Tony Williamson Speaks to Life

The Courage To Conquer, a book written by motivational speaker and former leading insurance executive Tony Williamson, has led him to the stage of a conference of the world's leading life insurance and financial services professionals. Williamson will address the international Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) at its 2015 annual convention at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel on June 14. The global association has more than 42,000 members from approximately 470 life insurance and financial services companies in 71 countries.

This year's event is expected to have some 9,000 attendees. He is the only Caribbean person to address this gathering, and it is the second time that he has been invited to do this, based on the readership demand for his book.

Williamson authored a popular Gleaner motivational column 'A Dollar for Your Thoughts' which received worldwide acclaim and positively impacted the lives of many readers.

In a foreword to the book, The Courage to Conquer, Jamaican insurance pioneer R. Danny Williams wrote: "This book is a gold mine of inspirational experiences that Tony himself has lived through, but even more, he has drawn on the vast knowledge he has accumulated through his extensive readings as well as his experience to some of the best in the best business, and brought them together so that his readers can benefit from it all. Although Tony draws on his experiences in the Jamaican society, it does not detract from the international appeal this book should have. The book provides a road map for success in life."

Williamson is one of the trailblazers in Jamaica's life-insurance industry, having spent more than 40 years in the financial services field. He rose from sales producer to president and CEO of two separate life insurance companies. He achieved the distinction of being, for 44 consecutive years, a member of the MDRT. This is a record in the Caribbean as he is the longest-sitting member in the history of the MDRT in the region.

He is also an inductee in the Hall of Fame of the Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, an elite group of high achievers in the life insurance industry in this region. He was president of the Life Underwriters Association of Jamaica (LUAJ), now Jamaica Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors in 1976.

achievements under

his presidency

Two signal achievements under his presidency were the formation of the Insurance Employees Co-operative Credit Union with assets now in excess of $1 billion. He also instituted the University of the West Indies scholarship/bursary programme operated by the then LUAJ. This programme was later discontinued.

Tony Williamson is an honours graduate of the University of the West Indies, and also holds a master's degree in theology (magna cum laude) from the International Seminary in Florida. He is a linguist and former professional simultaneous interpreter (Spanish/English), having trained at the Language Training Institute of the Ministry of Public Service in Jamaica. He also speaks French and is a student of Greek and Hebrew. Today, he is a professional paramedic at the level of advanced cardiac life support.