2022 Year in Review
OUR JOURNEY TOGETHER EDITION 18
2021
Letter to Our Shareholders Annual Report
W. Robert Berkley, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer William R. Berkley, Executive Chairman
Excerpt from the 2021 Annual Report:
Events such as COVID make us recognize what a small world we live in. We all need to maximize our tolerance and understanding of each other and recognize that we survive best when there is the most hope for our future.
“The culture of our company emphasizes that everything we do and every person who participates is important to our enterprise.”
--From our 2018 Annual Report
KEY RIS2022 The Year of Inclusion
Everything Counts, Everyone Matters.® This is our north star when we come together to share the many stories from our Berkley family. By knowing each other better we hope these stories will continue to harness our collective strength and build on our 50-year plus history of diversity, inclusion and belonging at Berkley.
Throughout the year many of you have written and spoken to us about how meaningful these stories have been and to see the broad representations in our community.
Here is a look back at some of those stories that shone a brighter light on our people, their journey and their contributions to their communities.
On behalf of the DIB Committee we wish to thank everyone who stepped forward to share their stories and the many behind the scenes that helped support and produce them!
2023 – The Year of Belonging
As we look forward to 2023, the DIB Committee is super excited to bring you new stories and learning resources that will help us to better engage and to have conversations around what it means to belong at Berkley.
BLACK ART in America
Donald Avery, a member of Berkley's DIB Committee and VP, Human Resources supporting multiple Berkley Companies, and Katja Zigerlig, VP, Art, Wine and Collectibles Advisory at Berkley One, took a look at the history of Black artists in America followed by a fresh discussion on the market today and how Black collectors and artists are shaping the current conversation. LINK to presentation
Celebrating Black History Month
Berkley’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee was thrilled to sit down with Todd Bolden, SVP with Berkley Re America, for a discussion about his career and thoughts on diversity in the industry.
CLICK HERE to read the entire interview
QUESTION: In your opinion, how can a focus on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging have a positive impact on the business?
“Some of the greatest opportunities going forward will lie with countries and people who have not historically been the focus of insurance industry target markets. In short, the world will look different and in turn our client base will look different. … In summary, focusing on diversity will enable us to better identify with clients that will be critical to our growth.”
BERKLEY SELECT
Lisa Rowland,
Marketing & Distribution,
Avery,
President of Human Resources and Merial Brown, Operations Manager (all of Berkley Select) attended Business Insurance’s first Diversity & Inclusion Institute at the Willis Tower in Chicago where they learned about attracting diverse talent, being more inclusive leaders and more.
An overall great experience. Our Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Distribution, Lisa Rowland, sums it up below:
“Let’s be comfortable being uncomfortable” really set the tone at the Business Insurance Diversity & Inclusion Conference. It was inspiring to hear industry leaders have candid conversations around attracting and retaining diverse talent, expanding distribution channels and striving for transparent and equitable pay.”
Assistant Vice President of Donald ViceMidwest Employers Casualty
African American Insurance Association (NAAIA)
MEC is a proud partner and sponsor of NAAIA at both the national and local levels. To demonstrate their commitment to DIB, several employees are active members of the St. Louis, Boston, Detroit and Dallas chapters. Through these partnerships, they have had the opportunity to increase brand awareness, generate leads, foster agent/broker relationships and participate in career fairs to support their recruitment efforts. Pictures below are the NAAIA 25th Anniversary Gala and the NAAIA Annual Conference; Renée Lunceford and new broker partners.
National
BERKLEY LATIN AMERICA
Diversity and
Equality event: : Roda de conversa com as mulheres da Berkley Brasil Seguros milies Day
A talk with all the women employees, in person and virtual, regarding career progression, personal life challenges and empowerment, led by the Actuary lead and the HR Leader for Latin America
BERKLEY UK
Culture & ESG Forum Initiatives
Berkley UK partnered with the Giving Tree and employees generously donated presents to children in need.
Berkley UK also collected a total of 4 sacks of unwanted coats for Wrap Up London.
