May 12, 2011
Brian Duperreault to Become Chairman of SRM’s Board of
Overseers
St.
John’s University has announced that Brandon Sweitzer, a recognized
insurance industry executive and Chairman of the Board of Overseers
of the School of Risk Management, has been named as the school’s
new Dean, effective July 1, 2011. The School of Risk
Management (SRM) is part of the Peter J. Tobin College of Business
at St. John’s and one of the nation’s leading academic schools in
the field of risk management, insurance, and actuarial
science.
Sweitzer was selected after a nationwide search following the
December 2010 retirement of Dr. Ellen Thrower who led the SRM
successfully for more than 22 years. “We sought a Dean who
was capable of taking the SRM to its next level of excellence,”
said Peter J. Tobin, a member of St. John’s SRM Board of Overseers,
and Chairman of the Search Committee. “We believe Brandon’s
experience and distinguished record of leadership and achievement
in the insurance industry and as Chairman of the SRM Board for more
than a decade make him the ideal person for this position.”
Sweitzer will lead one of the fastest-growing schools of risk
management, insurance, and actuarial science in the country,
boasting a growth in its student body of nearly 50% over the past
five years, and an endowment that now exceeds $30
million.
“As an accomplished industry executive and a longstanding
leader of the SRM Board, Brandon Sweitzer brings a unique
perspective to the role of Dean,” said Rev. Donald J. Harrington,
C.M., President of St. John’s University “He has a deep
understanding of the SRM and its distinctive mission of educating
and preparing the next generation of industry leaders. I am
delighted that he has agreed to lead the SRM as our new
Dean.”
When
Sweitzer becomes Dean on July 1, Brian Duperreault, President and
CEO of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. and a long-term member
of the SRM Board, will succeed him as Chairman.
“Brian Duperreault has been a dedicated member of the SRM Board of
Overseers for nearly 15 years,” Rev. Harrington, C.M. added. “Brian
is superbly qualified to lead the board during this time of great
momentum and opportunity. We are truly fortunate to have someone of
his stature to provide strong and steady leadership as the next
Chairman of SRM’s board.”
Brandon Sweitzer was president of Marsh, Inc. from 1999 to 2000,
and he served as President and CEO of Guy Carpenter & Company,
Inc. from 1996 to 1998. Previously he held a number of senior
positions in the operations of Marsh, Inc., having joined the firm
in 1981 as its chief financial officer. He is a board member
of Fairfax Financial Holdings (Toronto), Odyssey Reinsurance
(Stanford, Ct.) and Integro, Ltd. (New York).
Sweitzer is also a director of United Educators, an insurance
company owned by more than 1,200 member schools and colleges.
In addition to SRM, Sweitzer serves on the board of the Kent School
in Kent, Connecticut as board president. He is also a senior
fellow at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D. C.
He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from Harvard College and a
master’s degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International
Studies in Bologna, Italy, and Washington, D.C.
Brian Duperreault has been President and Chief Executive Officer of
Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc. since January 2008. Prior
to joining the company, Duperreault served as Chairman and CEO of
ACE Limited from 1994 to May 2004, and continued as Chairman
through the end of 2007. Prior to ACE, Duperreault was with
American International Group (AIG) for more than 20 years, where he
held various senior titles, including Executive Vice President,
Chairman and CEO of American International Underwriters Inc.
In addition to SRM’s Board, Duperreault has served his alma mater,
Saint Joseph’s University, chairing the university’s board of
trustees. He is also on the board of the Center on
Philanthropy, and the International Insurance Society.
Founded in 1901, SRM was known as the Insurance Society of New York
and over the years evolved into 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. Its ten-story, self-contained campus
includes five floors of residence halls, classrooms, conference
space and the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library, which houses
the largest and most comprehensive insurance collection in the
world.
For more information contact Maureen Furlong-Weber, Director of St.
John’s University’s School of Risk Management by calling (212)
277-5111 or e-mail inquiries to weberm@stjohns.edu.
Interested media can contact Dominic Scianna, Assistant Vice
President for Media Relations at St. John’s University by calling
(718) 990-6185 or e-mail inquiries to sciannad@stjohns.edu.