Henry Keeling has long been spoken of as a likely successor to XL Capital chief executive officer Brian O'Hara — and he revealed on Friday that he would love to take on the top job, if it were offered to him.

XL announced last October that Mr. O'Hara would step down in the middle of this year after nearly 14 years as CEO.

And Mr. O'Hara, who is XL's acting chairman, said last week that the global business insurer's board expected to choose the new CEO by early spring.

The Royal Gazette put XL's chief operating officer Mr. Keeling on the spot at the end of an interview on Friday and asked whether he would accept the CEO's job if the board offered it to him.

"I think XL is the greatest insurance company in the world and I would not want to work anywhere else," Mr. Keeling replied. "I'd be honoured and privileged to accept the job, if it was offered to me.

"The board is going through the process of making a 10-year decision. And I'm sure they will look at internal and external candidates."

He started his Bermuda career at Mid-Ocean Re in 1993 and then rose through the XL ranks to become chief executive of the company's reinsurance operations between 1998 and 2006. He is now executive vice-president, as well as COO, of XL.

Mr. Keeling, a Briton, is highly regarded in the industry and was named Reinsurance Person of the Year by the Bermuda Insurance Institute in 2007.

On receiving the honour, he emphasised his commitment to the Bermuda insurance market. "We have the most vibrant, progressive, innovative and exciting insurance industry in the world," Mr. Keeling told guests at the awards dinner. "There is nowhere else I would rather spend the rest of my career."