As for his first ever company, Ryan established Pat Ryan & Associates back in 1964, right after his graduating from Northwestern University. It was in 1982 that he merged his company with Combined International and renamed it Aon. Under his helm, the company has become the world’s largest reinsurance broker. In 2008, he withdrew form Aon’s CEO position but kept a small stake there. An avid football fan, Ryan also owns a 20% stake in the Chicago Bears football team.