmed Indrek Holst as the Director General of the Estonian National Social Insurance Board based on the proposal of the selection board for top executives in civil service. The new Director General will take office on 1 March, current Director General Ego Veeremäe will continue to serve until that time.
Indrek Holst has earned a Master's level degree in Mathematics from the University of Tartu, worked at the Securities Inspectorate of the Republic of Estonia, as an actuary at Hansapanga Kindlustuse AS and Chairman of the Management Board of AS SEB Elu- ja Pensionikindlustus. Since 2019 he has been the owner and management board member of Cordeline OÜ.
‘For me, managing the Social Insurance Board definitely poses an interesting and responsible challenge, and I believe that with long-term experience in the life and pension insurance sector, I can bring fresh thoughts and ideas to Social Insurance Board, to help achieve its main goals,’ said Indrek Holst. ‘Over the past few years, the Social Insurance Board has undergone a significant leap in development, especially keeping in mind the modernising of the availability of the services and a client-centred approach. This direction must vigorously continue, since there is still much to do and this work will likely never end.’
According to Holst, the Social Insurance Board, together with the Ministry of Social Affairs as the administrator of the state pension policy, can take greater initiative to improve pension awareness, including as a state creating a personal and comprehensive view of their pension for an individual.
Notable development has taken place over the past few years at the Social Insurance Board under the leadership of Egon Veermäe, and the Board has transformed from a pension and family benefits register into a provider of customer service with an emphasis on modern service design. Significant emphasis has been placed on technological developments that support customer convenience, and the position values cooperation and partnership, and the planning of activities is based on science-based approaches, said Minister of Social ProtectionSigne Riisalo. ‘The new Director General is taking over a smoothly functioning, yet challenging, position. Lying ahead are changes to the implementation of amendments to the extraordinary pension increase and the Family Benefits Act, as well as in the modernisation of the organisation of assistance and services for children and adults with special needs.’
According to the Minister of Social Protection, Indrek Holst has extensive private sector management experience and has been active in areas where the goal is to develop effective solutions and customer satisfaction via excellent customer service. ‘Raising the level of confidence of residents when communicating with the state is the task of every state agency. Over the course of their life the Social Insurance Board will be in contact with nearly every person in Estonia, which is accompanied by responsibility, but also the opportunity to create that trust.’
In November, Egon Veeremäe, who has headed the Social Insurance Board for nearly four and a half years, decided to venture into the private sector.