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25 Insurance Legends

Last week’s issue of National Underwriter profiled the industry’s “Living Legends: 10 Visionaries Who Fundamentally Changed Insurance Forever — For Better or Worse.” Their online supplement took it even furthering, offering a list of “The Top 25 Living Legends of Insurance.”

From household names like investment oracle Warren Buffett and financial sector watchdog Barney Frank to industry leaders like Travelers CEO Jay Fishman and Willis CEO/Chairman Joe Plumeri, the list summarizes the contributions of so many insurance titans.

However, by far my favorite description has to go to Insurance Information Institute (III) head honcho Robert Hartwig, who National Underwriter calls an “Omnipresent Guru.”

You might think Robert Hartwig is omnipresent. When he’s not on TV giving the insurance perspective on a wide range of issues or being quoted in various national publications, Hartwig is traveling across the globe giving presentations on the industry.

“I make about 100 presentations a year,” says the president of the Insurance Information Institute. “It’s very common for me to be in two or three different cities every week—and they’re not near each other.”

But despite always being in such high demand, Hartwig has developed a reputation for himself and the I.I.I. for being a credible source of information in the insurance world.

“If you were to ask me which of the countless websites available to keep in touch with our industry today, I’d say the best is I.I.I.,” says Hank Watkins, president of Lloyd’s America. “Bob is very good at what he does. He’s a true spokesperson for the industry.”

Hartwig really is the best in the biz.