2005 Insurance Leader of the Year: 11th Annual Award Dinner

January 19, 2006 - The School of Risk Management (SRM), a division of The Peter J. Tobin College of Business of St. John’s University, honored Peter B. Lewis, chairman of The Progressive Corporation, as the “2005 Insurance Leader of the Year” at its 11th Annual Insurance Leader of the Year Award Dinner on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at the Marriott Marquis in New York City.  John J. (Jack) Byrne, retired Chairman & CEO of White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., and James M. Stone, Chairman of Plymouth Rock Companies, served as honorary Co-chairmen for the dinner.
 
“This Award recognizes an individual’s exceptional leadership in insurance,” said Brandon W. Sweitzer, Chairman of the SRM Board of Overseers.  “Peter Lewis has a long and distinguished career in insurance and has built Progressive Insurance into a genuine powerhouse among the country’s leading auto insurers. Without question he deserves to join the ranks of those before him that have received this Award.”
 
“Our students, most of whom come from modest economic backgrounds, will be the direct beneficiaries of the high esteem in which Peter Lewis is held by the insurance industry,” said Dr. Ellen Thrower, Executive Director of the School of Risk Management.  “It was both a pleasure and an honor to recognize him as the 2005 Insurance Leader of the Year.”
 
The Award Selection Committee is chaired by Kathryn McIntyre, retired Publishing Director of Business Insurance, and includes Peter Walker, Director of McKinsey & Company; Gordon Stewart, President of the Insurance Information Institute; George Bernstein, Esq., of The Law Offices of George Bernstein and Richard E. Stewart of Stewart Economics (Chapel Hill, NC).
 
The “Insurance Leader of the Year Award,” presented annually since 1995, recognizes the contributions of outstanding individuals whose leadership in the worldwide insurance and financial services industry sets them apart from their peers.  Past recipients are Brian Duperreault, Chairman of ACE Limited; John T. (Jack) Sinnott, Vice Chairman, Office of the CEO, MMC; Paul B. Ingrey, retired Chairman & CEO of Arch Worldwide Insurance and Reinsurance Group; John J. (Jack) Byrne, retired Chairman & CEO of White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd.; Ronald E. Ferguson, retired Chairman and CEO of General Re Corporation; Robert Clements, Chairman of Integro Ltd.; Maurice R. (Hank) Greenberg, Chairman & CEO, C.V. Starr & Company; Patrick G. Ryan, Chairman of Aon Group; Sir David Rowland, former Chairman of Lloyd’s of London; and Edward J. Muhl, former Superintendent of Insurance of the State of New York.
 
The School of Risk Management was founded in 1901 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.

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