Voted by The Judging Panel
Sponsored by St. Paul International Insurance
Winner
Vic Thompson - THB Group plc
The winner of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award joined the insurance industry straight from school at the age of 16, working initially for the Sun Insurance Office and subsequently for three broking houses.
He completed his insurance exams in 1968 at the age of 23 - a commitment to professional standards which has been the hallmark of his career. In that same year, he established his own broking business which became a Lloyd's broker in 1977.
Expanding from personal lines to more specialty commercial risks, the organisation, under his leadership, progressed to become a significant force in specialised areas in both the UK and North America.
Now, in 2003, the organisation comprises 15 operating divisions delivering specialist insurance solutions for corporate clients including media, fleet, pharmaceutical and motorsports companies, and high net worth individuals.
Through access to the expertise of Lloyd's underwriters and the international insurance market, it is renowned for its ingenuity in creating unique products for unusual and high risk businesses and for its skill and foresight in developing exclusive binding authorities.
In October of this year, the organisation completed a successful flotation on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange and went on to be nominated from over 100 companies to win the prestigious AIM Best Newcomer of the Year Award. The Insurance Times annual insurance broker ranking now places it in 26th position, a jump of 17 places from 2002 after significant growth, both organic and through acquisition, in the past two years.
The winner of this year's award is a man of integrity, vision and determination.
A man who believes firmly in the value of insurance protection in a dangerous and unpredictable world. A man who revels in finding imaginative and creative solutions in challenging circumstances.
Through hard work and commitment he has built one of the largest and most robust broking firms in the UK, of which he is the very proud chairman.
Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the Insurance Times Lifetime Achievement Award 2003 is Mr Vic Thompson.
