BELFOR Europe receives ISO 27001 certification – subsidiaries benefit from certified systems

Duisburg, 21 April 2026 – On 21 April, the ISO 27001 certificate was officially presented by Ralph Freude, Head of Businessline ICT at TÜV Rheinland, to Elvir Kolak (CEO), Dr Mark Nusselein (CFO) and Mirko Blüming (CISO). The audit had already been successfully completed in December. The handover confirms that the information security management system (ISMS) of BELFOR Europe GmbH complies with the internationally recognised ISO 27001:2022 standard. The ISMS is built on clearly defined processes, responsibilities and controls that make information security measurable and manageable in day-to-day operations.

“In fire and water damage restoration, speed and precision are essential – and today, both rely heavily on data,” says Elvir Kolak, CEO of BELFOR Europe GmbH. “We operate across multiple interfaces, under tight time pressure and with sensitive information. The ISMS provides a clear framework for this: who has access, how information is protected and how security-related incidents are managed.”

Information security as an operational safeguard in claims handling

Fire and water damage are physical events – but in many cases, the response is driven by data. Within the first few hours after a loss, property and contact details, photos, measurements, reports, approvals, timestamps and cost updates are generated. For customers, insurers, loss adjusters and project teams, this information forms the basis for decision-making, documentation and billing. If it is unavailable, altered or disclosed without control, workflows can be disrupted, traceability can be compromised and trust can be damaged in the long term.

An ISMS addresses these risks not as a one-off initiative, but as a management framework that systematically assesses risks and embeds appropriate security measures where they matter most in day-to-day operations – from access controls and incident response processes to availability and backup arrangements.

At the same time, transparent processes and clearly defined responsibilities improve the organisation’s ability to respond to customers’ and partners’ security-related questions.

BELFOR Europe GmbH is certified – and the benefits extend across the network

The certification applies to BELFOR Europe GmbH and the defined scope of its ISMS. At the same time, its benefits are designed to go beyond this organisational entity: subsidiaries that use BELFOR Europe’s central systems and platforms benefit directly from the established standards, processes and controls.

These benefits include:

• Binding policies that ensure clear and consistent requirements,
• Role and responsibility models that establish clear organisational accountability,
• Internal controls covering organisational, personnel, physical and technical security,
• Standardised procedures for incident handling, change management and backups.

“The certificate is not intended as a purely ‘HQ label’, but as a foundation that can be used in the countries where our systems are deployed,” adds Dr Mark Nusselein, CFO of BELFOR Europe GmbH. “It reduces friction, strengthens resilience and creates a shared basis on which local requirements can be built.”

Continuous development rather than a one-time project

The certificate handover marks an important formal milestone – but the ISMS will continue to be actively maintained and developed. This includes regular reviews, internal audits, awareness measures and ongoing adaptation to new risks, systems and ways of working. The aim is to embed information security permanently into stable project delivery  – especially in situations where many stakeholders need to act in parallel.