NU Online News Service, Dec.10, 2:49 p.m. EST

Lloyd's chief executive Richard Ward, after a speaking tour at three U.S. business schools, said he was so enthused by the event that he already has plans to visit another American university next year.

Mr. Ward, in a telephone interview from London today, said his visit to Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Mass., University of Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business in Ann Arbor, and The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia "was a great experience, very rewarding."

Next year, he said, he plans a visit to give a talk at St. John's University School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science in New York.

Mr. Ward, who has yet to address any schools in the United Kingdom or Europe, said he ventured to the United States because of its importance as Lloyd's largest market and because he wanted to "reach out to tomorrow's leaders."

He said he expounded on the opportunities at Lloyd's, shared his knowledge of Lloyd's and the market's relevance today, and gave them his insights on leadership.

Mr. Ward holds a doctorate in physical chemistry, and before joining Lloyd's was vice chair of ICE Futures--formerly known as the International Petroleum Exchange, where he served six years as CEO.

Declaring himself "very passionate about education and passionate about getting the message out about the importance of Lloyd's," Mr. Ward said he was impressed by the interest and thoughtfulness of remarks by students when he spoke with them during extended question-and-answer sessions.

Students, he said, were very positive and very excited by his visit, and since his return to London he has received many e-mails of support and encouragement from deans, faculty and "quite a few" of the students at the institutions he visited.

Among the questions he fielded, Mr. Ward noted, were some dealing with the impact of the recession on the insurance industry.

His detailed responses would be too long to cover in a short interview, he explained, but he said he had mentioned that the industry has fared reasonably well, pointing out that with the exception of American International Group, the industry had managed without government support.

Lloyd's was in a good position, he explained, because of its initially strong foundation and its careful risk selection, among other factors. He said the market is coping now with business clients who are "struggling to make returns."

Asked if students had asked advice on employment, Mr. Ward said he had shared with them his experience in forging a career path and issues involved in risk taking.

Mr. Ward received his college education at Exeter University, where he earned a 1st Class Honors degree in chemistry, before his PhD in physical chemistry.

Between 1982 and 1988, he worked as a senior physicist with the Science and Engineering Research Council, leading a number of research and development projects before going on to British Petroleum, where he held a range of senior positions and was head of marketing and business development for energy derivatives worldwide at Tradition Financial Services.

A spokesman for Lloyd's said that a video will shortly be released at www.Lloyds.com, in which Mr. Ward discusses his campus tour.

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