W.R. Berkley Corporation (WRB) has appointed James B. Gilbert as an Executive Vice President, and named Brian P. Douglas to succeed him as President of BerkleyNet Underwriters.
Gilbert will now oversee a number of WRB’s operating units, applying his 30 years’ experience in the property and casualty (P&C) re/insurance industry to his new role.
He has been President of BerkleyNet since 2014, joining the company as Senior Vice President of Actuarial and Operations when it was formed in 2006, before which he held a variety of senior positions at other workers’ compensation re/insurance organisations.
Douglas also joined BerkleyNet as a founding member in 2006, and most recently served as BerkleyNet’s Vice President of Marketing and Business Development.
He has held a variety of sales, marketing, information technology, and operations roles at BerkleyNet, and his 20 years’ experience in the workers’ compensation re/insurance market also includes four years at GE Insurance Solutions as Director of Marketing.
W. Robert Berkley, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at WRB, said: “We are pleased to have Jim join our corporate team and for Brian to take the helm at BerkleyNet. Jim’s experience with one of our operating units from startup to mature company and knowledge of the insurance market will add further depth to our corporate skill set.
“Brian’s history at BerkleyNet, combined with his deep knowledge of the workers’ compensation business, makes him ideally suited to take over the leadership role and continue to build upon its success.”
WRB is one of the largest P&C re/insurance holding companies in the U.S, and BerkleyNet operates on its behalf, focusing on niche products for small and medium-sized commercial risks, using a web-based system to quote, bind, and service workers’ compensation products.
