Fallen Giant

A fascinating look at insurance industry icon Hank Greenberg and the company he led For nearly 40 years, Maurice 'Hank' Greenberg was one of the most powerful CEOs in America. He built American International Group (AIG) from a second-rate insurer with a great Chinese franchise into one of the world’s most profitable companies. Now, in Fallen Giant, author Ronald Shelp–who worked alongside Greenberg and within the AIG organization for many years–with the help of Al Ehrbar, sheds light on both AIG, the company, and Hank Greenberg, the man. Filled with international intrigue and expert business acumen, Fallen Giant explains what was really going on during Greenberg’s tenure at AIG and why these events transpired. Readers will be taken inside a world where meetings with presidents, spies, and leading investment figures are all part of doing business. They’ll also discover how adopting aggressive business tactics overseas–using political clout to cut off aid and threaten trade sanctions–can sometimes help a company’s continued growth. Through a unique insider’s view, Fallen Giant paints a compelling portrait of how the world’s largest provider of property and casualty insurance operates and reveals how AIG’s former leader moved the company into the ranks of the most powerful international corporations. Ronald K. Shelp (New York, NY) has served as a domestic and international troubleshooter and also supervised worldwide government relations, corporate communications, and advertising/sales promotion at AIG. In the nonprofit arena, Shelp served as president and CEO of the New York City Partnership, founded by David Rockefeller. He wrote the book Beyond Industrialization (0-03-059304-2) and has contributed his insights to numerous books and newspapers. Al Ehrbar (New York, NY) is an experienced business journalist who was formerly an editor and writer at Fortune and chief economic writer for the Wall Street Journal.