Michael T. Reddy
Chairman &CEO
EDS Global Financial Markets Group
Revenue: $18 million
Employees: 100,000 plus
In his free time, Michael Reddy is a poet who writes carefully crafted verse that adheres strictly to rhyme and meter. However, during business hours, he is one of the most formidable forces in the international financial marketplace.
When EDS Global Financial Markets Group acquired FCI, Inc. in 1995, they also gained Reddy’s expertise as founder of the management and information technology services firm dedicated to global financial markets. 
Prior to forming FCI, Reddy was senior vice president of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner &Smith Incorporated, where he was responsible for international operations, systems and telecommunications, and operations for capital and consumer markets in the U.S.
Reddy is currently an advisor on clearance and settlement issues to the Securities Industry Association, and he serves on a number of other industry committees.
A graduate of Pace University and Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, Reddy is the author of a book entitled Securities Operations: A Guide to Operations and Information Systems in the Securities Industry.
A first-generation Irish American — his mother was from Mayo and his father from Offaly — Reddy believes that he is “graced with a heritage filled with a love of life, laughter, liberty and learning.” He is a chairman of the Ireland Chamber of Commerce in the U.S.A. (ICCUSA) and a recipient of the 1998 Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Arthur F. Ryan
Chairman & CEO
The Prudential Life Insurance
Company of America
Revenue: $37.1 billion
Employees: 80,000
The Prudential Life Insurance Company is one of the largest diversified financial institutions in the world, providing services to over 40 million people. Arthur Ryan is the first chairman and chief executive officer in Prudential’s 123-year history to have been appointed from outside the company.
Before joining Prudential in 1994, Ryan was president and chief operating officer of Chase Manhattan Bank, which he had joined 22 years earlier. His is a past president of the New York State Bankers Association and is a member of the board of trustees of New York’s Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and the American College of Life Insurance. He is also a member of the Irish American Partnership.
Born in Brooklyn, Ryan attended Providence College, and the American University. He is a second-generation Irish American with family roots in County Limerick. He is married with four children.
Patrick G. Ryan
Chairman &CEO
Aon Corporation
Revenue: $5.75 billion
Employees: 40,000
Patrick Ryan is chairman and chief executive of Aon (Gaelic for `one,’ pronounced `ane’) Corporation, a global insurance and consulting services organization.
Ryan began his career in the insurance industry in 1959, as an agent for Penn Mutual. In 1964, he founded Ryan Insurance Group which merged with Combined International Corporation in 1982. At that time, the Wisconsin native became president and chief executive officer of the merged entity, which was renamed Aon Corporation in 1987.
Ryan serves as chairman of the board of trustees of Northwestern University, his alma mater, and as a trustee of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. He is a recipient of several awards, including Illinois’ highest award, the Order of Lincoln medallion, which recognizes a lifetime of accomplishment. He also received the College of Insurance’s 1997 Insurance Leader of the Year.
Ryan and his wife Shirley founded and are active in the Pathways Center for Children and the Pathways Awareness Foundation. Ryan has traced his Irish roots to County Tipperary. He and his wife live in the Chicago area with their three sons.
Joseph D. Sargent
President &CEO
The Guardian Life Insurance
Company of America
Revenue: $6 billion
Employees: 7,700
Joseph Sargent joined the Guardian Life Insurance Company in 1959 following his graduation from Fairfield University and has spent his entire career with Guardian. Prior to his current position as president and chief executive officer, he has held the office of senior vice president, health insurance; senior vice president, individual life insurance; and executive vice president.
Active in the insurance industry, Sargent is a board member of the Life Insurance Council of New York, Inc. and the American Council of Life Insurance steering and executive roundtable committees.
Sargent is also a member of the board of directors of the Guardian Life Insurance Company; president, CEO and director of Guardian Insurance and Annuity Company, Inc. He is a director of Guardian Investor Services Corporation; Park Avenue Securities, LLC; and Guardian Asset Management Corporation. He is also a trustee of the Guardian Life Welfare Trust and Guardian Life Pension Trust.
Outside the corporate realm, Sargent serves as treasurer and a member of the board of directors for United Way of New York City. He is also a trustee of the Discovery Museum Foundation of Bridgeport and is a member of the business advisory council of the School of Business at Baruch College in New York City.
“From a tender age my mother instilled in me pride and love of my Irish heritage,” says Sargent. “I learned [the Irish national anthem] `A Soldier’s Song’ before `The Star-spangled Banner.'” A first-generation Irish American — his mother is from Swinford, County Mayo — he is a member of the Gaelic American Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, and is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Freedom. He and his wife Sheilagh have six children.♦
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