Insurance writer Roger Crombie reflects on the long and influential career of outgoing American International Group CEO Hank Greenberg.

Maurice (Hank) Greenberg stepped down from his position as chief executive officer of American International Group this week.

He has been with the company since 1960, and had run it for more than four decades.

Time will be the judge, but even this early it is clear that Mr. Greenberg will go down as probably the greatest insurance executive in history.

His departure is as shocking as were those of Margaret Thatcher and other world leaders ousted before it suited them. Mr. Greenberg?s power probably rivalled that of Margaret Thatcher.

I met Mr. Greenberg twice. The first time was the dedication of the rebuilt AIG Building on Richmond Road eight years ago, on the occasion of the company?s 50th anniversary in Bermuda.

Kevin Stevenson, the late editor and publisher of Bermudian Business, had persuaded Mr. Greenberg to be interviewed for the magazine. Kevin asked me along to observe and to be on hand in case he dried up.

Mr. Greenberg was a genial, twinkly-eyed and immensely likeable fellow. At 70, he was immaculate. Not a tall man, he was the epitome of self-confidence.

We had been allocated 20 minutes, and my memory is that Kevin ran out of steam after six or seven.

He invited me to join in. Ill-prepared, I asked a few insurance-related questions.

Mr. Greenberg was at home on this turf and gave smooth, informed replies to everything we asked. He waxed lyrical about Bermuda, which had always been a staple in his corporate planning.

?Why Bermuda?? he asked. ?It was very close, you can get back and forth very quickly. Good communications, good transportation, there were some good people here, good tax laws. You had all the ingredients for it to happen.?

Having dried up myself, but still having a few minutes of the great man?s time, I improvised. ?What do you do when you?re not working?? I asked.

The two AIG public relations fellows who had until now sat quietly in the corner intimated that Mr. Greenberg would not answer personal questions.

He waved his protectors off, however, and spoke of his continuing keen interest in tennis and skiing. When the 20 minutes were up, the public relations chaps rose to end the meeting, but Mr. Greenberg finished the conversation several minutes beyond the deadline. He appeared to be enjoying himself.

We made our way to an outer office for a photograph. I noticed that Mr. Greenberg did not talk; he glided. And where he walked, others shrank back.

Later, downstairs at the reception, I met his wife and asked about their honeymoon in Bermuda in the early 1950s. They stayed at the Castle Harbour Hotel and rode ?a bicycle made for two?.

I had to shake off the public relations fellows a few times, but Mrs. Greenberg proved every bit as charming and talkative as her husband.

After the event, the next appointment on Mr. Greenberg?s calendar was the White House. He was in the process of opening up the Chinese insurance markets and was keeping the nominal leader of the free world, Bill Clinton, up to date.

Kevin was equally gracious. He invited me to write the article and ran it over 12 pages.

The second time I met Mr. Greenberg was in 2002, at the opening celebrations of Allied World Assurance, the post-9/11 company that AIG and Chubb formed in Bermuda.

Michael Morrison, AWAC?s chief executive officer, was kind enough to re-introduce me to Mr. Greenberg. We talked for a few minutes, and it was clear that he did not remember me.

He spoke of his pride in the establishment of AWAC. Stepping into Mr. Greenberg?s shoes, his successor Martin Sullivan said this week, ?is a daunting task?.

I have not met Mr. Sullivan, but suspect he will wear his own shoes as he guides AIG into the 21st century. Outside of Warren Buffett, whose style is completely different, I doubt anyone else could be measured by Mr. Greenberg?s standards.

Much of the coverage of his partial retirement ? he remains non-executive chairman, and probably will for life ? speaks of a man who ?ruled with an iron hand?. Mr. Greenberg was reportedly an extraordinarily tough taskmaster.

The man I met, at the height of his game, could not have been more charming if he had tried. It was not just a face he put on for junior members of the media, this was something more. It was grace, and Mr. Greenberg had it in abundance.

With Hank Greenberg in a non-executive role, if such a thing proves possible, the world of insurance will never be the same again.