Pat and Shirley Ryan
Seeking the Flame

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Pat and Shirley Ryan have been core supporters of The American Ireland Fund in Chicago for a quarter of a century. Pat is Founder and Executive Chairman of Aon, the world’s largest insurance and reinsurance broker, with 43,000 employees in over 120 countries.

Pat’s Irish heritage is evident in the name of the company which is based upon the Gaelic word for “one”. Pat and Shirley are exceptional philanthropists and, in particular, support not-for-profits working with young people with special needs.

Pat is currently Chairman of the Chicago bid for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Connect Magazine spoke with Pat to learn more about his involvement with Ireland and his dream of bringing the Olympics to Chicago.

Interview with Pat Ryan

Pat, your Irish roots are clearly deeply important to you. You named your company after them after all. Tell us about your Irish ancestry.
My Irish roots are important to me. It is important to understand that the name Aon was chosen because the connotation of “one” and “oneness” was important to our situation at the time and remains the same today.

We were bringing several companies together as one and we needed a common name and we chose Aon because of what it would mean to our employees and our clients. The name Aon had great meaning, and as Gaelic words are often very short, punchy and have meaning, it was more of the meaning of the word as opposed to selecting an Irish name. My Irish ancestry goes back a very long time, to the second potato famine, when Thomas Ryan with six sons left Tipperrary and ended up in southeastern Wisconsin.

You are a graduate of Northwestern University. What did you major in and how did you get involved in the world of insurance?
I majored in finance at Northwestern, and while in school I looked at several industries and I became quite attracted to the insurance industry. As I wanted to be an entrepreneur, the appeal of the insurance industry was what I would describe as an ease of entry into the industry that was attractive to me. The world is literally your prospect if you are selling insurance and I found that quite attractive.

The growth of Aon must be very satisfying. What were the key high and low points along the way?
The growth of Aon is quite satisfying to me. The key high point for me would be the globalization of our original ideas, which are now positioned in over 120 countries, and Aon becoming the world’s largest insurance and reinsurance broker.

Our low point would have to be our losses in the World Trade Center in 2001. I mean not only the personal loss of great friends and valued colleagues, but also the tremendous blow to our company in terms of losses both human and business-oriented.

You have investments in Dublin’s Financial Centre. How do you rate the Republic of Ireland as a business location?
We do have investments in Dublin’s Financial Centre and we have a wonderful business in the Republic of Ireland. It is truly one of our best run businesses and is a leading risk management advisor and insurance broker. We are very proud of our team there and we have wonderful client relationships that benefit from a wonderful heritage.

Turning to your philanthropic life, explain the work of the Pathway Center for Children that yourself and Shirley founded.
We founded the Pathways Center for Children in 1985 and we are very proud of the work it is performing and the lives of children who are benefiting from the good work provided by the outstanding staff at the Center. It has done and continues to do very important work in treating 250 children twice weekly for physical, speech and occupational therapy. It also spreads the word around the world on the need for early intervention for young children.

You have been one of the most consistent and generous supporters of the Fund in Chicago. Please tell us what forms the basis of that loyalty and what needs would you like to see addressed in Ireland.
We have been consistent supporters and we are pleased with what has happened in Ireland. We are proud to have funded important programs to help bring peace to Ireland and to support programs that not only bring neighborhoods together but also bring people together for the common good. We have seen the benefit of investing in the future of the children of Ireland in terms of education and physical and social development, and we would like to continue to see these needs addressed in the future.

The Fund does work throughout the North and the South and we believe in the continued addressing of the remaining obstacles that hinder the future of the citizens of Ireland.

You are now chasing the biggest sporting event in the world. What inspired your dream of bringing the Olympics to Chicago?
I have always enjoyed sports, particularly Olympic sports. It is a great honor for any city to host the Olympic games because of what they symbolize to the world; peace, harmony, sport, teamwork, and inspiration. We are proud of Chicago and we believe Chicago can bring a lot to the Olympic movement. We believe that Chicago would be a great host city because the people love sports , they love to celebrate sports, and we believe they will be great hosts to the athletes from around the world who come to our city. I believe the citizens of Chicago will support the games in unprecedented levels.

What distinguishes the Chicago bid from the other competing cities?
Each of the seven competing cities is a world-class city. It would be inappropriate for me to compare the bids of the various cities. However, I would say that Chicago and the people of Chicago have demonstrated an incredible level of enthusiasm for the prospect of hosting the world and the Olympic games in 2016.

What impact has the bid had on the community in Chicago?
We are already creating a legacy with the Olympic bid process in Chicago. For example, I have never seen the city of Chicago more bonded along racial, social, and economic lines as people have come together to back our bid for the Games. We have already introduced programs into the Chicago public school system to spread the spirit of the Olympic ideals to our younger students. Additionally, Chicago is getting significant increased exposure in the global press because of the bid, which is bringing more attention to our great city.

Finally, Pat, what is your fondest Irish memory?
My fondest Irish memory is that when I founded our company as an entrepreneur, many Irish-American businessmen introduced me to others and recommended our services, and they would say, “I want you to meet Pat, he’s one of ours.” That support from the Irish community in Chicago was the singular catalyst to the early development of Aon.