Newly promoted RenaissanceRe director of security Lloyd Holder is an example of a young Bermudian “done good” in the world of international business.

His name more often appears in the sports pages as a result of his talent with Dandy Town, but don’t be deceived, because the 29-year-old has applied similar focus and determination to his career.

And he was prepared to leave the company where he had specialised in IT management for five years in order to put himself through a masters’ degree course in London.

Showing how much Mr. Holder was valued, RenaissanceRe reacted quickly and sponsored him through the one-year sabbatical at the London School of Economics.

In light of all that it is surprising to hear Mr. Holder admitting to having wasted his first year at Bermuda College and having ended up having to do summer classes to “catch up” and put himself back on track to achieve his associate degree in business administration. While at college he earned money working in the computer labs and this led him on to a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama.

In 2000 he graduated and, after some initial employment in the US, returned to Bermuda. Dion Tucker was looking for an IT assistant at Renaissance Re and was given the young man’s name.

“The company had 35 employees or something like that at the time and there was just me and Dion in the IT department. To Dion’s credit he did not hold my hand even though at the time I felt overwhelmed and unappreciated.”

It wasn’t easy. He remembers one day sweating away trying to get IT equipment to work in the boardroom as assembled executives sat watching.

“It was a learning curve. But as time went on I learned more and found my feet and made progress,” he said.

As the company grew to more than 150 employees he found himself in the frontline of major projects, improving the company’s computer systems.

But as good as working at RenaissanceRe was, after five years he wanted to do something more and that meant going back to school to complete a masters’ degree. He gained acceptance for a one-year course at the acclaimed London School of Economics and was prepared to go it alone, even if it meant leaving his job to do the course.

He told his immediate boss Mr. Tucker. To his surprise Mr. Tucker and RenaissanceRe turned around and showed there was no question of the company losing its IT number two that easily and made arrangements to sponsor him through his MA course.

Mr. Holder found the experience culturally enriching, being immersed in the ethnic melting pot of London, and his years with RenaissanceRe provided another plus point in his further education.

“I was prepared to do the work and my experience in the working world had prepared me. Your perspective changes, you are more mature,” he said.

“I was meeting with a lot of people with different ideologies at the LSE. My perspective on life and other people has changed.”

In class projects the highly diverse ethnic background of the course students, with only seven of the 150 being English, made communicating and assimilating a challenge but was again highly productive, rewarding and enlightening, according to Mr. Holder.

“We learned about each other’s cultures and gave respect to one another,” he said.

While in the UK he watched top football games, including some involving his beloved Manchester United, and went on trips to other European countries, including Germany during the FIFA World Cup. He kept his hand in at football by playing in local leagues.

On his return to RenaissanceRe he was promoted to Director of Security, a global role covering everything from development and information security and privacy programmes, working with the legal department on corporate compliance issues and educating, training and increasing awareness of new technology within the company.

Reflecting on his own career path and how it might act as an inspiration to others, Mr. Holder said the reason some lose track is either because they quit their studies, or they get their basic certification but take it no further and don’t update their skills, or they finish their course and then expect to be handed a great job from the Government rather than pursuing opportunities for themselves.

“People have to have an ultimate goal. You have to put your head down and do it and then look at where to transition,” he said.

Outside of work Mr. Holder has made a name as a footballer, first with Devonshire Colts and now with Dandy Town. Having outside interests is another key component to a successful lifestyle, he believes.

“It gives me perspective. I’ve always had avenues to defuse things in other parts of my life. It is a relief at the end of a hard day to think ‘I’ve got training in an hour’ and I can go and kick a ball and run around and then go home and not be thinking about what was going on at work. The biggest thing is to have a release.”

Mr. Tucker, a vice president and senior network analyst at RenaissanceRe, has been Mr. Holder’s guide and mentor since he joined the company.

He said: “He’s very eager. He has the aptitude and attitude we are looking for in young Bermudian and he goes against all the negative things people say about young Bermudians. He showed initiative and that his education was valuable to him and that he would do whatever to achieve. I told him we would support him in any educational initiative. We’re glad to have him back.”