Forty-year insurance veteran John Sinnott, a senior advisor to leading insurance services firm Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., opened yesterday's sessions with sage words on where the industry has come from as well as views on where it is going.

Mr. Sinnott was also the keynote speaker at the World Insurance Forum that took place in Bermuda earlier this year.

Mr. Sinnott's career with Marsh dates back to 1963.

He was previously chairman and CEO of Marsh Inc., the world leader in risk and insurance services and MMC's largest operating company - with 38,000 employees and serving clients in more than 100 countries.

Mr. Sinnott started off in the group's New York Office, and moved up to senior vice-president in 1978. In 1979, Mr. Sinnott moved to London as manager of Marsh & McLennan Limited. He returned to New York in 1980, was elected executive vice-president in 1984, president in 1988, co-chief executive officer in 1992, and president and CEO in 1995. He became CEO and chairman in 1999.

During his career, Mr. Sinnott has been active in numerous industry public policy initiatives, including those relating to insurance company solvency regulation, the integration of the financial services industry, and the role of the US government in providing backstop terrorism insurance coverage following September 11, 2001.

Mr. Sinnott, who was honoured as ‘Insurance Leader of the Year' last year by the St. John's School of Risk Management and Insurance, has also been active through the years in lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill for reforms to the US tort system.

Mr. Sinnott is a member of the board of trustees of The College of the Holy Cross, Northern Westchester Hospital, The Risk Foundation, and he also serves as a Director of James River Group Inc. and is a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Company Advisory Board.

Mr. Sinnott's recent honours include: Honoree, 2002, The New York City Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund; Leadership Honoree, 2003, Holy Cross New York Leadership Council; and Honoree, 2003, Northern Westchester Hospital Foundation.