Jamaica Insurance Brokers Association has hailed late Jamaican business titan Dennis Lalor as a transformational figure whose impact extended well beyond corporate Jamaica.

“Dennis Lalor was far more than a distinguished leader in Jamaica’s insurance industry; he was a visionary who helped strengthen its very foundation,” Levar Smith, JIBA president, said in a press release on Friday.

“Through his unwavering commitment to excellence, professional development, and mentorship, he cultivated a culture of learning that has empowered generations of insurance professionals and produced many of the industry’s finest minds,” Smith continued. “His legacy lives on not only in the institution and industry he helped strengthen, but also in the countless individuals whose lives and careers were enriched by his guidance and example.”

Lalor, the founder of ICWI Group Limited, died aged 91 on May 14.

JIBA described Lalor as a pioneering force whose influence helped redefine Jamaica’s insurance industry and strengthen the country’s indigenous private sector during a critical period of national development.

For decades, Lalor stood among the most respected voices in Jamaican business, earning a reputation for disciplined leadership, uncompromising professionalism, and visionary institution-building, JIBA noted in the release, adding that through his work, he not only transformed insurance in Jamaica and the Caribbean, but also helped shape a generation of business leaders, professionals, and national institutions.

“At a time when much of the Caribbean’s insurance sector was foreign-dominated, Lalor became part of a transformative generation of post-Independence Jamaican executives who demonstrated that locally led financial institutions could compete, grow, and command regional respect, the release stated. “His founding and expansion of the ICWI Group would become one of the defining achievements of indigenous Caribbean enterprise, establishing a company that evolved into one of the region’s most recognised insurance and financial services groups.”

Smith added: “On behalf of JIBA, we pay tribute to a true pioneer, mentor, and statesman whose impact on the insurance industry will be felt for generations to come.”