Tributes have poured in from Bermuda's insurance industry for Bob Clements following his death from cancer at the weekend.

Leading the testimonials to Mr. Clements was Peter Garvey, president and CEO of Integro Insurance Brokers, an insurance broker and risk management firm which he co-founded and was non-executive chairman.

"Bob Clements had a legendary career, immense impact on the insurance industry and was a mentor to many of us in it," said Mr. Garvey. "Bob was a force of nature and his vision of what a brokerage firm could be initially attracted me and many of my colleagues to Integro. His impact will be felt for years to come and we will miss him greatly."

Most recently, Mr. Clements founded and was a director of Bermuda-based Ironshore Inc. and prior to co-founding Integro in 2005, he was chairman of Arch Capital Group Ltd., which he established in 1995.

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, Constantine Iordanou, president and CEO of Arch Capital Group Ltd., described Mr. Clements as a "terrific leader and a visionary".

"He was an individual who realised the value of always looking out for the consumer and making sure they had available product at the best possible price," he said.

"Every time he created a company he had that in mind - how he could serve the customer base.

"On a personal level he was a good friend. I have known him for 30 years and he was instrumental in helping me in my career."

Mr. Clements was non-executive chairman of Island Heritage Insurance Company and a director of Riskclick Ltd., as well as a former director of Ace Ltd., Arch, Mid Ocean Ltd., Hiscox plc. and XL Capital Ltd.

He founded Ace and XL, which Mr. Clements described as "band-aids for a dysfunctional liability insurance marketplace" at the time of their formation as quoted in Catherine Duffy's book 'Held Captive: A History of International Insurance in Bermuda'.

"Market dysfunction created the opportunity, but my own view of the real objective was always different," Mr. Clements said.

"In the original Ace prospectus we wrote, 'It is expected that the company will take its place in the vanguard of the world insurance industry and that its investors will have a chance to profit thereby'."

James Veghte, chief executive of XL's reinsurance operations, said: "Those of us at XL who were fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Bob over the years are extremely grateful to him for his leadership in the formation of our organisation and his service on our board of directors. He was a pioneer in every respect and all of us are tremendously saddened by his passing."

Ace Ltd. declined to comment.