Speaker Biographies

Roger W. Ferguson Jr. joined Swiss Re America Holding Corporation in June 2006 and is the chairman, a member of the executive committee, and the head of financial services for the company. Prior to his employment at Swiss Re, Mr. Ferguson served as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System. From 1984 to 1997, he was an associate and partner at McKinsey & Company, where he managed a variety of studies for financial institutions and was the director of research and information services. From 1981 to 1984, Mr. Ferguson was an attorney at the New York City office of Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he worked on syndicated loans, public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and new product development. Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard University and of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Advanced Study. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Group of Thirty.

Thomas Hampton was reappointed as the commissioner for the District of Columbia’s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) by Mayor Adrian M. Fenty on January 2, 2007. Mr. Hampton is responsible for the five-bureau agency that regulates all financial industries in the District of Columbia and enforces all D.C. laws relating to the conduct of financial services activities. As the commissioner, Mr. Hampton’s priorities include protecting and educating consumers on financial services issues; strengthening investigation and enforcement statutes and procedures; encouraging financial services companies, especially captives and risk retention groups, to locate to the District of Columbia; and addressing uninsured health insurance concerns of D.C. residents. A veteran of DISB since 1988, Mr. Hampton most recently held the position of deputy commissioner and was responsible for organization-wide policy development and program execution, as well as technical oversight of the insurance, securities, banking, and fraud investigation activities. Prior to joining DISB, Mr. Hampton had extensive experience in the insurance industry, especially in property and casualty insurance. He managed the accounting and financial activities of captive insurance companies in Bermuda and Cayman Islands for Cigna Worldwide in New York and was a supervisor in general accounting with the American International Group.

Alessandro A. Iuppa is head of government and industry affairs for general insurance and the chief government affairs officer for Zurich in North America. Both appointments were effective January 15, 2007. Based in Washington, D.C., Mr. Iuppa represents and coordinates Zurich’s interactions with governmental and industry bodies at the federal and state levels in the United States, as well as globally for general insurance. As head of government and industry affairs for general insurance, Mr. Iuppa is responsible for managing the analytical and strategic review of public policy issues affecting Zurich’s general insurance operations globally. In his dual role as chief government affairs officer in North America, he also oversees Zurich’s tactical execution of all legislative, regulatory, and political activities in the region. Mr. Iuppa served as Maine’s superintendent of insurance from 1998 through 2006 and was an active participant on insurance issues at both the national and international levels. In 2005, he served as president elect of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and in 2006, he assumed the office of president. Mr. Iuppa also served as chair of the executive committee of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, representing the United States from 2004 through 2006.
Brad Smith is the vice president of international relations for the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI). Since joining ACLI in May 1997, Mr. Smith has been responsible for coordinating all policy and program initiatives of the ACLI’s International Committee. His major focus areas have included insurance market liberalization for U.S. companies overseas, especially in China, Japan, and India, and monitoring foreign trading partners’ compliance with bilateral and multilateral insurance trade agreements. Prior to joining the ACLI, Mr. Smith served as the deputy chief executive of the International Insurance Council.

Peter J. Wallison holds the Arthur F. Burns Chair in Financial Policy Studies at AEI, where he codirects the Institute’s program on financial market deregulation. He previously practiced banking, corporate, and financial law at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington, D.C., and New York. From June 1981 to January 1985, Mr. Wallison was general counsel of the Treasury Department, where he had a significant role in the development of the Reagan administration’s proposals for deregulation in the financial services industry. He also served as general counsel to the Depository Institutions Deregulation Committee and participated in the Treasury Department’s efforts to deal with the debt held by less-developed countries. During 1986 and 1987, Mr. Wallison was White House counsel to President Ronald Reagan. Between 1972 and 1976, Mr. Wallison served first as special assistant to New York governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and, subsequently, as counsel to Mr. Rockefeller when he was vice president of the United States.

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