James F. Dowd

James F. Dowd is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Inc.  He also serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Polish Reinsurance Company, Warsaw, Poland.  He most recently served as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Asia Limited through May 2009.  His insurance career began with Skandia America Group in 1971 in New York City.  In April 1984, Mr. Dowd became President &Chief Executive Officer of Skandia America Group.  In February 1993, Mr. Dowd became Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Willis Faber North America.  In July 1995, Mr. Dowd returned to his former post as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Skandia America Reinsurance Corporation, which is now known as Odyssey Re.  He serves as Vice Chairman of Odyssey Re Holdings.

Mr. Dowd currently serves on the following industry related boards: International Insurance Society Board of Directors and its Executive and Finance Committees; Board of Overseers of the School of Risk Management, Insurance & Actuarial Science of Peter J. Tobin College of Business of St. John’s University.

Mr. Dowd received a B.A. degree in Political Science from C.W. Post College of Long Island University in 1965 and his Juris Doctor degree from St. John's University School of Law in June 1968, and was shortly thereafter admitted to the New York Bar.  Mr. Dowd attended the Harvard Business School, Advanced Management Program in 1980. Mr. Dowd is a member of the American Bar Association.  He is also a member of the New York State Bar Association, Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel.