About

“It’s a privilege to be part of the founding team for this venture. I am inspired daily by the people I lead and follow, the clients we serve and the agents we partner with.”

Kathy Tierney says the best things happening in our business right now will come from looking at what we do through a totally different lens, having a little bit of fun with it, and not being afraid to experiment and take inspiration from unlikely places.

She came to Berkley from a position as chief operating officer of Chubb’s personal insurance division. Her career has included leadership positions in specialty insurance, strategic development and surety.

Though she has won many awards for her accomplishments in the insurance industry, Kathy says she’s proudest of two things: her efforts to expand opportunities for women in insurance, and the fact that she can impress her two teenaged boys when she tells them about what Berkley One is doing.

She holds a B.A. from Williams College and an MBA in finance and economics from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

“I enjoy taking a creative approach to solving problems, applying technology, rethinking assumptions, challenging the status quo. It makes every day an adventure.”   

Susan Vella’s job is to walk in the client’s shoes in every meeting, in every discussion, on every topic – and to be the person who reminds everyone else to do so. That means delivering an exceptional service experience to members and agents that is easy, transparent, efficient and flexible.

After three decades managing underwriting, client service and agent-facing teams for Chubb in two countries, she says for her it all comes down to one very simple belief: that listening to clients and treating them fairly is the key to great service. She keeps challenging herself and others to look at processes from the outside, to see them as the client sees them.

Susan’s greatest passion is her family – her husband and three children. They enjoy exploring the world and trying new things. This year, it’s stand-up paddleboarding. She has a degree in Economics from Yale University.

“To be valuable, you have to find solutions, and we’re doing that. It’s exciting to create an insurance organization that finds new ways of doing things, making things easier for agents and consumers.”

Kevin Hogan says his guiding philosophy is to understand frustrations with the status quo and apply modern solutions to long-standing problems. To do that successfully, he empowers a team approach to sourcing views and opinions from different backgrounds, experiences and insights, and applies what is learned to design better processes, products and services.

As COO, Kevin Hogan has his eyes on that kind of victory by integrating various strategies from underwriting, product development, risk management, and analytics across the Berkley One organization.

Before joining Berkley One, he spent 24 years at Chubb in various leadership roles including underwriting, sales and distribution, and field management.

He holds an accounting degree from Assumption College and, to stay sharp, has participated in continuing education classes in finance, sales management, organizational leadership and general management. Outside of insurance, Kevin’s passions are spending time with his wife and three sons, supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and following college football.

“We can’t prevent every loss, but we can try to make the claims process easy. We embrace innovation and active communication to resolve claims as quickly as possible.”

In his 30 years as an adjuster and claims executive at companies like AIG, Marsh & McLennan, Allstate and Chubb, Paul Cuzzola has always been in the thick of it. He’s helped clients move artwork to higher ground to protect it from hurricanes, hired armed guards to protect homes after losses, even paid a company to sift through the debris of a fire in search of a wedding ring.

He knows people aren’t comparing Berkley One with other insurance companies, they’re comparing us to the best customer service they’re experiencing – anywhere. Because our model is to provide the kind of experience that gets people talking, he’s never satisfied with delivering anything less.

Paul is a foodie, likes being outdoors and traveling to new places. He has a degree from Rowan University.

“I love having a job that not only allows but requires me to ask questions, come up with new ways of doing things and be willing to change.”

Making sure Berkley One’s vision works in practice is where Eileen Opitz really shines. She leads product management for homeowners, automobile, collectibles and liability at Berkley One, which means she manages pricing, contract and underwriting strategies and oversees development of new products.

She came to Berkley One after 18 years in product management and underwriting as a vice president at Chubb.

Eileen loves the beach, spending time with family and friends and watching her children succeed. She holds a degree from Montclair State University.

“Being part of a startup makes you more creative in every area of the company. We’re always looking for ways to pull our vision through.”

Vadim Mezhebovsky leads a team of actuarial analysts on pricing strategies, product development and reserving.

Over his 20-year career in the property and casualty insurance industry, he has held several senior roles, most recently as vice president and actuary at MAPFRE Insurance. His background includes product management, mergers and acquisitions, reinsurance, pricing, reserving, ERM, management consulting, and research and development.

