Mr. Edward Figueirado has been wandering abroad for 26 years, following an insurance career that has literally taken him to the ends of the earth. Now assuming his new post as general manager, taking over from Mr. Stanley Lewis, who is retiring after 35 years service, he reflected on how his adventure of a lifetime all began.

"I started with British American in 1962,'' said the 52-year-old father of four. Mr. Figueirado was barely out of his teens when he opted for a professional career in insurance. Six years later he was on the road for the company.

He spent time opening new offices in several countries in Africa and the Mediterranean. He also worked as marketing manager. He recalled for us how he travelled through much of Lebanon once a month during 1975 for two weeks at a time.

In 1979 he joined American International and was sent to Bangladesh and Malta.

Between 1981 and 1985, he was in Amman, Jordan. He said that he has met a number of heads of government through his travels.

"I met King Hussein of Jordan. He is a very interesting man. He is hard-working, dedicated and extremely popular with his people.'' Having spent a lot of time working in countries where terrorism, war and sometimes hunger was a way of life, he had to develop a keen sense for tact and diplomacy.

He was in Cyprus during the 1974 disturbances. He avoided the hostilities during the Turkish invasion.

"When you are in those types of areas, it is always threatening. You have to learn where to go, where to stay away from and where to keep quiet. It's going to be quite a new experience for me adjusting to the quiet and laid back method of approaching business here. It's something that I think I'll get used to.'' Between 1985 and 1991, he was stationed in several offices in the Caribbean, including Jamaica. He spent time in the Netherland Antilles and Surinam.

He rejoined British American three years ago and was sent to the UK, where he had overall responsibilities for Africa and the Mediterranean. Last year, he moved to Nassau, Bahamas, with responsibilities for the southern Caribbean region.

He has moved up the corporate ladder of the Non Resident Insurance Undertaking that has been in Bermuda since the 1950s. British American is involved in health, life and accident insurance through a network of about 35 local agents.

Mr. Figueirado is already set to put his stamp on the Bermuda operation, planning to increase sales and improve customer service. Already he is interested in upgrading the computer systems and bringing new products to the market.

"In meeting the demands of the insurance business,'' he said, "We still have a lot to do.'' After 30 years in the industry, he is interested in corporate changes to look to the future.

Although he may be settled in his office, his home life is still not settled.

His wife will soon arrive to join him and help look for a home. He agrees Bermuda is different from when he left.

"There have been incredible changes here. The whole political arena has changed, certainly for the better. Bermuda is much more progressive,'' he said. "The business environment is more important to the modern world.

Bermuda has become very much a financial centre.'' BACK IN BERMUDA -- New general manager at British American Insurance Company, Mr. Edward Figueirado.