A sense of purpose Now that we all seek a purpose that will impart meaning to our lives, we should look to Alfredo Arán, who has made a purpose out of life itself, finding positive meaning and commitment with all those who've flocked to him, his family, his friends, company and the rest, not to mention his attitude to fate and destiny. His personal life has offered multiple challenges, and he's met each one with bravery, fortitude and optimism; with animus and unstinting desire to stride forward, placing his wife and children at the heart of it all. Marathons, endless races through inhospitable landscapes throughout the world, well illustrate his staying power, but also his sensitivity to others, to people in need, whom he's always helped in his efforts, so large is Alfredo's heart. It's always been his purpose to be the one who steps up and leads in solidarity and empathy. All of that has manifested throughout his work at MAPFRE, with his personality and constancy managing transformations at MAPFRE that would turn it into a world leader of the industrial risk segment. He helped us change our internal culture and led us to the understanding that channel coexistence is not only possible but highly desirable. He always gave you his best smile, no matter what trouble he might be facing in his private life. Would that many others followed in his footsteps. The world would be a much better place to live.

Commitment to the major Iberian-American corporations Friend Alfredo, you're one of the greats and you know it. My fondness, appreciation and admiration for you, plus your technical and commercial skill, and your commitment to carving out agreements that would benefit both your company and your clients, qualities quite evident to anyone throughout the Iberian-American corporate risk market, all these come from who you are as a person. You may not remember, but I have a perfectly vivid recollection of the day a mutual friend introduced us. This was during the Musini days. I was a twentysomething fledgling and you treated me exactly the same way you do now, twenty years later (and you have become a man of renown) - amicably, sincerely, and always ready to help. I'm not saying goodbye because I'll still see you for meals every two months, just as we've done for the past 10 years. If you wanted to, you could still join the fray in this tough market where you are one of the leading lights for people young and old. You'd be well able to battle it out for years! All the recognition and love you now find yourself on the receiving end of, you have earned, day by day, and I must add it's only a fraction of what you deserve. We love you, friend Alfredo.

Efficient, consensus-making leadership In our world of insurance you'll find every kind of professional. More or less competent, more or less empathetic. Some felt a calling, others not. And you'll find them in any segment of our cherished sector. Finding yourself in the company of one who's answered the call, and demonstrates empathy with us as brokers, plus a competent professional on top of everything else, that's rare. You get maybe less than one in a generation. Well, I've had the good fortune of meeting someone who exhibits all the traits I just mentioned. Alfredo. Not only has it been my good fortune to work with him on insurance policies but also on ambitious projects for the sector in close collaboration and it has been, in fact still is, a pleasure. Because Alfredo has one of the qualities you can expect in a person whose characteristics I described earlier, which is the capacity for discreet yet efficient teamwork, and the will to exert consensus-making leadership which, in a less than habitual context, has made his abilities shine. His business relationship with my company, Confide, has been fruitful. Across the table we found someone who was able to manage your expectations, had technical knowledge and outstanding relationship management capabilities.

Inspiring, vitality, energy... The Alfredo I've always known through our relationship within the CIMA Commission (Conectividad e Innovación para la Mediación Aseguradora) perfectly matches the image of the professional that has helped fill so many gaps in our knowledge of the insurance world. My friend Alfredo Arán has always been what Anglo-Saxons call an inspiring figure. That kind of vital individual, radiating energy, whom you want in your team no matter what, because you know they'll bring all of their optimism, collaborative spirit and the skill to draw out the best in everyone. When life deals you a hand, you don't always get the best one; only the wise understand that the key is not to bemoan your luck but to play the hand you were dealt, smile and know that you could have been dealt an even worse one. Alfredo has taught us to pay attention always, to open up and share your joy, or indignation, with the passion in our profession for a life that is worth living.

Service, agility, and commitment to human values It's not easy to sum up Alfredo Arán in a few lines. Our relationship began as a professional link and turned into something personal thanks to Alfredo's professional and human traits over 20 years of working together. Among his professional qualities I would highlight his availability, spirit of service - shared by his team - his focus on doing the best for his customers, his earnestness and how swiftly he could settle a claim. He makes a perfect ambassador for his company, MAPFRE, wherever he goes in the world. I know of no other professional more devoted to his company nor more enthusiastically committed to it than Alfredo Arán. Among his personal traits I must point out his sense of ethics, affability, selfovercoming, and commitment to human values. His positive attitude and vitality have made of him a role model and leading light to those who must face adversities as he did. He is a distance runner, not only in sports but in his life as well. And he's turned his career into a pleasure for those of us who follow him.

It is at critical junctions that you truly demonstrate your professional and personal qualities If I am not mistaken, it was in 2003 that I had the privilege of beginning my professional relationship with Alfredo Arán and collaborated with MAPFRE for the first time on the multinational insurance programme for the Spanish telecom company, Telefonica. Alfredo was already a name in the market, had been for years. MAPFRE, which he had joined not too long ago, was taking its first steps in the large risk segment. All these years we've shared both hard and soft cycles, catastrophic claims, and a lot more. It is at critical junctions that you truly see a person for who they are, and Alfredo has been a magnificent role model at the personal and professional levels. His leadership and professional attitude have provided the catalyst for MAPFRE to become an indisputable international leader in the world of risk management.

