President Donald Trump is back in the headlines after being sued by Harvard University. A dengue fever outbreak has hit the cook islands as NZ reacts to the governments budget.
Glenn Renwick, a former CEO of Progressive Corporation, died in a car crash in Florida.
Renwick, originally from Dunedin, was renowned for his leadership and innovation in the insurance industry.
He and his wife Deb were dedicated to environmental conservation, planting thousands of trees in New Zealand.
One of the only New Zealanders to head a Fortune 500 company, and twice listed by Forbes as “one of the 40 most admired CEOs in the world”, has been killed in a horror car crash in America.
South Island-born and raised Glenn Renwick died in Florida on May16.
He would have turned 70 on May 22.
Renwick is the former president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Progressive Corporation, a major US insurance company.
A lengthy obituary has been published about Renwick on the news site cleveland.com, paying tribute to his personal and professional achievements and his love for New Zealand.
Renwick was born in Dunedin, where he developed “lifelong passions” for learning, travel, rugby, sailing, sports of any nature and sheep farming.
He graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1977 and then moved to the US with “the love of his life” Deb.
Glenn Renwick studied at the University of Canterbury before moving to the United States. Photo / File
Renwick completed a Master of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Florida, with a focus on operations research.
His career began at Bell Laboratories where he worked as a technologist. He later joined Ernst & Whinney as a management consultant.
In 1986, he joined Progressive as a product manager and soon rose through the management ranks, being named president and CEO in 2000.
He retired in 2016 but remained on the board of directors for a further two years.
Renwick also served on a number of other boards.
“After retiring from Progressive, Mr Renwick vigorously pursued his many passions and sought to share some of the things he had learned along the way by teaching others,” his obituary read.
“He helped create and taught at a programme on ethical decision making in business and the ethical use of artificial intelligence at the University of Florida, and he taught on leading through adversity at the business school of the University of Canterbury, his alma mater.
“Mr Renwick’s love for his native New Zealand and its unique environment drove his significant work in that country to improve and maintain the unique ecosystems that exist there. He and his wife personally planted tens of thousands of trees with a goal of one million plants on his and Deb’s farm ‘Matapihi’.
“Together, he and Deb have provided substantial support for others to plant many more trees in the future, to re-establish the native bird populations and to study and develop environmentally sustainable farming techniques.”
The obituary published in the US after Glenn Renwick died in a Florida car crash.
His 32 years with Progressive were described as “highly successful”.
“[His] integrity, leadership skills, business acumen and innovative approach dramatically affected the financial and competitive position of the company he led, as well as the lives of the people with whom he worked,’ the obituary said.
“Over that 32-year period, Progressive’s annual revenues grew from about US$800 million in 1986 when Glenn was hired to US$30 billion at the time of his retirement.
“Mr Renwick played a leading role in many of the company’s numerous business and marketing innovations during his tenure. He was particularly known for championing technological innovation in the auto insurance industry.”
“Under Glenn’s leadership, Progressive has become one of the most successful, innovative and respected insurance companies,” a colleague said when Renwick retired.
He was also known as “a leader of integrity and humility”.
“Colleagues often noted his approachable management style and willingness to explore and embrace new ideas. He was known as a responsive and accessible leader who welcomed innovation and empowered employees to speak up and drive change,” the obituary read.
“His leadership approach not only achieved outstanding business results, but also earned Mr Renwick respect throughout the insurance industry and the corporate world.”
Renwick is survived by his wife and brothers Bruce and Alan.
“He remains the adored uncle to his many nieces and nephews and beloved godfather to his godchildren,” said his obituary.