Admiral Insurance Group
Admiral had Kingsway Learning Center join them to raise awareness and acceptance for World Autism Awareness Month in April 2022. This local NJ high school helps children and adults with varying abilities learn skills for independence and entering the workforce.
Miriam Brennan, BCBA who works at the school, presented to our Mount Laurel office about how we can be more inclusive by changing some of our behaviors, especially with respect to individuals with special needs.
At the end of the presentation, employees had an opportunity to buy “Kingsway Keepsakes,” trinkets made by the students of Kingsway.
Team Admiral participated in Philly’s Big Climb in May to raise awareness and funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)! We started with one of our own taking the stage to tell us about his family’s fight with their daughter’s Lymphoma diagnosis. Dave Gentile’s family then led Team Admiral into the stadium to start the 2,000 stair hike! Our goal was to raise $5,000, but we surpassed this by raising $6,770! We are already planning to participate in the Big Climb for 2023!
Berkley Insurance Asia
this
Berkley Insurance Asia celebrated International Women’s Day 2022;
includes family members of their colleagues too!
BERKLEY Women in Action
As we celebrated Women’s History Month, we acknowledged the dynamic work that the women of Berkley do every day; sharing their knowledge and expertise, collaborating with and mentoring others, always bringing their ideas to the table, and modeling resilience when things don’t go as planned.
These are just a few of our Berkley women in action. We celebrated our thousands of women colleagues around the world and the work that they do every day. #WomensHistoryMonth
to
more details
CLICK on the collage
see
Women in STEM Careers
As we celebrated Women’s History Month, Berkley’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee presents an insightful conversation about women in STEM careers hosted by Emily Urban, President of Berkley Life Sciences (a Berkley Company). In this panel discussion, Emily and three leaders in the medical and life sciences industries discussed how and why they entered careers in STEM, how they have seen innovation impact their careers and industries, and the importance of mentorship and coaching for women. #womenshistorymonth
CLICK to watch the video
Celebrating
Women’s History Month
As part of our celebration of Women’s History Month, the Berkley Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee shared a conversation between Berkley’s Marie Gwin, Vice President, W. R. Berkley Corporate Underwriting and a member of Berkley’s DIB Committee and Simone Grimes, CPA, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Acadia Insurance (a Berkley Company). about the meaning of Women’s History Month and the importance of women in leadership in the insurance industry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLBYrEuULms
Berkley Select
March 8th of 2022 was recognized as International Women’s Day. This global holiday recognizes women’s incredible achievements, raises awareness and encourages others to advocate for gender equality. In observance of this important day, Berkley Select organized a panel discussion with 3 of their female leaders: Merial Brown (Operations Manager), Carol Threlkeld (AVP Claims) and Donna Haroldson-Leonard (AVP Underwriting). Lisa Rowland (AVP Marketing & Distribution) was the moderator for the event. The panel shared how they got into the insurance industry and what keeps them in it. They also talked about how they have been able to balance their career obligations and how some mentors and role models have shaped who they have become today.
In conjunction with this event, Berkley Select also hosted a two-week women’s clothing drive for the non-profit Dress for Success, (Chicago chapter), donating gently worn or new professional attire for disadvantaged women, helping them to look their best and boost their confidence in interviews to ultimately land employment. They also fundraised for the Dress for Success annual campaign called ‘Your Hour, Her Power,’ which encouraged participants to donate one hour of their salary.
In November, Lisa Rowland, Vice President, Marketing & Distribution, Cynthia Carter, Claims Managing Director, Merial Brown, Operations Manager and Natalie Avena, Assistant Vice President, Product Development, attended the Digital Insurance Women in Insurance Leadership conference at the Radisson Aqua Blue Hotel in Chicago, IL.
Speakers from all over the industry came together to discuss topics and movements concerning women in the workplace. We learned about many different types of mentorship programs that are taking place in the industry, along with different women’s programs companies are designing, and had an honest discussion on how to address burnout post-pandemic.
