Portrait of Rolf Gerling

Rank #1720

Rolf Gerling

Net worth $2.5B

Insurance · Germany

Born
Dec 15, 1954
Age
71
Source
Insurance
Residence
Zurich
Citizenship
Germany
Marital status
Married
Children
3
Education
Bachelor of Arts/Science, University of Zurich

Net worth over time

Biography

  • Rolf Gerling inherited insurer Gerling Konzern, showed little interest in managing it and saw the legacy plunge into turmoil.
  • His grandfather Robert founded the business in 1904 and his father, Hans, expanded it into a global insurance group. Hans died in 1992.
  • Mismanagement, losses from the September 11 attacks and costly asbestos claims led Rolf to sell the company for an estimated $1 billion in 2005.
  • His portfolio includes real estate through companies like DufourIm AG, which is headed by long-time Gerling confidant Heino von Have.
  • A passionate environmentalist, Gerling leads a withdrawn life in Switzerland.
  • In the 1990s, Gerling was instrumental in getting 50 insurance companies to sign a UN pledge to consider environmental problems in their business practices.
  • He attended a Montessori school as a child and studied analytical psychology at the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich.