Ramani Ayer (born 27 May 1947 in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

) is an Indian-American business executive, and the CEO and chairman of

The Hartford The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., usually known as The Hartford, is a United States-based investment and insurance company. The Hartford is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in its namesake city of Hartford, Connecticut. It was ranke ...

from 1997 to 2009.Ramani Ayer
''Nndb.com''

Education

Ayer earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay or IITB) is a public research university and technical institute in Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is considered as one of the best engineering universities in India and is top ranke ...

in 1969 and his Masters and Ph.D. from

Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, S ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1973. Ayer has practiced

Transcendental Meditation Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a form of silent mantra meditation advocated by the Transcendental Meditation movement. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi created the technique in India in the mid-1950s. Advocates of TM claim that the technique promotes a ...

since the 1970s.

Career

Ramani Ayer began working for The Hartford after receiving his Ph.D. in 1973. Ramani Ayer became vice president of HartRe, The Hartford's reinsurance subsidiary in 1983, president of Hartford Specialty Company in 1986, and senior vice president of The Hartford in 1989. He then became executive vice president of The Hartford in 1990, and president and

COO COO or coo may refer to: Business * Certificate of origin, used in international trade * Chief operating officer or chief operations officer, high-ranking corporate official * Concept of operations, used in Systems Engineering Management Process ...

of the company's property-casualty operations in 1991. After being elected CEO in 1996, he took the office of chairman and CEO of The Hartford on 1 February 1997. In 2007, Ayer was one of three foreign-born Indian-origin executives to run a Fortune 100 company. In June 2009, after facing pressure from the company shareholders, Ramani Ayer announced his retirement from The Hartford by the end of the year. He stepped down as CEO on 1 October 2009. He received a $39.9 million lump sum pension in 2010, a particular pension plan provided by Hartford. While CEO, Ayer served as a member of the

Business Roundtable The Business Roundtable (BRT) is a nonprofit lobbyist association based in Washington, D.C. whose members are chief executive officers of major United States companies. Unlike the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose members are entire businesses, BRT ...

representing The Hartford. Ayer sit on the board of directors for the

American Insurance Association The American Insurance Association (AIA) is an insurance industry trade association representing about 300 insurance companies that provide property insurance and/or casualty insurance in the United States. Founded in 1866 as the National Board ...

and the

Hartford Hospital Hartford Hospital is an 938-bed acute care teaching hospital located in the South End of Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford Hospital was established in 1854. The hospital campus is located on Seymour Street in Hartford and is directly adjacent to the ...

while also serving as a trustee of the Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration. In 2011, Ramani Ayer was appointed to the board of directors of

XL Group XL or variants may stand for: Arts and entertainment * XL (band), a J-Pop band * XL Recordings, a British independent record label * XL, a character in the animated series ''Buzz Lightyear of Star Command'' Businesses and organizations Transport ...

, a financial services company.

Transcendental meditation

At the age 24, Ramani Ayer learned to meditate and completed the basic Transcendental Meditation program while studying at Drexel. He believes transcendental meditation has enabled him to manage professional and personal success. He also took part to the Global Peace Initiative. He served on the board of

Maharishi University of Management Maharishi International University (MIU), formerly Maharishi University of Management, is a private university in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a "consciousness-based education" system that includes ...

(MUM) where his son studied.Ramani Ayer, a man of business and peace
''Tmhome.com'', 11 August 2014 Ramani Ayer has been a trustee of the

David Lynch Foundation The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace (or simply DLF) is a global charitable foundation with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded by film director and Transcendental Me ...

Personal life

Ramani Ayer is married to Louise. They have two children.

References

American chief executives of financial services companies American Hindus American people of Indian descent Drexel University alumni Indian chief executives Indian emigrants to the United States IIT Bombay alumni Living people American chief operating officers 1947 births {{US-CEO-stub