Keynote speakers shared their own inspirational stories on their paths to leadership. It was a collaborative day of bringing different women’s issues to light, asking questions, networking and idea sharing.
BERKLEY ALLIANCE MANAGERS
Courtney Fowler, Lauren Taylor, Annie Buelow, and Ashley Harrell attended the Women in Insurance business conference this year.
CONTINENTAL WESTERN GROUP
CWG sponsored the Iowa Women Lead Change Conference in Des Moines. Five CWG associates attended in-person and 10+ others attended virtually. This event provided two full days of leadership development for over 1,000 women in their community
Photo below includes five CWG women: Kathleen Temple, Angie Cutler, Di Faris, Cindy Blay, and Chris Mein
Celebrating Some of Our GREAT WOMEN LEADERS at Berkley
We would like to extend a special thank you to the following Berkley leaders for sharing information about their careers in insurance and people that have inspired them in the March edition of the DIB Flip book.
Amber Cole, Amee Yunn, Beth Strapp, Clare Himmer, Diana Bernardini, Ellen Wallace, Gabrielle Eaton, Gaby Donnan, Heather Marino, Ikram Addus, Jennifer Towne, Jenny Rieger, Julie Woodward, Karen Pradier, Katherine Strong, and Kathleen Brennan
at
More Inspiring Leaders
Kay Frerk, Lisa Cromwell, Lisa Rowland, Maria Coto Argueso, Maria Mosquera, Megan Manogue, Michelle Middleton, Monique Stip, Pia Casanova, Sabrina Langer, Sheila Gott, Sofia Pettersson, Stacey Silipo, Stephanie Fagin, Tani Alexander, and Wendy Santos
CLICK HERE to view the March edition of the DIB Flip Book to read their inspiring stories
Celebrating ASIAN/PACIFIC HERITAGE
INTERVIEW WITH JU-ANN LEE AND AARON YIP
In celebration of Asian/Pacific Heritage, the Berkley Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee shared a 15-minute conversation with Ju-Ann Lee, Head of Marine Underwriting for Berkley Insurance Asia (a Berkley Company) facilitated by Aaron Yip, a member of Berkley’s DIB Committee and Chief Underwriting Officer for Berkley Insurance Asia. Ju-Ann was recognized by Lloyd’s List as one of the Top 10 people in Marine Insurance 2021 (No.3 in the global list and one of 4 non-UK based underwriters). In addition to sharing her reaction to being recognized by Lloyd’s List, Ju-Ann discusses her career in insurance, views on leadership, thoughts on navigating business relationships with the many diverse cultures in Asia, and current challenges in the Marine industry.
LINK to the full recording between Ju-Ann and Aaron
BEST PLACES TO WORK
Several of the Berkley Operating Units have partnered with Best Companies Group to be considered one of the Best Places to Work in Insurance. The process includes an Employer Questionnaire and an Employee Survey that allows for some customization to meet the needs of your specific operating unit. This program is open to Agents/Brokers, Insurers and Service Organizations aligned with the commercial insurance industry. There is a total of 100 organizations who make the list each year. The categories are broken down by Small, Mid-Size and Large companies.
For 2022, there were five operating units from W.R. Berkley who made the Best Places to Work in Insurance list; Berkley Agribusiness, Preferred Employers Insurance, Continental Western Group, Verus Specialty Insurance, and Berkley Mid-Atlantic Group
Regardless of whether or not you make the list, the data you receive provides you with information on your operating units’ strengths and areas of opportunity. You are able to benchmark against others who made the list and determine action plans to further enhance the WRBC Corporate Culture tenets within your organization’s culture. There is an external visibility benefit in your marketplace as well as beneficial in recruiting and retaining top talent. For more information, go to Best Places to Work
MIDWEST EMPLOYERS CASUALTY
Since 2020, MEC has supported the St. Louis community through a partnership with Marian Middle School for Girls (Marian) and Loyola Academy of St Louis (Loyola). Many of these high-achieving students come from families struggling with socio-economic obstacles whose education and ultimately their success could be impeded by these challenges. Through our partnership at a grass roots level, we’re seeing the long-term impact our partnership has made in the lives of these wonderful students through the following activities: Marian career mentoring, fundraising events and support, and a school supply drive.
