President, Chief Executive Officer & Director, W. R. Berkley Corporation
Search every verified William Berkley interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. William Berkley, president, CEO, and director of W.R. Berkley Corporation, has publicly discussed his personal background and professional philosophy. In a 2024 Horatio Alger Award acceptance speech, he recounted his early life, including his father's death in a plane crash, his childhood lawn-mowing business, and his path to higher education through a full-tuition scholarship at NYU and later Harvard Business School. He also described founding W.R. Berkley, which he noted has grown into a $12 billion commercial lines property and casualty insurance company, and expressed support for the American dream and for providing financial assistance to students. In earlier public statements, Berkley has addressed industry and policy issues. At a 2010 congressional hearing on reinsurance, he argued that certain foreign-domiciled insurance companies gained a competitive advantage by reinsuring their U.S. business with affiliates in low-tax countries, and he supported legislation (H.R. 3424) that he said would close a loophole allowing such practices without violating tax treaties or trade agreements. In a 2009 interview, he discussed the importance of diversity and decentralized management at his company, explaining that these approaches help spread risk and allow decisions to be made closer to customers, while acknowledging that resisting the urge to centralize control during problems is a persistent challenge.
William R. Berkley delivered the Trustees Welcome at NYU Abu Dhabi's fourth Commencement Ceremony held on May 24, 2017 at the Saadiyat Island campus. William R. Berkley is the Chair of the New York University Board of Trustees and has served in various capacities at NYU for almost three decades. Learn more about the Class of 2017: http://sites.nyuad.nyu.edu/class2017/ Visit our website: http://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/ Facebook: / nyuad Twitter: / nyuabudhabi Instagram: / nyuabudhabi
William Berkley, Chairman and CEO, W.R. Berkley Corporation, delivers his opening statement at a Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures hearing on Reinsurance. July 14, 2010
William R. Berkley runs his giant insurance holding company of diverse specialty and regional insurers a lot like a family business where the parents trust their kids to behave. Diversity and decentralized management have worked well for W.R. Berkley Corp., the founder notes in this excerpt from an exclusive video interview with Insurance Journal.
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