Laughing first ... and last.

Nell Morrell is known for a great professional sense of humor, both with his clients and his staff. "Nell is a bright fellow, that comes first," said David Rader, CEO of Charleston, W.V.-based West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co. "But he is also very personable and a person of high integrity."

"Nell laughs a lot," added Kurt Scott. "People who work with him laugh a lot, too. It's infectious. He has the right sort of balance in his life." In one instance, Nell's group lowered his net cost of insurance. I said to Nell, 'Is there anything special I can do?' He said there were two brokers, one in London and one in the United States, who had been the driving force of the deal. Nell suggested that if I was so moved to I could write them letters of commendation, which Nell would share with the team. So I did it."

Scott added that Morrell runs a very transparent operation. "There aren't any secrets," he said. 'q-here isn't a black box. Everybody gets very involved to help us achieve a better deal. It's a very open process."

"He has a good combination of technical skills and interpersonal talents that allow all parties in a transaction to keep moving in the same direction," added David Rader. "He does a very good job for us."

In the past year, Nell and his team have created and developed various new systemic protections for the medical professional industry. This involved analyzing alternative approaches in the marketplace and designing new treaties to encompass the clients' needs.

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Neil Morrell, executive

vice president and

managing director, Willis

Re, Chicago