A transparent, mutually beneficial, long-term strategic relationship They say most people simply fall into insurance, but then they just can't leave this world, for all the reasons we know. Maybe the above does not apply to Alfredo, because he was duly guided early on. In my case, I was fortunate that Repsol had appointed me Director of Insurance in 2015. I had no other experience than working for the company for 25 years, but never in the risk or insurance departments. From the beginning, both MAPFRE and Alfredo Arán have been like a beacon to Repsol. Not only as a fronting, insurance and reinsurance company dealing in all kinds of risk across the world but also because they think of strategic relationships in the long term, consider transparency and mutual benefit for both companies and people. And this is where Alfredo demonstrates his empathy, resilience, professional gumption, friendliness and humanity, adjectives I would not hesitate to capitalize. These traits in conjunction paint a picture of someone unique and totally compatible with the capacity for anticipation, exigency and commitment that makes someone like him indispensable. You simply want to hold on to this person.

The most complex situations can be resolved in a fair, equitable manner Over the past 40 years I have served in a number of directorial roles with the main insurance broker in Chile, did the same for a few years in Argentina in the 1990s and finally, in Spain. As such I got to meet hundreds of professionals and executives of the insurance and reinsurance industry in Latin America, Spain, London, and United States. Alfredo Arán stands out head and shoulders. I met Alfredo in the early 2000s when he was in charge of MAPFRE Global Risks and organized and directed the entry into the Chilean and Latin American markets. The success they were met with doubtless owes to Alfredo's management; and I don't think anybody will say otherwise. It was very easy to establish a sincere, candid, fruitful working relationship with him. His intelligence, empathy, and simple approach to problems would let us solve the most complex situation in a fair, swift and equitable manner. But, perhaps more importantly than all these attributes, Alfredo comes across as a man of character, integrity, tenacity, and loyalty - someone with real compassion for others All of the above has earned Alfredo a place of honour in the history of the insurance market in Latin America.

The arrival at MAPFRE España Alfredo joined MAPFRE España in January 2017, as his penultimate professional move. Although everybody knows he is not in the best of health, he had thankfully just overcome an especially complicated situation. He has since then elected to stay with us until he retires. Five years, a good professional cycle in which one can achieve a great deal. We both knew bringing Alfredo in would have two requisites, or consequences, depending on how you look at it. The first would be somewhat of a redefinition of the rules of engagement between MAPFRE Global Risks and MAPFRE España. We should, as Alfredo said, see Spain as “just another country”, which is to say, one fully enabled to handle the front with our Spanish clients who'd gone global, and with the brokers as well. This goal, which wasn't easy, we reached thanks to Alfredo's practical experience and Bosco Francoy's generosity. The second one was internal to MAPFRE España, and that would be the natural merging of the corporation and brokers’ departments, given the relationship between business and channel. In this case, it was an unresolved matter we had going, but we had not yet found someone who would work as leader and focal point to define a relationship framework with brokers at MAPFRE España. Alfredo solved that problem for us. When we heard that he would join us, I did not doubt that he was the one to handle the broker channel. These two decisions have led to resounding, complete success. MAPFRE has since then consolidated its global customers, both those handled by the Global division as well as those who lay outside its purview; and global business has taken root and thrived in Spain and Portugal to unprecedented levels. Additionally, we co-ordinated our Territorial Organization with the MAPFRE Global Risks central, which translated into a significant increase of global business from Spain and Portugal and, finally, MAPFRE developed its broker business, which has grown well above business average over the past few years. These are all works in progress, and we certainly haven't come to the end of the road, but we’ve made great strides. Without Alfredo, none of this would have happened. That combination of optimism, humility, empathy, and willpower have moved an organization as large as ours in the right direction. But it was the way he models leadership, his moral rectitude and his friendship that proved fundamental to these successes. I realized who Alfredo was many years ago, when I worked for Territorial in Catalunya. Since then, I’ve always tried to learn from him, both on a professional and a personal level. MAPFRE owes an eternal debt to Alfredo, and so do I.

The creation of MAPFRE Global Risks It was in 2009 that MAPFRE charged us with creating MAPFRE Global Risks, the entity under MAPFRE that specializes in managing large risks. After a little over five years operating as a business division of MAPFRE Empresas, focusing on Spanish business and its foreign interests, MAPFRE decided to take steps to make it into an insurance organization that would operate in any market where MAPFRE conducted direct insurance activities, especially Latin America. A fascinating challenge, though not without hurdles. This project would not have come to fruition without Alfredo Arán as Director-General and Advisor to the organization. He is, no doubt, a leading light of corporate insurance in the Spanish market. Greatly appreciated by customers and insurance intermediaries, his knowledge of the business, of his clients' needs, his attitude to life, his gift with people, have allowed us to expand our successful Spanish business model into Latin America. During these years we spent many hours together. At the office, on airplanes, visiting markets, customers, going out for a run in the early morning before we began the workday. Such good memories. Alfredo never dropped his smile. His energy and optimism were infectious. These were intense, demanding years for Alfredo. His health gave him trouble, but he pulled through. Alfredo's mental fortitude is quite admirable. In little time he made a name for himself in the Latin American market. As he did in Spain, he earned the trust and confidence of customers and intermediaries in those markets. That's something you could see at the MAPFRE Global Risks international conference, which he led. The entirety of the sector wanted to attend, not only because there was quality content to absorb but also because Alfredo knew how to impart a very personal touch to them. The conference will celebrate its twenty-eighth outing this year. I find myself fortunate that I had the opportunity to work with Alfredo Arán for practically a decade and having met his family, the bedrock of his successful professional career. Working with him has made me a better professional and a better person. Many thanks for everything, Alfredo!