Career Exploration Program
Midwest Employers Casualty sponsored its first Summer Exploration Program where four Loyola and Marian alumni students worked part-time at MEC to learn about the industry and gain some experience working in a corporate environment. Pictured in the photo below are students: Alana, DeAndre, Yaxiry, and Keith
BERKLEY INSURANCE AUSTRALIA
This year Berkley APAC has been looking at ways to support careers in insurance through two main activities. First is the Reinsurance International Study Course sponsorship with ANZIIF supporting diverse careers in insurance. This intensive learning program is led by some of the industry’s senior experts and combines hands-on syndicate group work, expert presentations, knowledge sharing and team building activities. Participants can immediately apply their learning to real-life scenarios including designing and testing the optimal reinsurance program.
The second is by engaging with the local community. Claire Keating, our Regional HR Leader, recently spoke to the students at Randwick Girls’ High School highlighting Insurance as a career offering many diverse opportunities. This local school has students from 64 different nationalities. The school is an ethnically and culturally diverse community that works harmoniously and productively to attain optimal learning outcomes. The school staff model cultivates excellence, respect, trust, integrity, tolerance, service, accountability, optimism, and equity. These represent the values upheld as pillars of truth within the Department of Education and its related public schools.
GAMMA IOTA SIGMA
Annual International Conference
The Berkley team was thrilled to meet with so many talented young people at the Gamma Iota Sigma Annual International Conference this year! The conference was attended by over 500 college students interested in a career in insurance. At this conference, the recruiting team also gathered some important insights from several discussions they hosted during the Diversity & Inclusion Roundtable events.
BERKLEY RE UK Limited
Berkley Re UK partnered with The Whitechapel Mission this year and they raised £8,140.00 for the charity; they also had a clothing drive in the team. In August, members of the company undertook a day of volunteering with the Mission and teams cooked breakfast for 200+ people, sorted through clothing donations and volunteering in their advice centre. This charity does very important work highlighting the issues of social-immobility in areas close to where we work in the City of London and Berkley Re UK was proud to partner with them.
The following are included in the photos below: Clare Himmer, Vincent McKeown, Georgie Fothergill, John Demirdjian, Damani Francis, Michael Wrightman, George Churcher, Nick Howick, Terri Reeves, Tracie Makepeace, Ella Charlton, Ralph Millett, and Tom Shaw
BERKLEY SELECT
Make it Hard for People to Consider Leaving Your Organization
Part of the Berkley Select team attended the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s “Inclusion in Insurance” Conference in June 2022; the event was held at the Mag Mile Marriott in Chicago, IL. This year’s them was Advancing Ideas into Action. It was a day of learning from industry leadership & influencers on topics ranging from workplace bias, the power of allyship in the workplace, and how to be a mental health advocate to social justice issues.
Here are some retention tips they offered
• EVERYONE has to practice D&I to be a truly inclusive workplace
• Schedule more meetings focused on company culture with your team
• Find ways to ensure virtual employees can experience the company culture
• Be a workplace ally; mentor someone who is different than yourself
INCLUSION IS INNOVATION
Berkley has many reasons to value diversity in our workforce. It reflects our clients and our communities and seeks to foster innovation and creativity by bringing together different perspectives and opinions. Our hope and expectation are that it empowers employees to contribute to Berkley’s success. And we believe it is the only way forward as a society.
DIB committee presents the “Inclusion is Innovation” eLearning series
In 2021, we promoted the “Inclusion is Innovation – An Introduction” series. This series provided an overview of why inclusive cultures lead in innovation, and then explained the primary challenge we all face in embracing inclusion—unconscious bias. By learning about how we can apply assumptions or mental short-cuts to cloud our ability to recognize the value of people’s different backgrounds and perspectives, we can take the first step to addressing unconscious bias. You can access the curriculum by clicking HERE.
