Country: Italy
Net premiums written 1999: $2,818m (£1,974.8m)
Head office:
Piazza Duca degli Abruzzi, 2
P.O.Box 538
34132 Trieste
Italy
Tel: + 39 040 671 1
Fax: +39 040 671 600
Email: info@generali.com
Website: generali.com
Year established: 1831
Parent: Generali Group
History: At the beginning of the 19th century, Trieste was the natural outlet to the sea for the international trade of the Austro-Hungarian empire, of which it was part. Thanks to the free port status improved by Empress Maria Theresia, the city experienced a period of great prosperity.
Against this background the need was felt for the creation of an insurance company with the necessary technical and financial structures to operate in all fields of the business. Hence Assicurazioni Generali was established in December 1831, by some local businessmen.
A few months after its foundation, Generali began to expand within the Habsburg Empire (Vienna, Budapest, Prague). The opening of offices in the principal countries of Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland) was the following step in the company's growth. Generali then expanded into the Balkans and Eastern Europe, from Warsaw to St. Petersburg, and within a few decades had also reached Africa, Asia and North and South America.
The Generali Group now has a vast, diversified network of international interests that make it the largest insurer in Italy and one of the most important in Europe and the world.
Chief officer: Gianfranco Gutty, chairman and managing director
Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
