W.R. Berkley Corp. appointed a new head of its Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group and its previous leader is taking on a new job within the company. Markel Corp. is getting a new leader for its Markel Ventures operations.
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W.R. Berkley Corp. appointed John Kearns as president of its Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group division. He replaces Susan Grady, who will still be part of Berkley 
and focus on regional small commercial business.
Kearns has been in the property/casualty insurance industry for nearly 40 years and has expertise in areas including sales, marketing and underwriting management.
Grady, with more than 35 years of insurance industry experience, has been with W.R. Berkley Corp. since 2001. In her new role, she’ll focus on expanding Berkley’s regional small commercial footprint.
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Beth Hungate-Noland will join Markel Corp. as a managing director responsible for oversight of its Markel Ventures operations.
Previously, Hungate-Noland was a partner in the law firm Williams Mullen’s corporate practice, where she spent 15 years serving clients with mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, and corporate governance counseling. She’ll be based out of Markel’s headquarters in Richmond, Va.
Tom Gayner, Markel’s co-CEO, said that Hungate-Noland has often been a “valued partner” of Markel Ventures over the years and has “played an integral role with many of our companies.”
Markel Corp’s Markel Ventures subsidiary makes investments in businesses that are outside of the insurance marketplace.
Sources: W.R. Berkley Corp., Markel Corp