The International Insurance Society (IIS) has announced that Dr. Yung-Ping Chen, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA, is the 2012 winner of the prestigious John S. Bickley Founder’s Award. He will be honored during the gala dinner at the IIS 48th Annual Seminar, which will take place at the Sofitel Rio Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 17 – 20, 2012.
Also honored are Jorge Hilário Gouvêa Vieira, President, Brazilian Insurance Confederation (CNseg), Brazil, who will receive the Commissioner General Award for his excellent leadership in serving as Chairman of the organizing committee for the 2012 IIS Seminar, and Dr. Joan Lamm-Tennant, Global Chief Economist and Risk Strategist, Guy Carpenter & Company, USA, who will receive the Kenneth Black Jr. Award for Distinguished Service for her significant contributions in support of the IIS.
The John S. Bickley Founder’s Award Gold Medal for Excellence recipient is elected by secret ballot by the IIS Honors Committee, a body of senior insurance executives and leading academicians, and honors individuals who have made a significant, lasting and recognized contribution to insurance thought, product, practice or education. “It is a great pleasure to honor Dr. Chen for his important contributions to our industry. His work on a wide range of concepts and programs, relating to economic security in retirement, has been truly ground-breaking,” says Bernhard Fink, IIS Honors Committee Chairman.
Dr. Yung-Ping Chen has had a distinguished career in academe and as an advisor to governments. He is widely recognized for his work on economic security for the aged. His contributions have influenced insurance product development and social insurance policy. Dr. Chen is Professor Emeritus of Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he served as the inaugural holder of the Frank J. Manning Eminent Scholar’s Chair in Gerontology from 1988 until his retirement in 2009. Since then, he is a Fellow in the Gerontology Institute in the same university. A founding member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, he is a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and a Fellow in the World Demographic Association. A frequent contributor to scholarly and professional journals and to Congressional hearings since the early 1960s, Chen continues to be active after retiring from academe, presenting his research and views in high-profile presentations and publications.
The Commissioner General Award is selected by the IIS Honors Committee and honors individuals who have provided superlative support in the development, organization and execution of the IIS annual seminar. “Mr. Gouvea and his CNSeg team are crucial to the success of the 2012 seminar and we are truly grateful for their strong support,” says Norman Sorensen, IIS Chairman.
Mr. Jorge Hilário Gouvêa Vieira is a lawyer with extensive expertise in Commercial Law, Tax Law, and Insurance and Stock Market legislation. Since April 2010, Mr. Gouvêa has served as president of the National Confederation of General Insurance, Private Pension and Life, Supplementary Health and Capitalization Companies (CNseg). Mr. Gouvêa was president of the Securities Commission (CVM) and Secretary of Finance of the State of Rio de Janeiro from 1987 to1990. He has a law degree from PUC-Rio de Janeiro and a postgraduate degree from the University of California Berkeley.
Mr. Gouvêa has worked for 40 years in the insurance market and was president of the Brazilian Reinsurance Institute (IRB-Brasil Re) and the Bank of the State of Rio de Janeiro (BANERJ). In the private sector, Jorge Hilário was member of the Board of several companies, including Coca-Cola, Ipiranga, Sul América, Jari Celulose and VARIG, among others.
The Kenneth Black Jr. Award is presented to an individual who has provided outstanding support to the IIS in forwarding our mission and goals. Dr. Lamm-Tennant is the Chair of the prestigious Shin Research Awards program, a partnership of the IIS and the Geneva Association, and she has served as an academic as well as business moderator at past IIS annual seminars. She is a member of the IIS Board of Directors and served as an IIS Ambassador promoting IIS activities for several years. “Dr. Lamm-Tennant’s tireless work on behalf of the IIS, despite the considerable demand on her schedule, demonstrates remarkable commitment and devotion. We are truly grateful,” says Michael Morrissey, IIS President and CEO. ”With a background that straddles both an academic and a business perspective, Dr. Lamm-Tennant brings a unique objectivity to the able,” adds Mr. Morrissey.”
Dr. Joan Lamm-Tennant is the Global Chief Economist and Risk Strategist of Guy & Carpenter Company, LLC, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies. She advises global clients on embedding risk management processes and performance metrics in management and Board level business decisions. In addition, Joan is working with industry leaders in emerging markets to form an industry owned microinsurance facility. Prior to joining the industry, Joan spent 18 years as a Professor. She remains committed to education and is currently the Laurence and Susan Hirsch Adjunct Professor of International Business at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Source : IIS Press Release
