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Insurance 2025: GAYNER, THOMAS S.
CEO, MARKEL GROUP, GLEN ALLEN
Virginia Business //September 2, 2025//
Insurance 2025: GAYNER, THOMAS S.
CEO, MARKEL GROUP, GLEN ALLEN
Virginia Business //September 2, 2025//
Gayner has led the Fortune 500 insurance holding company as its sole CEO since 2023, after serving more than six years as co-CEO with Richard Whitt III, who retired.
Gayner oversees about 22,000 employees and three divisions: insurance, investments and Markel Ventures, which owns controlling interests in a portfolio of about 20 businesses. The CEO waxed philosophical about business in this year’s shareholders letter, stating, “Satisfaction can breed rot. We must balance celebration and accomplishments with the correct dose of paranoia.”
One could debate the healthiness of paranoia, but the philosophy seems to be working: Markel reported operating revenues of $16.6 billion in 2024, a roughly 5% increase from 2023.
In June, Markel Insurance launched a new product designed to help insurtech businesses “navigate the complex landscape of cyber threats, crime and financial liabilities.”
In 2023, Gayner and his wife, Susan, launched the University of Virginia’s Gayner Family Sustainable Investment Fund, which uses revenue from student-directed investments to fund scholarships.
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