W. R. Berkley Corporation is a commercial lines property & casualty insurance holding company organized in Delaware and based in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was founded in 1967 and has grown from a small investment management firm into one of the largest commercial lines property and casualty insurers in the United States. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, become a Fortune 500 company, joined the S&P 500, and seen gross written premiums exceed $10 billion.

The company now operates commercial insurance businesses in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, South America, Canada, Mexico, Scandinavia, Asia and Australia and reinsurance businesses in the United States, United Kingdom, Continental Europe, Australia, the Asia-Pacific region and South Africa. The company is ranked 397th on the Fortune 500.

And there is new company activity here in California.

W. R. Berkley just announced the formation of Berkley Enterprise Risk Solutions, which will focus on providing workers’ compensation insurance to large businesses headquartered in California.

Wayne Bryan has been named president of the new business, and Hale Johnston has been appointed chief operating officer. The appointments are effective immediately.

W. Robert Berkley, Jr., president and chief executive officer of W. R. Berkley Corporation, commented, “Berkley Enterprise Risk Solutions will offer specialized workers’ compensation solutions to California-based clients with sophisticated risk management capabilities and interests. We are pleased to be expanding our expertise to this segment of the market with dedicated capabilities and expertise. Wayne and Hale both have extensive backgrounds and a wealth of knowledge in the large account California workers’ compensation space. We are confident that they will provide outstanding leadership to their new team as they deliver exceptional solutions to the market. We are excited to welcome them to Berkley.”

Mr. Bryan brings nearly 35 years of California workers’ compensation experience to Berkley. Most recently, he led the enterprise large account business unit for a western-based, super-regional commercial insurance company and leading provider of workers’ compensation and commercial insurance solutions. Mr. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of San Francisco.

During his more than 30-year career in insurance, Mr. Johnston has held various executive and leadership positions in the insurance industry and has implemented new technology platforms, consolidated operations and introduced new streams of revenue. He has served on the Board of Governors for the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB) and as chairman of the Board of Directors for the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI). He is a graduate of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri.