Berkley Hires Former Chubb Exec in Series of Executive Changes

W.R. Berkley Corp. hired on a former Chubb executive as part of a series of executive changes and promotions, both in the main company and in a key business unit.

The insurer said it appointed Philip Welt as executive vice president and general counsel. Joseph Sullivan and Michael Maloney have each been appointed as executive vice presidents with oversight responsibility for certain of the company’s operating units. The appointments are effective immediately.

Welt joined Berkley in 2004 as vice president-senior counsel and was named executive vice president with oversight responsibility for certain of Berkley’s operating units in 2011.

Sullivan most recently served as president of Berkley Re America, an office he held since the insurer and reinsurer combined its U.S. broker market facultative and treaty reinsurance units in 2015. He has nearly 25 years of experience in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, with a particular emphasis on the casualty market. He joined Berkley as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Facultative ReSources in 2010 and was named president in 2012.

Maloney joins Berkley from Chubb, according to his LinkedIn profile, where he most recently served as executive vice president and chief underwriting officer for North American financial lines, including all major professional liability and management liability coverages. Maloney has more than 30 years of experience in the P/C insurance industry.

Robert Hewitt, executive vice president with oversight for Berkley’s reinsurance operating units, has been named interim president of Berkley Re America.

W.R. Berkley Corp.’s Berkley FinSecure division has also made three new senior leadership appointments:

• Joe Gresia joined the company as senior vice president and chief field operations and business development officer. He will be based in the company’s New York City office. In this role, he will lead the company’s sales team and be responsible for distribution management, business development and brand awareness nationally. Gresia joined Berkley with Acadia Insurance in 2008 to lead its New York region through its offices in Albany and Syracuse. His insurance experience extends over 30 years.

• Sean Missal has been promoted to senior vice president and chief underwriting officer. In this role, he will lead underwriting in FinSecure’s four business segments along with the operational staff. He will spearhead initiatives driving disciplined growth, underwriting quality, operational efficiency, product and risk appetite expansion. Missal joined Berkley in 2008 with Berkley Asset Protection. As vice president, he built out the company’s Crime division. In 2015, he and the Crime team joined Berkley FinSecure as vice president and practice leader. He has more than 23 years of experience in the fidelity and crime insurance market.

• Michael Beranek has been promoted to vice president and practice leader for Berkley Crime, a division of Berkley FinSecure. In this role, he will be responsible for strategy and operational execution in the Crime division. Beranek joined Berkley in 2011 as leader of the Midwest region. He began his insurance career 28 years ago and has held roles in underwriting and management.

Source: W.R. Berkley Corp., Berkley FinSecure