SPECIAL REPORT
HALL OF FAME 2019 PATRICIA A. GRIFFEY President, board of directors NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH UNDERWRITERS
JOHN NEAL CEO LLOYD’S OF LONDON
From underwriter to CEO, John Neal has spent the majority of his career with Lloyd’s of London. He got his start in 1985 at Crowe Underwriting Agency, where, over the course of 10 years, he grew UK GWP from £3 million to £100 million. From there, he became the youngest active underwriter at Lloyd’s while working for Bankside Managing Agency, then led a management buyout of Ensign to establish a dedicated Lloyd’s managing agency. As CEO of Ensign, Neal grew the company into the leading specialist commercial motor underwriter in the UK. Neal’s career continued at QBE, where he became group CEO in 2012. During his five years with QBE, Neal refocused the company’s business around commercial and specialty lines, disposing of non-core portfolios and reducing costs by more than $350 million. He was appointed CEO of Lloyd’s of London in October 2018. “I am thrilled to be offered the opportunity to lead Lloyd’s and will do so with the same excitement I felt when I first stepped into the underwriting room back in 1985,” Neal said in a statement upon the announcement of his position. He also emphasized his dedication to helping the company continue innovating and adapting to remain “at the forefront of global commercial corporate and specialty insurance and reinsurance.”
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After finding her way into the insurance industry while working as a part-time file clerk for a small-town insurance agency, Patricia Griffey earned her life and health license in 1979 and her P&C license four years later. She joined the Goodwin Company in 1987 and was soon promoted to vice president, directing the agency’s administration and marketing. In 2000, she was promoted again to COO. She purchased the agency in 2004 and renamed it Page 1 Benefits. Eight years later, Page 1 Benefits merged with the Healy Group, where Griffey holds the title of risk management advisor. She has served in various positions in her local chapter and on the Indiana state board of the National Association of Health Underwriters and is the current president of the NAHU board of directors. Reflecting on the state of the industry, Griffey says she is “truly encouraged that today, a whole new generation is finding their way into our field deliberately. I would encourage those individuals to seek out new opportunities, regardless of their past education. I was not able to attend college, but thanks to opportunities available to me in this industry that I took advantage of, I like to think I turned out just fine. Those options are even more available today for those individuals who are willing to invest in their own professional education where necessary and available.”
THOMAS P. NERNEY Chairman, president and CEO USLI
After 18 years on Philadelphia Insurance Companies’ senior management team, Tom Nerney joined USLI in 1996. Beyond his duties as chairman, president and CEO, Nerney has implemented training programs and accreditation opportunities for young insurance professionals throughout the USLI organization, adding to their expertise and helping them gain the respect of industry peers. An active member of the Greater Philadelphia community, Nerney founded two local nonprofit organizations – A Front Row Seat to Learning and the Nerney Family Foundation – and has served on the boards of La Salle Academy, the Academy of Risk Management and Insurance at St. Joseph’s University, Main Line Health Systems and Cristo Rey Philadelphia. He was the chairman of the board at Cabrini University and also chaired a team for the Main Line Chamber of Commerce’s Talent and Education Network. Nerney currently serves on the board of trustees for The Institutes’ Risk and Insurance Knowledge Group and is chair of the board that oversees the Nerney Leadership Institute at Cabrini University. Nerney earned an MBA in finance from the Haub School of Business at St. Joseph’s University and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2008, he was presented with the Franklin Award by the Philadelphia chapter of the CPCU Society for his outstanding achievement and contributions to the insurance industry.
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