In 2022, we promoted the “Inclusion is Innovation – Your Role” series. This series introduced ways to learn to promote diversity and inclusion at Berkley. The curriculum also explains how to leverage tools to address unconscious bias— the most important challenge each of us faces in managing ourselves to remain open and inclusive of others—and explored how we can increase the inclusiveness in our organizations by leveraging an inclusive mindset.
You can access the curriculum by clicking HERE.
By leveraging the diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds of our people, Berkley generates better business outcomes and creates a stronger common commitment to “Everything Counts. Everyone Matters.®”
MIDWEST EMPLOYERS CASUALTY Unconscious Bias Training
MEC was involved in the development and delivery of the first in-person unconscious bias training titled, “Inclusion Is Innovation. A Conversation.” The goal of the training was to increase self-awareness and discuss ways we can build inclusion and overcome our own biases. Over twenty-five employees participated in the half day training session that was cofacilitated by Renée Lunceford, Donald Avery, and Danielle Schroeder
Please reach out to Donald Avery, Renae Gary, or Danielle Schroeder from the DIB Committee to learn more about his presentation and determine if your organization would be a good fit for this type of learning.
BERKLEY CELEBRATES PRIDE MONTH
At Berkley we want all employees to bring their authentic self to work every day. We celebrate the unique perspectives, experiences, and ideas of all our employees that help make Berkley a wonderful place to work and a stronger organization.
During Pride Month, we encouraged each employee to “Be An Ally”: by supporting the LGBTQ+ community. We would like to share a few ideas on how you can “Be An Ally”
1. Be open-minded and non-judgmental in your conversations with others 2. Reflectively listen when someone tells you about their experiences
3. Educate yourself on LGBTQ+ history and terminology
4. Add your pronouns to your email signature or share your pronouns when introducing yourself
LINK to a quick guide on how to update your pronouns in Workday Quick guide on how to update your pronouns in Workday. at Berkley Life Sciences!
ADMIRAL INSURANCE GROUP Celebrates Pride Month
To celebrate Pride Month, Admiral employees participated in Rainbow Day. Each of their branches were assigned a color of the rainbow; Seattle was red, Atlanta was orange, Austin was yellow, Chicago was green, and Mount Laurel was blue and purple.
Celebrating Some of Our GREAT PEOPLE at Berkley
We would like to extend a special thanks to the individuals that shared their stories in the DIB Pride flip book. These individuals talked about their careers in insurance, their memorable and challenging experiences, and people that have inspired them. The employees featured below are: Isaac Merchant, Lindsey Williams, Nicole Fagan, Carolyn Collova, Aaron Yip, Chris Finkley, Melissa Elke, and Al Gliane
CLICK HERE to view the Pride Flip Book
at
More Inspiring People
Wendy Gregg, Trish Conway, Rolan Ibanez, Tonya Lusk, Sofia Pettersson, Travis Moose, Randall Buda, and Sean Stewart
“Always be yourself and trust that you will form better, more long-lasting relationships with the people around you.”
-Sofia Pettersson
ENHANCING COMPANY CULTURE
Through Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Berkley’s Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DIB) Committee shared this conversation between Dan Smyrl, President of Admiral Insurance Group (a Berkley Company), and Renae Gary, VP – Human Resources at Admiral and Berkley DIB committee member. Dan discusses the roots of his passion for DIB, how focusing on diversity can impact individuals as well as the organization, and some of the progress Admiral and Berkley have made toward improving their focus on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
CLICK HERE to view this short video
DIB SharePoint Site
Berkley actively strives to build and support a culture where everyone is valued for their skills and experiences, as well as their unique characteristics and qualities. Our inclusive culture honors differences and welcomes feedback, open discussion and new ideas.
Accessing the “DIB” SharePoint Site
The “Sharing” page in the left-hand pane is a place to share what your company is doing around DIB.
