Bermuda-based Brian Duperreault is painted as the smart, savvy insurance man who is the envy of American insurance companies after taking them by surprise with the big cash buy out of INA last July.

The profile appears in an article in this month's edition of the business magazine, Forbes.

Standing tall in Bermuda shorts, a photo of the Ace Insurance chairman bears the title `Who's Afraid of Brian?'.

Author Carrie Coolidge portrays Mr. Duperreault as outsmarting the traditional US insurance giants like Chubb, Hartford and AIG and she points out that the rivalry has driven the competitors to the US House of Representatives.

The article appears to be sympathetic to ACE and its Bermuda tax position, painting the US competitors as grudge-bearing and simply lacking the business savvy of ACE.

While noting the global insurance market leader AIG has not backed the bill, other competitors have been lobbying to end the current tax-free status of insurance companies based on Bermuda.

Ms Coolridge also claims that " if there is an ill wind blowing in from AIG, there is a reason'' and she notes that four of ACE's top executives -- including Mr. Duperreault himself -- are former employees of AIG.

Noting Mr. Duperreault's slim chances of ever taking the helm had he remained at AIG, Ms Coolidge portrays Mr. Duperreault as gracious, while describing AIG head, Hank Greenberg as cold and indifferent.

"Duperreault credits his mentor with teaching him the importance of diversified earnings stream, an international franchise and a prompt fix of problems,'' her article read.

"But if Hank Greenberg has any warm feelings for his former protege he's hiding them. At a meeting earlier this year, when an analyst asked Greenberg about ACE, he snapped "Is that a bandage or something?'' UPSTART ACE BOY High exposure: ACE's Brian Dupperault cuts a Bermuda profile, as photographed by Forbes magazine's Michael J. Bowles, in Forbe's magazine's May 29 edition.