The question of who will succeed Ajit is extremely important. There are all sorts of risks (like a massive Pacific Northwest earthquake) that have the potential to bankrupt the industry. I trust Ajit and Warren to judge these sorts of risks, writing only when premiums are very attractive and capping our exposure. With Ajit set to be kicked off the board in seven years due to the new retirement age, presumably he will retire as Vice Chairman at that time if not sooner. So the need for visibility into his successor has increased.
I hope that with the CEO transition out of the way by next year’s AGM that the question of insurance succession comes up and we get a little clarity. I’m not expecting him to necessarily name any names in terms of a successor, but it would be nice to hear directly from Ajit how he views the situation, etc.
The question of who will succeed Ajit is extremely important. There are all sorts of risks (like a massive Pacific Northwest earthquake) that have the potential to bankrupt the industry. I trust Ajit and Warren to judge these sorts of risks, writing only when premiums are very attractive and capping our exposure. With Ajit set to be kicked off the board in seven years due to the new retirement age, presumably he will retire as Vice Chairman at that time if not sooner. So the need for visibility into his successor has increased.
I hope that with the CEO transition out of the way by next year’s AGM that the question of insurance succession comes up and we get a little clarity. I’m not expecting him to necessarily name any names in terms of a successor, but it would be nice to hear directly from Ajit how he views the situation, etc.
Thanks for the confirmation that Berkshire’s insurance has a deep bench of qualified successors to Ajit. That is exactly what I assumed.
Yep, seems to be a lot of in-house insurance talent. Bloomstran’s list gave me a couple new names to keep closer tabs on, too.