To upload pertinent articles & photos, videos, or newsletters to the Sharing page, contact Yaseh Iqbal (yiqbal@wrberkley.com) or Tammie Heeren (theeren@wrberkley.com).
y.com)
Celebrating/Celebrando Hispanic Heritage/La Herencia Hispana
CLICK HERE to watch the video interview (in Spanish)
CLICK HERE to read the English transcript of the interview
Haydee van Middelkoop, a member of Berkley’s DIB Committee and AVP, HR, and Sylvia Luz Rincon, President, Berkley Colombia Seguros, shared a conversation about the importance of diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our business and in the diverse Latin American market, the connection between diversity and innovation, and reflections from Sylvia about her career path.
Celebrating Our Hispanic Heritage
The Berkley DIB committee would like to extend a special thank you to Luis Rivera, Magali Jarrin, and Michael Schmidt for their candid remarks about their insurance careers at Berkley and their Hispanic/Latino/Latinx beliefs, traditions and culture that have been valuable tools for their professional success.
CLICK on the photos above to read the LinkedIn post
ADMIRAL INSURANCE Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Each Admiral office had a catered lunch from local Hispanic restaurants to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month; the Mount Laurel office even had a local band and salsa dancers perform for the employees. Not only were these parties designed to learn more about Hispanic history, but local businesses were also supported as we appreciated their culture.
Berkley One celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Berkley One
Top Left Photo: Abraham Villagomez-Zavala with a sombrero Top Middle: The Wilmington Engagement Team--Tiffany Bone’y, Dina Maldonado, and Takiyah DillardAdmiral Insurance Group
For National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Admiral employees wore pink to raise awareness and collect donations for Wigs and Wishes. This New Jersey organization provides wigs at no cost to women battling cancer.
Berkley Latin America BRAZIL
The Brazil office hosted a presentation where an employee shared her spouse’s experience with cancer. Additionally, the female employees received an exciting self-defense class to learn how to defend themselves if faced with a dangerous situation
ADMIRAL INSURANCE GROUP
Kingsway Learning Center, a local high school that helps children and adults with varying abilities learn skills for independence and entering the workforce came into the NJ office. They first came out in April to present and raise awareness for World Autism Awareness Month and sell “Kingsway Keepsakes” homemade trinkets made by the students.
We were so excited to have them back for the holidays since their goodies were such a big hit last time!
W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION BUILD A BIKE
The corporate team built 12 bicycles that will be donated to families in need. Two people from the Family Centers charity came to speak to the group and thank them for their efforts.
THOUGHTS From the DIB Committee
Each of the committee members have been touched in different ways; here are some thoughts from some of the committee members.
AARON YIP
“At school, was my first memory of feeling different because of my background. I also remember, as a young underwriter, the fear of making mistakes and not knowing the ways of the industry. In both situations, there were kind souls who made a difference by extending a hand of friendship, teaching me, sharing or just asking if you were free to have lunch. It all made a difference to feeling you belonged and that you are a valued member of the team. Being part of DIB is a way to continue to extend that hand of friendship and support, no matter the background”.
“Being a member of the DIB Committee has provided an opportunity to work with (and get to know) some wonderful people across Berkley that I might not have met or interacted with in the normal course of my job responsibilities. This includes the members of the committee and others across the organization that responded to the committee or me personally as a result of various articles or events that the committee initiated. We all have “stories” and listening to each other raises the awareness of the “lens” that we each see things through and while we have different experiences, beliefs, religions, orientations, customs and cultures, it reminds me that we have much more in common as people. When we can find that common ground wonderful things can and often do happen.”
MARIE GWIN DONALD AVERY“It has been an honor being a member of the Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Team with colleagues here at W.R. Berkley. Having been in Corporate America for over 30+ years
I have seen dramatic change when it comes to openness and seeking to understand one another. Our position here at Berkley is one that truly embraces “Everything Counts & Everyone Matters” which is what DIB is all about. We also see the tie to Innovation as an organization which requires diverse viewpoints and people to have creative solutions and forward thinking as we innovate as an organization.”
“Lastly, I have been inspired by colleagues who make up the DIB team as they all bring different and unique gifts to the table which is what diversity is all about. The creative and collective power of each individual enabled us to accomplish what was done and could not have been done individually.
