Fallen Giant: The Amazing Story of Hank Greenberg and the History of AIG - Hardcover

Shelp, Ron; Ehrbar, Al

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 047191696X ISBN 13: 9780471916963

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2006

Synopsis

In "Fallen Giant", author Ron Shelp who worked within the AIG organization for more than a decade sheds light on AIG, the company, and Hank Greenberg, the man. Through in-depth research, candid interviews, and firsthand experiences, Shelp provides a detailed look at how AIG was originally created and reveals how Greenberg's unrelenting drive to be the best may have led to his untimely departure from AIG.

About this title

About the Author

Ron Shelp has many years of experience in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors. He served as a domestic and international troubleshooter and also supervised world-wide government relations, corporate communications, and advertising/sales promotion at AIG. He also served on a number of AIG boards. Following his departure from AIG, Shelp worked at Celanese Corporation as a member of the management committee and for Burson-Marsteller. He later became president and CEO of an Internet company. Shelp's nonprofit experience includes serving as president and CEO of New York City Partnership, which was founded by David Rockefeller. Al Ehrbar is an experienced business journalist, who was formerly an editor and writer at Fortune and chief economics writer for the Wall Street Journal.

From the Back Cover

"At last, a knowledgeable, balanced, and fascinating account of the astonishing rise and stunning fall of one of the most astounding business leaders of this, or any, era." ?STEVE FORBES, President, CEO, and Editor in Chief of Forbes

"Ron Shelp has captured perfectly the heart of the story of this business genius toppled by shifting definitions of corporate misconduct. A compelling read." ?MEYER S. FRUCHER, Chairman and CEO, Philadelphia Stock Exchange

"Fallen Giant is a fascinating account, by an insider, of the times and troubles of one of America's most famed business leaders and of the great insurance company he led." ?JOHN BRADEMAS, President Emeritus, New York University

"Ron's tale of Hank Greenberg and AIG is a rare opportunity for a 'personal look' inside the history of an American and global business legend. The value in Ron's book is his personal perspective of the sweep of the story." ?JERRY DE ST. PAER, Executive Vice President and CFO of XL Capital Ltd

From the Inside Flap

Over its eighty-nine-year history, American International Group, better known as AIG, has achieved unparalleled success by adjusting to changing economic trends, regulatory rules, and political situations. While founder Cornelius Vander Starr?who led this Shanghai start-up for fifty years?built an extraordinary insurance franchise, it was his hand-picked successor, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, who would turn that franchise into one of the world's most profitable and powerful financial services companies.

Now, in Fallen Giant, author Ron Shelp?who worked alongside Greenberg and within the AIG organization for more than a decade?sheds light on AIG, the company, and Hank Greenberg, the man. Through in-depth research, candid interviews, and firsthand experiences, Shelp provides a detailed look at how AIG was originally created and reveals the trouble that Greenberg and company eventually ran into when New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer turned his sights on them.

Entertaining and informative, Fallen Giant follows AIG from its humble beginnings in Shanghai to its modern-day offices in New York City?where Chinese involvement can still be found. Along the way, you'll meet a unique group of individuals?from Russia and China to the United States?who helped shape the company's culture, and discover the unpredictable events that changed the course of the company.

Filled with international intrigue and expert business acumen, Fallen Giant carefully details how founder Cornelius Vander Starr built his empire?from American Asiatic Underwriters to AIG?and why he ultimately handed it off to the dynamic, driven, and tough-minded Hank Greenberg. With Greenberg at the helm, you'll learn how this calculated risk-taker transformed AIG into a public entity, expanded its operations to new countries, and acquired huge businesses. You'll also see how Greenberg's numerous

connections with both politicians and business professionals allowed him to become a highly visible spokesman for the industry, a leader in the nonprofit and philanthropic worlds, and an important figure in foreign policy circles.

Through a unique insider's view, Fallen Giant paints a compelling portrait of how the world's largest provider of property and casualty insurance came to be and reveals how Greenberg's unrelenting drive to be the best may have led to his untimely departure from AIG.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 047191696X
• ISBN 13: 9780471916963
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240