Instructor

Dennis Chookaszian

Practical Experience:

Dennis Chookaszian is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of CNA Insurance Companies.

Mr. Chookaszian served as CNA’s chairman and chief executive officer from 1992 until 1999. He also served as chairman of the executive committee of CNA from 1999 to 2001. From 1990 to 1992, Mr. Chookaszian served as CNA’s president and chief operating officer, with responsibility for all property and casualty, life, health and investment operations. Mr. Chookaszian joined CNA in 1975 and served as chief financial officer until 1990 when he was named president. He also served as chairman and CEO of mPower Inc, an internet financial advisory service, from 1999 to 2001. Prior to joining CNA, he was a management consultant with Deloitte for eight years working on various financial and systems related assignments.

Mr. Chookaszian is currently the chairman of FASAC (Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council) which provides guidance to the FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board) on accounting matters.

Mr. Chookaszian has also been appointed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) as an observer to the Financial Crisis Advisory Group (FCAG). The FCAG is the high-level advisory group set up by the boards to consider financial reporting issues arising from the global financial crisis. The group includes recognized leaders from the fields of business and government with a broad range of experience in international financial markets.

During his career, Mr. Chookaszian has served as a director on the boards of nine publicly traded corporations. He is currently a director of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the world’s largest derivatives exchange, Career Education, a private post secondary education provider, LoopNet, an internet based commercial real estate listing service, Insweb, an internet based insurance purchasing service, and MacDonald Dettwiler, an information services company. He has also been a director of a number of private corporations and has served as an arbitrator in ten diverse cases.

Mr. Chookaszian is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and teaches courses in Corporate Governance.

Mr. Chookaszian is a member of the national board of the Boy Scouts of America, a trustee of Northwestern University, a member of the advisory board of the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and a member of the advisory board of Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He is also a director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital and president of the Foundation for Health Enhancement.

Areas of Expertise:

U.S. GAAP

IFRS Convergence

Corporate Governance

Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering - Northwestern University

Master's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Chicago

Master of Science degree in Economics from the London School of Economics

Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter

Certified Management Consultant

Licenses:

CPA

Membership(s):

Director's Table of Beta Gamma Sigma

Courses: