Rolf Gerling
Zurich, Switzerland
Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Zurich
Germany
insurance
$1,500,000,000
1511
#1511 Billionaires 2019
Rolf Gerling inherited insurer Gerling Konzern, showed little interest in managing it and saw the legacy plunge into turmoil.His grandfather Robert founded the business in 1904 and his father, Hans, expanded it into a global insurance group. Hans died in 1992.Mismanagement, losses from the September 11 attacks and costly asbestos claims led Rolf to sell the company for an estimated $1 billion in 2005.A passionate environmentalist, he leads a withdrawn life in Switzerland.His portfolio includes real estate through companies like DufourIm AG, which is headed by long-time Gerling confidant Heino von Have.
In the 1990s, Gerling was instrumental in getting 50 insurance companies to sign a UN pledge to consider environmental problems in their business practices.He attended a Montessori school as a child and studied analytical psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich.
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