Travel is Vadim’s personal passion. He holds degrees in math and economics from Brandeis University.

“I love to learn. I believe the principles of success are universal – to succeed, you have to constantly think about how the pieces fit, what’s changing and what’s next.”

In his marketing role for Berkley One, Christoph leads sales, distribution and marketing. That means listening and understanding to what clients need now and may want in the future, so we can respond in ways that help them enjoy what they have and restore it if necessary. For agents, it means understanding what’s important to build their businesses and giving them the support to do so.

Christoph came to Berkley One after 25 years in Chubb’s personal insurance division. He started as an underwriter and was drawn to marketing and strategy by his passion to analyze, plan and grow business – especially when it means leading fundamental changes to conventional ways of doing things.

He says he’s always found it fascinating that most of this planet is under water, which is why he’s a huge fan of scuba diving. He loves exploring both underwater and new parts of the world with his family.

Christoph holds a degree in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College and has done graduate work at the University of Maryland and The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

“Wanting to make things better is the biggest driver for me. It is very exciting and satisfying to be part of a team that is passionate about making insurance easier for our insureds and agents.”

With over two decades of experience in finance, Neelam understands the impact that smart planning can have. Her finance team has an important responsibility not only to ensure financial integrity, but also to position Berkley One for successful growth.

Neelam joined Berkley One in 2019 after spending 18 years at Chubb where she held various leadership roles, most recently as division CFO. Her background includes financial planning and analysis, reinsurance, accounting, financial modeling, and mergers and acquisitions. At Berkley One, she brings an entrepreneurial spirit and client focus to ensure Finance is aligned with the business on the shared common goal – client satisfaction.

Neelam devotes her free time to humanitarian services and loves gardening and traveling to explore nature or history with her family. Neelam holds a degree in Accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

“Those who genuinely listen to feedback become the trusted partners. Engaging customers early in the IT solution process and taking input creates a collaborative environment where all participants win.”

Mike McKernan believes that to create great technology solutions, we have to challenge the way things have been done before. He thinks that one of the most important aspects of IT is listening—to clients, agents and colleagues, to understand early on where we need to shake things up and create something new.

In nearly two decades in the industry, Mike has helped insurance teams transform their digital platforms, implement award-winning systems and expand the ways they reach clients and agents. At Berkley One, he applies his passion for technology and transformation to build systems and services that help make working with Berkley One better every day.

Mike is an avid baseball player and hiker. He believes watching his children grow into their future selves is truly a wonder—and loves being a part of it all, from coaching soccer to watching piano and dance lessons.

Mike is a trained Scrum Master, SAFe Agilist and Release Train Engineer. He holds a B.S. in Information Technology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with concentrations in user-centered design and computer system engineering.

“Part of creating a new kind of insurance organization means being straightforward and clear with both clients and agents. This way, we get everyone on the same page and satisfaction goes up.”

Elaine Reyes has been an attorney in the world of insurance for 32 years. At heart, though, she’s an English major, trusting in the power of words to communicate fully and transparently about every detail of all our insurance coverages and services. Our product is a promise set forth in words, so it’s very important to her that those words make it clear what that promise includes and doesn’t include.

Elaine is proud to say she has a track record of using compliance process improvements to help companies reduce regulatory inquiries and improve their relationships with clients.

In her personal life, her greatest passion is her family – providing for her children and striving to be a good role model for them.

Elaine has a B.A. in English and Political Science from Montclair State University and a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.

“I’m a true believer that good customer service is the lifeblood of an organization.”

Anthony is all about people, a perspective he brings to his work in customer service management at Berkley One. He would describe himself as an extrovert in the truest sense, and he loves to crack a good joke or eat a good meal.

Anthony brings rich experience to his work, including his time in the Air Force. He joined the Air Force upon finishing high school and worked as a jet engine mechanic on the AWACS. From there he found his niche in customer service and during his tenure, rapidly climbed the ranks.

His motivation and goal each day is to be the best person he can for his family, friends, and colleagues. He strives to fix problems, and doesn’t mind being “thrown into the fire.”

Anthony believes that good customer service is the lifeblood of an organization and each interaction is a building block toward greater success.

He is completing a BS in Government and Public Policy from Wilmington University.

