W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) today announced the appointment of Michelle D. Middleton as president of Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group (BMAG). She succeeds John F. Kearns, who has been named chairman of the operating unit and will remain in an advisory role for the group overall. The appointments are effective immediately.

Ms. Middleton joins Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group with more than 30 years of commercial property and casualty insurance experience with a focus on domestic underwriting and strategic marketing. She most recently served as an executive vice president and head of industry practices for small and middle market commercial insurance for a leading global insurer. She holds a Bachelors of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University as well as an MBA from the University of North Carolina and is a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU).

Mr. Kearns has been instrumental in positioning Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group as a premier regional company in the territory it serves. John will remain a valuable resource to the Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group team during the transition and engage on special projects and initiatives throughout W. R. Berkley Corporation.

W. Robert Berkley, Jr., president and chief executive officer of W. R. Berkley Corporation, commented on the appointment, "Michelle is a proven executive with an exceptional skill set to lead the BMAG team as they continue to focus on profitable growth. We couldn’t be more pleased to have her join our organization. John has done an outstanding job in this role over the past several years and leaves the company extremely well-positioned. We would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his service at BMAG and are grateful that he will continue to share his knowledge and expertise with our organization into the future."

For further info about products and services available from Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group, please visit https://www.wrbmag.com.

Founded in 1967, W. R. Berkley Corporation is an insurance holding company that is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States and operates worldwide in two segments of the property casualty insurance business: Insurance and Reinsurance & Monoline Excess. For further information about W. R. Berkley Corporation, please visit www.berkley.com.

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