Dr. G. W. de Wit combined an outstanding academic career alongside a business career and was a spokesman for the Dutch insurance sector in different national and international forums. He was an insurance professor at Erasmus University, Netherlands and also held posts as National-Nederlanden, the predecessor company to ING Group.
He is known for his activities to build a bridge between actuarial and economic aspects of insurance and he made multidisciplinary problems understandable for each party involved.
His contributions to insurance theory and thought were significant, including the development of a managerial view on insurance mathematics. He developed a new university course on” insurance mathematics for economists.” And he is known for his work in developing a thorough analysis of the concept of “solidarity” with emphasis on technical criteria and possibilities, commercial and competitive tensions, and societal needs.
Dr. de Wit is also known for developing a macro-economic view of insurance and an innovative view on risk and insurance. He originated the practical use of “non-life actuarial theory” and created different foundations and organizations for the establishment of the missing link between theory and practice. In the Netherlands, he played a major role in debate on social security and pensions as well as market regulation.