Shane Fitzsimons, former CFO of American International Group (AIG) who took a temporary medical leave of absence in January, and stepped away from the position permanently in June, passed away at age 55 on Oct. 27 following an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to his family’s obituary.
A LinkedIn post written by CEO Peter Zaffino highlighted Fitzsimons’ accomplishments as a leader with the organization, including his role during the pandemic, and driving the successful IPO of Corebridge Financial. The finance chief had spent four years with AIG, joining in 2019, previously holding roles of global head of shared services and chief administrative officer. He replaced Mark Lyons in 2021 to assume the CFO role.
Prior to AIG, Fitzsimons spent 23 years at GE, which included operational financial and leadership roles in the U.S., Asia, and Europe.
Subsequent to Fitzsimons’ medical leave, AIG shifted Lyons back into the finance chief chair on an interim basis. However, earlier this year Lyons was terminated after the company became aware of confidentiality and nondisclosure violations. Sabra Purtill, who was previously deputy CFO and treasurer for AIG, was appointed as interim CFO, and ultimately named to the role permanently.
“Shane leaves behind a legacy of extraordinary leadership, resolute commitment, and a passion for striving towards excellence in everything that he did. He was an exceptional mentor and guide to those around him and had a positive impact on the lives and careers of so many who had the privilege of learning from and working with him,” Zaffino wrote in his LinkedIn post.
“Shane operated with the highest integrity, brought remarkable energy, a tireless work ethic, and a never-give-up attitude that was contagious and inspired teams around the world. As a friend and colleague, Shane will be remembered for a long time at AIG for the amazing work he did, the strong teams he built, the colleagues he guided, and the relationships he developed,” Zaffino wrote.
