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.