Former AIA Leader Pusey Nominated to Join W.R. Berkley Corp. Board

Veteran property/casualty insurance industry lobbyist Leigh Ann Pusey has been nominated to join the board of directors at W.R. Berkley Corp.

The commercial lines insurer and reinsurer disclosed that Pusey will be up for election as a new director at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on May 31.

“We are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to recommend to our shareholders the election of an individual with [Pusey’s] depth of experience and knowledge about our industry to our board,” Berkley Executive Chairman William R. Berkley said in prepared remarks.

Pusey brings years of federal government lobbying experience to the table. She was president and CEO of the AIA from 2009 through June 2017 before departing to become senior vice president of Corporate Affairs and Communications for the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Company.

Before running the AIA, Pusey held many leadership positions there, including chief operating officer and senior vice president for government affairs. She was also AIA’s senior vice president of public affairs from 1997-2000.

The announcement of Pusey’s board of directors nomination follows the disclosure of a number of other senior executive appointments at W.R. Berkley in recent days.

Those appointments:

• James Gilbert was named as an executive vice president with oversight responsibility for Berkley’s operating units. The 30-year property/casualty insurance industry veteran previously served as president of BerkleyNet Underwriters starting in 2014 after serving as senior vice president of actuarial and operations since the division was formed in 2006. Before BerkleyNet, he held senior actuarial positions at other workers compensation insurance organizations.

• Brian Douglas has succeeded Gilbert as president of BerkleyNet Underwriters. Douglas has more than 20 years of workers compensation insurance industry experience. Before his current promotion, he was BerkleyNet’s vice president of marketing and business development, and had joined BerkleyNet as a founding team member in 2006.

Source: W.R. Berkley Corp.