Robert Pasquini, a senior and expert broker who spent 27 years at Marsh, has died after a long battle with cancer.  

Mr Pasquini, who lived in Eltham in Melbourne, retired in 2018 after a 43-year career in the insurance industry.  

Marsh Head of Risk Management Asia & Pacific Scott Leney tells insuranceNEWS.com.au Mr Pasquini will be remembered not only for his professional impact but as a loyal friend and mentor to many people across the industry.  

“Rob was universally loved and won’t be forgotten. Our hearts go out to his family. He made a massive contribution to Marsh for over two decades,” Mr Leney said.  

“Rob was a master of his craft as a specialist construction broker and a highly respected leader at Marsh. His extraordinary knowledge, calm demeanour and sense of humour earned him great respect and admiration.   

"Whenever Rob’s name was mentioned, it was almost always to say 'what a terrific human being'.”   

Former colleague George Tarabaras, who spent almost three decades at Marsh and retired as Executive Director in December, says Mr Pasquini’s time at Marsh began when it made an acquisition in the early 1990s.  

He rose to be construction practice leader for the Pacific region and also Victorian broking business leader.  

“He was very important to a lot of people in the industry, he helped shape a lot of careers. The current Marsh construction team, which is the biggest in the market - every one of them was mentored by Rob,” Mr Tarabaras tells insuranceNEWS.com.au.  

“He had a great style about him, he always had time for everybody. He was well regarded in London and worked on some of the largest construction projects in the country. He was not only respected by his colleagues but also by clients and the market.”  

Mr Pasquini’s passion for insurance influenced many members of his family to join the profession. His son Matthew is a Senior Underwriter Property at Liberty Specialty Markets (Asia Pacific), his brother Fabian is Manager - Key Clients & Corporate Partners at Austbrokers Countrywide, and his son-in-law Steve Rehlicki is Team Leader - Commercial at Gallagher. Mr Pasquini also leaves behind his wife Julie, children Jaclyn and Steven, and four grandchildren.  

After Mr Pasquini’s diagnosis and departure from Marsh, Mr Tarabaras says he enjoyed a good quality of life with holidays to Italy, time with his family and visiting his “happy place,” a holiday home in Rye on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.  

"The best description is, he was a beautiful man but also a very skilled and very competent broker and manager and a great mentor of a number of people. That’s a big legacy,” Mr Tarabaras said.  

“He was happy to coach and share and help people in the market. He was respected because of his skill, and also his honesty. He was a good family man, a good broker, a good people person, a good manager. He wasn't the sort of person you would ever find being underhanded or trying to score points. He just did his job the way you should do it.”   

AIG Australia Senior Underwriter Carl Gullace says Mr Pasquini was “gentle, honest and friendly, yet very, very technically capable”.   

“I think if you ran a roast of Rob, you probably wouldn't hear a bad thing about him, that's the sort of bloke he was. He touched many people.”  

A funeral celebrating the life of Mr Pasquini will be held at Ballara Receptions, 1435 Main St, Eltham on June 8 at 1pm.