Re/Insurance Leader of the Year winner: Tom Bolt, Lloyd’s

Bolt was followed by Berkshire Hathaway’s Ajit Jain scoring 7.15, and Nikolaus von Bomhard of Munich Re with 7.00.

Bolt joined Lloyd’s in September 2009 and has extensive experience in international re/insurance across the UK, US and Europe and has held senior roles in Berkshire Hathaway’s reinsurance divisions and as president of some of its insurance subsidiaries.

He also assisted in the formation of the Bankers Trust insurance derivatives business, as well as a related group of insurance and reinsurance companies.

Praised for his hard work and vigilance, Bolt was commended highly throughout.

“He has a difficult job which he balances, adapting the culture while maintaining criteria,” said one participant.

Another said: “His role at Lloyd’s is largely unsung, but he is the glue that holds the corporation together.”

Jain once again received a high level of support from participants with many commending his dedication to the industry.

Spearheading the reinsurance elements of Berkshire Hathaway, one participant said of Jain: “His track record and dedication to his investors is incredible.”

Another said: “He is a truly innovative pioneer and has an unparalleled strategic insight and discipline.”

He was also described as a guru of the industry and an innovator.

Taking third place, chairman of the board of management at Munich Re, von Bomhard was praised for his knowledge and described as a “stable important figure of the industry”.

He was also recognised for his leadership of Munich Re over the last few years.

Third and fourth place went to French reinsurer SCOR’s Denis Kessler with a score of 6.97 and Stephen Catlin of Catlin Group with 6.95.

With very close scores, both were commended for their hard work and expertise.

“Kessler has turned around SCOR into a very strong business,” said one participant. Another also spoke of Kessler’s work at SCOR saying “He led SCOR through a very difficult period to great success.”

Catlin was recognised and celebrated for his success with developing the company’s international platform, which one person described as “clear and superb”.

“He combines a diligent growth strategy with excellent underwriting,” said one participant.

Another said: “He has built Catlin into a global company and continues to be an inspired leader.”

The individuals in the shortlists seen here were selected based on the first stage of the research, conducted via phone interviews and open online polls. Respondents were asked to name three individuals they regard highly in this category. They were then asked to give details of why they had chosen these people.

The shortlist for this category reflects the individuals mentioned the most frequently.

The researchers then approached the market a second time and, using this shortlist presented in a random order, asked respondents to score each individual out of ten based on how they perceive the executive based on the criteria of this category. It is the results of this part of the survey that are shown here.

More than 500 respondents took part in each part of the survey respectively.

The score shows the average score out of ten that each leader received in stage two of the survey.

The shortlist was presented to respondents in a random order.