W. R. Berkley Corporation Names Hale Johnston President of Berkley Net

By: W. R. Berkley Corporation via Business Wire

November 17, 2025 at 16:30 PM EST

W. R. Berkley Corporation (NYSE: WRB) today announced the appointment of Hale Johnston as president of Berkley Net, a Berkley company. The appointment is effective immediately. He succeeds Brian Douglas, who joined Berkley Net in 2006 and served as its president since 2018. Mr. Douglas will remain a key member of the W. R. Berkley Corporation team.

Mr. Johnston joined Berkley as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Berkley Enterprise Risk Solutions (BERS), where he has been instrumental in shaping and scaling the organization since its launch in June 2022. With over three decades of leadership experience in the insurance industry, Mr. Johnston has served on the Board of Governors for the Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) and as Chairman of the Board for the California Workers' Compensation Institute (CWCI).

W. Robert Berkley, Jr., president and chief executive officer of W. R. Berkley Corporation, commented, “We are pleased and excited to have Hale take on the role of president at Berkley Net. His extensive industry experience will prove to be a great resource for the Berkley Net team as they build upon their exceptional track record.

Brian has done a tremendous job guiding the business over the years. We thank him for his dedication and are very pleased that he will be continuing on with W. R. Berkley Corporation.”

Berkley Net is a leading provider of innovative workers compensation insurance dedicated to providing fast and easy service through a digital toolset and responsive, knowledgeable team. Please visit www.berkleynet.com for more information.

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.

Products and services are provided by W. R. Berkley Corporation’s subsidiaries and businesses. Businesses are not typically legal entities, but for marketing purposes may sometimes be referred to individually as “a Berkley company” or collectively as “Berkley companies”.