Philip Fitzsimons:PHILIP FITZSIMONS, who has died aged 60, was head of FBD Insurance, one of the most prominent insurance companies in the country, which he steered during his tenure to unprecedented success.
He was born in Cavan on January 17th, 1948, second child to Jimmy and Etta Fitzsimons. His mother was a secondary school teacher and his father a local insurance broker; two careers that had an immense influence on his later life.
He attended the De La Salle Brothers primary school in Cavan and went on to gain first place in the Co Cavan educational scholarship scheme to St Patricks College, Cavan, where he studied from 1960 to 1965. Summer holidays were spent on his uncle's farm, where he developed a deep understanding and great appreciation of the importance of the family farm in rural Ireland.
He was a talented Gaelic footballer, playing with the local Killygarry club and was a member of the Cavan senior team in 1971/72. In 1973, he was a member of the UCD team that won the Dublin senior championship and later played for many years with the Civil Service club in Dublin.
Philip's first job after his Leaving Certificate was with McMullan Brothers Ltd on East Wall Road, Dublin, as an accounts clerk. In 1966, he moved to the Sun Alliance insurance company, where he combined work with night study. He received an outstanding merit award in the Insurance Institute examination and also completed the Diploma in Public Administration. This allowed him to enter directly to second commerce as a night student at UCD in 1968. He left Sun Alliance in the summer of 1969 and headed for New York to earn enough money so that he could return later that year and complete his degree on a full-time basis.
He was offered a position on the "Financial Management" Graduate Training Programme by General Electric (GE) and moved to the companys headquarters in Syracuse, New York, in late 1970. He left GE after four months as the style of management did not sit comfortably with him.
He went back to the building sites, where he had worked the previous summer, and took on the role of "stringer" (stringing steel rods together to form part of reinforced concrete). Flower power was all the rage in New York and, not to be outdone, Philip purchased an old banger, painted it psychedelic and listened to Ravi Shanker.
On returning to Dublin to act as best man for his brother, Séamus, in 1971, Philip was offered a position by FBD Insurance and that was to be his second home for the next 37 years. He met Paula Hearne from Killarney in 1970 and they were married in 1973.
At FBD he made his way through the ranks, working closely with chief executive Brian Colivet. He studied accountancy and was awarded the ACCA in 1978. He was appointed marketing manager in 1979 and, when FBD floated on the Stock Exchange in 1989 (a process in which Philip played a key role), he was promoted to development director and joined the board.
In 1996, he became deputy chief executive to Paul O'Callaghan and, on Paul's retirement in 2003, he reached the pinnacle of his career and was appointed chief executive.
During his tenure, FBD delivered unparalleled shareholder returns.
The company increased the number of policy holders by a staggering 55 per cent and saw its market share grow from 8 per cent to over 11 per cent.
His style of leadership by example and personal pride in the company was infectious and drew the very best out of everyone who worked with him.
Philip never courted personal publicity, preferring instead to get on with the job and let the results speak for themselves.
Philip had a great love of all sport. He was a regular in Croke Park, Lansdowne Road, Parnell Park and many other venues and also played an active role in Kilmacud Crokes over many years.
He had a keen interest in cycling and was a member and supporter of the Willow Wheelers club, which led to the company's long involvement with the FBD Rás. Having excelled as a swimmer, he turned his attention to golf in more recent years and, not surprisingly, he mastered that sport also. He loved music and the theatre and his tastes ranged from Tina Turner and Christy Moore to Tom Crean.
He was first and foremost a family man. His own family and his recently arrived grandson, Kai, meant everything to him.
One of his greatest attributes was his sense of justice and equality. He strove to ensure no one was treated unfairly and every person was recognised for his or her individual contribution.
Philip died suddenly on Sunday morning, April 20th, 2008, at Faithlegg House Hotel in Waterford. Earlier in the evening, in the company of his wife and many close friends, he had been at his warm, successful and engaging best.
He is survived by his wife, Paula, his five children, Sinead, Brian, Renagh, Paul and James, his grandson, Kai and by his brother, Séamus and sister, Marita.
Philip Fitzsimons: born January 17th, 1948; died: April 20th, 2008