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History

Guy Carpenter's breakthrough idea—using data insights to drive growth—still guides our business today.

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Transforming an Industry With Data-Driven Insights

At the beginning of the 20th century, the insurability of harvested cotton was vital to the economic stability of the American South. As a young man in the cotton insurance business, Guy Carpenter discovered that the industry was haphazard and reactive. A year of big losses pushed the next year’s premiums too high, while a lucky year sent prices down, often exposing insurers and reinsurers to more risk than they had anticipated.

 

  • Carpenter had a better idea: rates based on a rolling average of losses over many years. The “Carpenter Plan” enabled insurance of all losses over a certain level. For the first time, producers and insurers could anticipate rates and manage costs.

A Historic Meeting

In 1923, Carpenter met with cotton insurance brokers Henry W. Marsh and Donald R. McLennan during a transatlantic crossing. Guy Carpenter & Company would become part of Marsh McLennan and take the nascent science of analytics far beyond cotton, laying a foundation of quantitative precision that continues to this day. This partnership would also give Guy Carpenter clients the advantage of being able to tap into the financial strengths of the Marsh McLennan enterprise.

The insight that data—the more, the better—could help clients anticipate perils and measure risks put Guy Carpenter on a trajectory that is still transforming the industry.

Today, Guy Carpenter is a leader in the reinsurance broking industry by bringing together unmatched data insights with bespoke solutions to help clients turn risk into profitable growth.

Through climate change, unpredictable markets and even pandemics, we bring clarity to uncertainty. We offer leadership through even the most daunting challenges. And we always remember to put our clients first. It’s this visionary approach that still drives our work: getting out in front of risks, so clients and colleagues can compete, grow and thrive.

Driven By Innovation

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