John R Charman (born 1953) is an English businessman, who has made his career in insurance. He is currently CEO and chairman at Bermuda based Endurance Specialty Insurance Ltd, which has been bought by Sompo Holding (Japan ) in March 2017. He is currently the Executive Chairman of the Sompo Board of Directors. Nicknamed "King of the London Insurance Market", Charman was described as "famously strong-willed and opinionated" by the Financial Times. Charman is ranked in the top 100 people in the global finance industry; inside the top ten richest people in the City of London; and 321st overall in the 2004 Sunday Times Rich List. In August 2006 in what is believed to be the largest sum awarded to an English wife in a contested case, Charman was ordered to pay his ex-wife by the High Court of Justice a sum of £48 million. It beat the £30 million awarded to WPP Group chief executive Martin Sorrell's ex-wife in 2005 after their 32-year marriage ended in divorce. Career Charman made his fortune in the 1990, during the 1991 Gulf War, offering war risk insurance on a 24-hour basis. Charman was the chief executive officer of Tarquin plc (a joint venture company among Insurance Partners, Harvard University and the Charman Group), the parent company of the Charman Underwriting Agencies at Lloyd's of London. He was also a deputy chairman of the Council of Lloyd's and a member of the Lloyd's Core Management Group and Lloyd's Market Board between 1995 and 1997. Nicknamed "King of the London Insurance market", Charman earned the loathing of employees by banning entertainment of clients in company time, and refusing to indulge in long business lunches himself. One critic claimed Charman was so intimidating that colleagues "half-expect the theme from The Godfather to greet him as he arrives at his office." In 2002 Axis settled out of court with a woman who claimed Charman barred her from a meeting, saying: "We are discussing something we decided when you were having babies." Charman made more money when he sold Tarquin/Charman Underwriting Agencies for £350 million in 1998 to the Bermuda-based ACE International Group, receiving £70.6 million in ACE shares. Charman was made chief executive officer at ACE Global Markets (the merger of Charman Underwriting and assets of ACE), and in January 2001 was named group president and chief executive officer of Bermuda based ACE International Group, but