Finance/Insurance: THOMAS S. GAYNER
CO-CEO, MARKEL CORP., GLEN ALLEN
Published
Come April 2023, Gayner will no longer be flying with a co-pilot.
His fellow co-CEO, Richard R. “Richie” Whitt III, plans to retire by the end of next March, after working for the company since 1991.
Since 2016, Gayner and Whitt have led Markel Corp., the Fortune 500 financial holding company that has about 20,300 employees, as co-CEOs. Gayner has since overseen Markel’s investment portfolio and its Markel Ventures subsidiary, which makes long-term investments in companies. Before joining Markel in 1990, Gayner was a vice president of Davenport & Co. and a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. A University of Virginia graduate, he has served on several corporate boards, including Cable One Inc., where he is lead independent director.
As sole CEO, Gayner will be in charge of holding company strategy and keeping watch over Markel’s three divisions: insurance, investments and Markel Ventures. He’ll continue as chief investment officer.
In 2021 Markel reported revenues of $12.8 billion.
