W.R. Berkley Corp. appointed an executive to run a subsidiary focused on workers compensation. Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance promoted one of its executives to a leadership role focused on Ireland, the UK and Europe. Guy Carpenter & Company promoted an executive to lead its Pacific region.

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W.R. Berkley Corp. appointed Dennis Levesque as president of its Preferred Employers Insurance subsidiary, a California specialty workers compensation writer.

He succeeds Steven Gallacher, who has been appointed chairman of Preferred Employers Insurance. The appointments are effective immediately.

Levesque has 30 years of experience in the property/casualty insurance business. Since 2017, Levesque has been president, Regional Insurance, for Sentry Insurance, responsible for independent agency distribution and management of field-based commercial lines operations throughout the United States.

Before that, he spent almost five years with Liberty Mutual as president of Pacific region business insurance and as regional vice president for underwriting in southern California.

In 2002, Levesque joined Golden Eagle Insurance, which was acquired by Liberty Mutual in 2008, as vice president of underwriting and in 2008 became regional vice president for southern California. He began his insurance career with Peerless Insurance in 1992.

Gallacher joined Preferred Employers Insurance as president in 2010. Before that he was with Republic Indemnity for two years and American International Group for more than 10 years.

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Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance named Hilary Browne to the dual role of Country Manager for Ireland and Head of Casualty for UK and Europe.

Browne joins BHSI with nearly 20 years of European market experience. She has held numerous insurance underwriting and leadership roles in the UK and Ireland and was most recently Head of International Casualty at AIG.

BHSI’s Casualty offering across UK & Europe includes, Public & Products Liability, Employers Liability, Excess Casualty, Construction Liability, Energy and Environmental Impairment Liability (EIL).

Browne is based in BHSI’s office in Dublin.

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Guy Carpenter & Company promoted Jeff Saper to CEO of the Pacific region.

Saper will be responsible for overseeing the company’s Treaty and Facultative activities in the Pacific region and will focus on further developing its growth strategy and strengthening its capabilities. Based in Sydney, Saper will report to Tony Gallagher, Asia Pacific CEO.

Saper brings over 30 years of reinsurance market experience to the role. He re-joined Guy Carpenter in 2014 as Head of Casualty Facultative for Asia Pacific and Head of Facultative for Australia and will maintain these responsibilities in his new role.

Sources: W.R. Berkley Corp., BHSI, Guy Carpenter & Co.