I am grateful to have worked with this team of professionals.”
“I moved from Jamaica to the United States at a young age. Being teased by classmates because of my accent and cultural differences, made me realize the importance of acceptance and embracing differences. This philosophy has stuck with me and translated to many facets of my life. I am always striving to learn something new and step out of my comfort zone. This includes my love for traveling to new countries and meeting new people. Through these experiences I’ve come to realize that we have more similarities than differences. Being a part of the DIB Committee allows me the opportunity to continue learning, sharing experiences and being part of promoting the company’s culture and philosophy that Everything Counts and Everyone Matters.®”
RENAE GARYMORE THOUGHTS
From the DIB Committee
“I believe in DIB, because for me, it’s personal. As a foreign-born immigrant, I have been provided with enormous opportunities along the way—from studying in graduate school to working in the insurance industry. I am so fortunate to always be surrounded by people who see diversity as a source of strength, who recognize and value my work. Being part of the DIB team allows me to contribute in building an inclusive and belonging culture in the Berkley organization.
I believe everyone will benefit from an environment that is supportive of diversity, especially diversity of thoughts.”
“Being part of this Committee has been the most fulfilling experience of my career at Berkley. This Committee has explored ways in which we all can feel supported, we have met many people who have been allies in our work to make Berkley a place of acceptance and a place where everyone matters. Remember, change starts with recognizing there is an opportunity for improvement and that inclusion is innovation! This Committee alone cannot accomplish an initiative like this one, it takes all of us to support, be allies and start the conversation of embracing the wonderful potential of DIB.”
KAI KANG HAYDEE VAN MIDDELKOOP“Personally, working on the DIB committee has been a fantastic experience. I have been with W.R. Berkley for over 5 years and every day is a new experience and working with the DIB colleagues has provided so many more opportunities to learn with driving and promoting the important initiative of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. We have a great team and my time so far had been a privilege working with this team I look forward to continue working and contributing in the near future.”
TAMMIE HEEREN
“It has been an honor being a member of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Team at Berkley. I have learned something from each person on the team and look forward to our early morning meetings. After each meeting, I feel refreshed and am reminded that I work for a great company and am surrounded by wonderful people, many of which I may never have met if I wasn’t on this committee.”
“I love my DIB Committee! They are thoughtful and smart and I have learned so much from each of them. Everyone is accepted and valued for their perspective. It is like a microcosm of my broader Berkley experience. I am so grateful that I work here in W R Berkley, and that I have had the opportunity to be part of the DIB Committee.”
TRISH CONWAY
YASEH IQBAL
MORE THOUGHTS
From the DIB Committee
“Being on the DIB Committee means so much to me personally and professionally as does the opportunity to work with and learn from the members of the Committee who each bring diversity of background, experience, and perspectives to robust discussions. The
W. R. BERKLEY CORPORATION
Annual Gingerbread House AUCTION
A Berkley holiday celebration wouldn’t be complete without remembering those in our community who are in need. One of our favorite holiday traditions is our annual gingerbread house auction. This year we had impressive displays of gingerbread architecture, including replicas of our Greenwich, CT headquarters and London’s Tower Bridge, depictions of the fairy tale worlds of The Wizard of Oz and Candyland, and even a home damaged by severe weather. Funds raised were donated to local charities, including Near & Far Aid Association, Hall Neighborhood House, Inc., Neighbor to Neighbor, Cancer Research Institute (CRI), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Green Chimneys and JDRF International. The houses themselves were also donated to local community service organizations to be displayed and spread some holiday cheer.
America’s Greatest Workplaces FOR DIVERSITY
We’re proud to share that Berkley has been named on Newsweek’s list of “America’s Greatest Workplaces For Diversity.”
Berkley places a premium on innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit, which can only come from fresh and varied perspectives. This is why Berkley is committed to maintaining a diverse workforce of talented people from all backgrounds. CLICK HERE to read the Newsweek article
