Produced by: Office of Marketing and Communications
January 24, 2013
St. John’s University’s School of Risk Management (SRM) honored Dr. Nikolaus von Bomhard, Chairman of the Board of Management of Munich Re, as the “2012 Insurance Leader of the Year” on January 22 at its 18th Annual Insurance Leader of the Year Award Dinner.
Proceeds from the dinner, held at New York City’s Marriott Marquis Hotel, support scholarships, programs and academic resources for SRM students. The event drew a capacity crowd.
“The SRM board of overseers sponsors the Insurance Leader of the Year Dinner to achieve two worthy goals — to provide a forum and opportunity for industry leaders to gather in recognition of exceptional accomplishments by one of their peers, and to provide meaningful financial support for our students in the School of Risk Management program at St. John’s, helping to educate and prepare them for future leadership,” said Brian Duperreault, Retired President and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., and Chairman of the SRM Board of Overseers.
“These worthy goals have clearly been achieved, with more than 1,400 of you in attendance and robust support for the School,” Duperreault told the capacity crowd. “We have, for the third year in a row, broken the $2 million mark in funds raised for the School, thanks in part to a generous action on the part of Munich Re America in support of the School of Risk Management’s developing student programs in Europe.”
Mike McGavick, CEO, XL Group plc, served as Honorary Chairman of the dinner. He spoke warmly of the guest of honor before introducing an A&E video presentation of Dr. von Bomhard’s life and accomplishments.
“I am truly overwhelmed and touched by this honor,” said Dr. von Bomhard. “There have been few non-Americans, and no Germans, who have been afforded this distinction in the past, and for that I am humbled. I have learned the business from the bottom up, and it has become my passion.”
Brandon W. Sweitzer, Dean of the School of Risk Management, had high praise for this year’s honoree. "Nikolaus is a champion of those qualities that St John's and its School of Risk Management strive to instill in its students at all times: ethical leadership, steadfast determination and a thoughtful approach to all important matters at hand,” he said. “We are delighted to honor him with this award, and our students will benefit by learning from his example and great leadership of Munich Re.”
“Munich Re throughout the world has always represented the qualities of professionalism, strength and stability required by clients of the insurance industry - whether institutional or individual,” Sweitzer added. “Dr. von Bromhard is widely admired for his corporate stewardship in service to all Munich Re stakeholders; and in these testing economic times his wise counsel on both corporate matters and issues impacting public policy is widely acknowledged.”
Three past Insurance Leader of the Year honorees were also in attendance, including Patrick G. Ryan (1997), former Chairman and CEO of Aon Corporation and Founding Chairman and CEO of Ryan Specialty Group, LLC; John T. (Jack) Sinnott (2003), retired Chairman and CEO of Marsh Inc. and Senior Advisor to Stone Point Capital; and Duperreault (2004), Retired President and CEO of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.
The Award Selection Committee is chaired by Ellen Thrower, Ph.D., Professor Emerita and Retired Executive Director, SRM. It includes George Bernstein, Esq., of The Bernstein Law Firm, P.L.L.C. (Washington, D.C.); Robert P. Hartwig, Ph.D., President of the Insurance Information Institute; Joseph Mauriello, Retired Deputy Chairman and COO of KPMG LLP; Michael J. Morrissey, President and CEO of the International Insurance Society; Patrick J. Shouvlin, Retired Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; and Peter B. Walker, Director of McKinsey & Company (New York).
The “Insurance Leader of the Year Award,” presented annually since 1995, recognizes the contributions of outstanding leaders in the worldwide insurance and financial services industry. Last year’s recipient was Evan G. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of ACE Limited.
The School of Risk Management was founded in 1901 as the Insurance Society of New York and became known as The College of Insurance (TCI). In June 2001, TCI merged with St. John’s University, becoming a school of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business. Located in New York City’s downtown financial district, SRM awards undergraduate, M.B.A., and M.S. degrees in the insurance, risk management and actuarial science disciplines. Through its Center for Professional Education, SRM also provides education, training and consulting services to the industry, governments and regulators worldwide.