“I’ve been looking at physical damage to autos for 28 years, but at Berkley One, every day is different. We’re always looking for ways to create a good experience out of the experience of having a claim.”

As the auto physical damage and recreational marine subject matter expert at Berkley One, Robert Young knows what he’s looking at when he looks at the results of an accident.

He also knows how important it is to have someone looking out for you when you have to make a claim. His orientation is about finding ways to help the client. When it comes to auto and watercraft claims, he looks for ways to make the process go more smoothly.

If he’s not at work, Robert likes to play golf. He hopes to someday play at Saint Andrews and Pebble Beach.

Robert is an I-CAR Platinum member, holds an ASE-B6 certification and has received several customer service awards throughout his career.

“Everything we do starts with and is grounded in our great people. I believe getting the people right leads to getting all the other stuff right.”

Ellen Wallace joined Berkley One the better part of a year before it opened its doors to focus on building a new kind of team for a new kind of insurance company. She spent that time helping to fill key positions to fully staff the launch of the new company.

After 30 years in property and casualty insurance – 11 of them in HR – Ellen couldn’t pass up the chance to help start a new organization that is taking a fresh, innovative and exciting approach to insurance. She’s passionate about building great teams and a great place to work. Ellen wants every employee to feel proud, engaged and energized by their role at Berkley One.

Outside of work, she enjoys travel, cooking, reading, paddleboarding and spending time with her two sons.

Ellen has a B.A. in French with a minor in Spanish from Framingham State University.

“For me, helping agents move forward is about innovative approaches and leading a team of people dedicated to growing the business together.”

Frances Brodeur listens. She listens to agents to learn what they need, what they’re concerned about and how Berkley One can help them to not only win a great account together, but also grow their businesses. Constantly reimagining the underwriting and sales process has become one of our differentiators in the marketplace.

To understand Frances, just connect the dots between her 10 years at Chubb, her position as executive director of philanthropy for a multi-state non-profit, and her volunteer work as guardian ad litem for foster youth. It’s about advocacy. It’s about resourcefulness. It’s about a powerful drive to make things better. That’s why she came to Berkley One.

Frances has a degree in actuarial science from Ohio State University.

“Service is everything in claims. Demystifying the process for clients, keeping them informed around every corner and lending an empathetic ear is what we do daily.”

With close to two decades of liability and casualty claims experience, Bryan’s entire career has been dedicated to personal lines claims. He knows the importance of excellent customer service because any claim, no matter how large or small, can be a traumatic event for our clients.

Bryan is no stranger to handling complex coverage claims, working with defense counsel on litigated matters, and settling cases directly with plaintiff attorneys. Prior to joining Berkley One, he worked as a Casualty Claim Litigation Specialist with Nationwide and Harleysville Insurance Companies.

He enjoys spending time with his wife and two young boys, coaching, home improvement projects and anything outdoors. Bryan has a Marketing degree from York College of Pennsylvania.

“I have a passion for training and development, and I love helping the next generation of risk managers grow into their confidence and skillset. ”

Amanda’s love of homes began as a child, when her grandfather was a caretaker of a large estate in Bernardsville, New Jersey. She and her mother would also point out large homes on car rides, and Amanda would dream of how they looked inside. The need to care for and protect homes grew into what she calls the perfect career choice. Amanda has always been in risk management, appraising mostly in New Jersey and Manhattan.

Amanda has traveled the Eastern Seaboard in her work, with the largest home that she’s appraised having a replacement cost of $99 million. Amanda has spent her career in the high net worth space, starting at Chubb, and then followed by ACE, Fireman’s Fund, and PURE. Amanda also has a passion for training and development, and loves helping the next generation of risk managers grow into their confidence and skillset.

Amanda lives in New Jersey with her husband, son, and two dogs. When she’s not with her family, she’s dreaming about her next decorating project. With over two decades in the field of appraising fine homes, she admits that if she’s left too long in a room, she’ll want to redesign or rearrange it. Amanda also loves technology and determining how to best use it not only with her family, but with all those she hopes to protect as part of the risk management department.

Amanda graduated from Drew University, where she majored in Economics and minored in Business Management. Amanda has had her real estate license for over fifteen years.